The journey was silent, and Kirk and Caroline soon arrived at the hotel the bodyguards had mentioned.The hotel had a serene environment, though it was strangely quiet.As they got out of the car, Caroline's underlying unease reached its peak. She only felt a bit more at ease when she walked closely beside Kirk.Perhaps sensing Caroline's anxiety, Kirk tightly held her hand. Escorted by the bodyguards, Kirk and Caroline finally met Neil, the most powerful man in Huldren.Although Neil was already 80 years old this year, he looked full of life and energy. In fact, he seemed more like someone in their 60s, gracefully stepping into the senior years of life.When Kirk and Caroline arrived, Neil greeted them with a cheerful smile. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Kirk, Ms. Evans."Despite not knowing Kirk's true identity, Neil had witnessed the former's ruthlessness that evening.Kirk and a dozen men had effortlessly entered Neil's heavily guarded house. Then, Kirk had held a knife to Neil's
Soon, the sound of footsteps stopped at the door. Caroline turned back to see two burly men standing at the door. Their builds were so bulky that the two of them blocked the entire entrance. Caroline glanced at Kirk, whose expression changed when he, too, noticed the two men standing by the door.One of them saw the mask on Kirk's face and knew right away that he was the person Eddy had told them about on the phone. Seeing that Kirk was only accompanied by a fragile-looking woman, the man felt even more confident.He pointed at Kirk and said, "Grandpa, is this the guy who wanted to share the harbor with us?" "That's right," said Neil without moving an inch. "Are you ready?""I've waited too long for this," came the reply. The look of politeness in Neil's eyes disappeared without a trace. "Well then." He turned to look at Kirk, his smile widening, yet it didn't reach his eyes. There was more hatred in his gaze than anything else. "Mr. Kirk, the person standing before yo
In the blink of an eye, Kirk raised his hand and grabbed Cade's fingers with such force that the latter yelped in pain. His scream gave the others around them quite a fright. A moment later, Cade yelled at the bodyguards, "What are you people waiting for?" The bodyguards snapped out of it and rushed to his aid. All of them were well-built, and they dashed toward Kirk. Kirk let go of Cade's hands and stepped forward to shield Caroline as the bodyguards started to surround them. Even with Caroline in his arms, he was still as agile as ever as he dodged all the bodyguards' clutches and made his escape. Soon, though, they realized a couple of things. The first was that although the bodyguards were after the two of them, their real target was Kirk. Secondly, the bodyguards kept on trying to land their blows on Kirk's face. It was as if they wanted to pull the mask off his face. Realizing this, Caroline couldn't stay still anymore. She started striking those bodyguards. After
Kirk wanted to stop them, but it was all too late. It was as if something snapped inside of him. The thought that Caroline would go crazy when she saw his face made him go mad with rage. His eyes turned bloodshot as a surge of newfound energy gushed through him. It gave him the strength to shove away the group of bodyguards who clawed at him.The sudden force came as a total surprise to them, and they crashed against the wall. They gritted their teeth in pain. None of them could find the strength to get back on their feet. All of this went down in no more than 30 seconds. Alas, it was at this moment that Kirk's mask fell to the ground. Right then, he raised his foot and stomped on the mask, crushing it into smithereens. It sounded as if someone's bones had been crushed to dust. The sound was so chilling that everyone, Neil included, shuddered. The faces of the other men around Kirk paled even further when they finally saw the latter's face. As the head of underground bus
Caroline still had her eyes shut, even with Kirk's arms around her. "Let's get out of this place then," she said. Kirk hummed in agreement. He glanced at the people around them and took his phone out to call Charles. "Charles, where are you now?" he asked."I've just arrived in Huldren." "Have your men get rid of the mess here," Kirk instructed.Kirk had anticipated this all along. That was why he had specifically asked Charles to bring along some men with him after he and Caroline had left. The men had taken the next flight to Huldren after theirs. Not only had these two brutes gone back on their word, but they had also colluded with Eddy. Kirk had reached this realization when he had noticed that Cade's henchmen were aiming for his mask instead of his life. Eddy was the only person who would want that. Clearly, he had lost his mind. Kirk had taken Roald away from right under Eddy's nose the last time. He had thought that Eddy would have learned his lesson by now and
Kirk simply stared on as Neil blabbered on with that self-conceited, ridiculous look on his face. After taking a seat on a chair, Kirk nonchalantly took out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, and lit it. As the smoke filled the air, it made his face seem like it was nothing but an illusion. He simply sat there in the chair and smoked. The men who surrounded Kirk didn't dare approach him, even though all of them knew how to fight. Even Neil himself could only brag instead of actually making a move. After all, his backup still hadn't arrived. He had secretly called one of his subordinates to ask the rest of his men to come over when Kirk had called Charles just now. Neil would never have believed that he would be in such a pathetic state when backup arrived later on.Cade was a useless and clumsy fool to be beaten to a pulp with just a few strikes. Still, Neil was sure that the men he had called for backup wouldn't be so incompetent. Kirk had only been able to pull of
"Mr. Kirk, you just want to use my port, right? You can use it however you like. I won't interfere!"When Kirk heard Neil say that, a smile appeared on his face. It was as if he were looking at a fool. On the other hand, Cade was anxious. "Grandpa, no—""What do you know?" Neil questioned and kicked Cade.After that, Neil put on a smile and said, "Mr. Kirk, the fact that today has turned out in such a way is entirely my grandson's fault. He's the one who stirred up trouble. This has nothing to do with me."Kirk couldn't be bothered to express his contempt for such a person. He calmly asked, "Are you hoping to resolve this matter?""As long as you spare me, I'm willing to do everything you ask!" Neil answered while nodding repeatedly. Kirk crossed his legs before commenting lazily, "If that's the case, hand over the port usage rights."In an instant, Neil's face turned pale. He instinctively wanted to shake his head.However, his mind and body froze when he met Kirk's gaze.
When Charles entered the room, Caroline was quick to notice that Kirk wasn't behind him. In an instant, her heart tightened. She thought about how those people had removed Kirk's mask earlier. Caroline had closed her eyes and hadn't seen his face. Nevertheless, given her multiple attempts to remove his mask, Kirk might be convinced that she had seen his face. Caroline reckoned Kirk didn't want to see her anymore. At the thought of that possibility, her heart skipped a beat. She rose to her feet, wanting to leave. However, Charles stopped her.Looking at Caroline's expression, Charles guessed what she was thinking. "Don't worry, Ms. Evans. Mr. Kirk is just outside," he hurriedly said. "But he has other matters to attend to. He hoped that you would leave with me first."Caroline asked, "What other matters? Is he unwilling to see me because someone took his mask off? Tell him I didn't see his face at all. Ask him not to avoid me, will you?"Charles glanced at the door helpl
Soon, Kirk and Caroline met up with Thomas. When he saw the two of them, his eyes turned bloodshot from the rage boiling within him. "You won!" He spat with so much force that it seemed like he had used up all his strength for it. "Things didn't have to come to this," Kirk said calmly as he sat down beside Thomas. Thomas snorted derisively. "Oh really? If you hadn't chosen to marry Caroline at such short notice, do you think Eddy would have died? You two were the cause of the tragedy!" Caroline didn't feel like talking anymore after seeing how foolishly adamant Thomas was. She gave Kirk a look, and he hummed in acknowledgment. When he turned to face Thomas again, his eyes were frosty "I'm here to tell you something," he said.Thomas let out a bark of scornful laughter. "Why? What else do you have to tell me, huh? Are you going to tell me that you have a child now?" "It's not about me and Caroline's child. It's about yours," Kirk stated plainly as he stared at Thomas
"Yes, it's true! Why would I lie to you about something so important?" Betty said. "This is wonderful! Marietta's wish has finally come true." Caroline turned to look at Marietta, who had just stopped by the door. Marietta was so shocked by the results that she was too stunned to speak. All she did was stare at Caroline in silence. Caroline opened her lips to speak, but no words came out of her mouth. She and Marietta stood facing each other, tears streaming down their cheeks. The next second, the two of them rushed toward each other and hugged each other as tightly as they could. The words that were at the tip of their tongues turned into tears at this significant moment. The others felt touched as they witnessed the mother-daughter duo's reunion. After some time, Betty broke the silence. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and call her 'Mom'!"Caroline had once used that word to address Marietta, but she hadn't known that Marietta was her biological mother back then.
Blushing, Caroline nodded. However, Kirk couldn't lift his head due to his injuries. So, Caroline took the initiative to bend over so that she was closer to him. Their lips touched. Yet before Caroline could get that warm, fuzzy feeling she always had when they kissed, she heard Gwen's voice. "Oh? Did we come at the wrong time?" Gwen grinned.It gave Caroline such a shock that she almost fell to the ground. Cheryl reacted quickly and gave Caroline an arm to hold on to for support. Steadying herself, Caroline stared daggers at Gwen, who giggled and placed the supplements she had brought on a table. Sean and Kirk started discussing what had happened that day, while Caroline led Gwen and Cheryl out of the ward. "Are you two back together?" Gwen asked. There was a sparkle in her eyes, which said enough about how eager she was to gossip. When Caroline nodded, Gwen patted her back gleefully and said, "Great! We all know how much Kirk loves you, even though he kept his ident
As Caroline mentally prepared to face death, there was a sudden, loud commotion. The noise was followed by gusts of wind that were so strong that no one could pry their eyes open to see what was going on. Still, Caroline could make out the silhouette of a helicopter above her. She had no idea what had happened next, though. …When she woke up, she was already lying on a bed in a ward. Beside her were Betty and Marietta, their eyes red and puffy from crying. When they noticed that Caroline was awake, the two of them shot up from their chairs."Carrie? You're finally awake!" Still groggy, Caroline forced herself to hum in response. After getting up, she grabbed Betty's hand and said, "Where's Kirk?" "He's fine," said Betty while wiping the tears off her cheeks. "He's in another ward, but he hasn't woken up yet." "Can I see him?" Caroline asked, tearing up. Betty nodded and asked Sean to push Caroline's wheelchair to the ward next door. Caroline couldn't hold back her
Kirk and Caroline hadn't even caught their breaths yet when they sensed a more intense attack coming their way. It didn't seem like these people were human. They seemed like monsters, bringing destruction wherever they went. Caroline watched the situation outside in concern. "Why hasn't Nightshade come back yet? Did he lie to us?" she asked. Kirk gritted his teeth and replied, "No, he wouldn't. They're all people from the dark web, and they're all honorable. Since he promised to bring the top two assassins, he'll definitely come back."As he spoke, he pushed her into a car. "But before that, you have to leave first," he insisted.Caroline noticed that his words were only directed at her. She grabbed his hand tightly. "What do you mean by that?"What did he mean she had to leave first?He replied, "Finn has sent over all his trump cards. If you don't leave, I have no doubt that he'll come here too. So, you need to leave now!" Caroline grabbed his hand. "We haven't gone to Ci
When she saw his reaction, Caroline couldn't help but smile. "What I mean is, let's head to City Hall to re-register our marriage certificate. The information we used to register our marriage before was all fake. "Can we update it with the real information now?"Kirk brightened up. "No problem."She looked at him and smiled again. However, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "Oh, I forgot about Thomas. Do you think he'll send someone to ambush us when we go to City Hall?"Kirk fell silent. He didn't want to change the plans, but he still said, "Then, let's wait for Nightshade to find the assassins—"Before he could finish his sentence, gunshots rang out from downstairs. His face dropped, and he rushed to the window, where he saw two groups of people engaged in a gunfight. One of the groups was Thomas' men."What's going on?" Caroline asked as she got up from bed."Thomas must have found out that Nightshade left, so he took the chance to ambush us."Kirk led her to a
"If you make up with Kirk, I'll help you find them both."Caroline and Kirk were stunned to hear Nightshade's condition. Kirk had never expected Nightshade to say such a thing. Caroline was also in disbelief. She felt somewhat reluctant to agree to it."You don't agree?" Nightshade asked when Caroline remained silent. "Alright then, if you disagree, I won't look for them. Besides, Thomas is already planning to go all out against you. "When the time comes, I can escape. But what about you two?"Caroline looked at Kirk. "Thomas plans to go all out against us? You're not lying to me?"Kirk met her eyes and gulped. "No."She pondered for a moment, then looked at Nightshade again. "Do you really have a way to help us find the two assassins?""Of course.""Okay." Caroline lowered her head. "As long as you can help us find those two assassins, I'll agree to your condition."On the other side of the room, Betty and Marietta exclaimed excitedly when they heard her words. "Carrie, do
When Betty noticed how confused everyone looked, she said, "Oh, dear. Did you all forget?"Back then, when Marietta did the DNA test with that girl from the Hackett family—no, the fake Ms. Hackett—Caroline was the one who went to the restaurant with her."She continued, "Didn't we look through the footage from that day? Then, we called in the people who were at the restaurant that day to do another DNA test."Although they had unfortunately been unable to find Marietta's daughter, Betty still considered it a great effort. "We had thought that we had tested everyone. But there was someone who we didn't test!" Betty's eyes lit up as she looked at Caroline. Marietta immediately understood what she meant. She looked at Caroline with excitement, but she didn't dare to get her hopes up. "Caroline…"Caroline also looked at Marietta excitedly. "I… Aunt Mary… this… Is it possible?"Betty replied, "Why wouldn't it be possible? We tested so many people back then, and you were the only
Sarah was about to tell Caroline, but Dan stopped her."Don't tell her. Let her live in pain without ever knowing who her real parents are. Besides, do you really think she will get us the best lawyer?"Caroline wasn't upset that they hadn't taken the bait. Instead, a small smile appeared on her face. "You still have some sanity left."Upon realizing her trick, Sarah shouted angrily, "You liar!"However, she was taken away before she could shout more. Caroline watched as Sarah and Dan disappeared in the police cars. The feigned strength on her face finally disappeared. She might never find her parents in this life. But she didn't regret it. She tilted her head and glanced at Kirk, Cheryl, and Jack beside her. She had no regrets anymore.Even though she couldn't get her parents back, she was content that she had so many friends."Let's head back." Caroline's voice was weary. She needed a good rest, but there was still a tough battle waiting for her. The news about Caroline n