Caroline scratched her head and said, "Oh, really? I don't remember calling you." "This probably means you haven't gotten enough rest," Corinne replied. "You should get some more rest. Don't worry about the company. Leave it all to me." "Okay, I'll leave it to you then," said Caroline. A moment later, she mumbled to herself, "Why did I call Corinne again?" Then, she hung up. …Corinne placed her phone on the table and breathed out slowly. She had recorded the call just now. Those were Caroline's exact words. Corinne could sack anyone from the company. Well then, the first thing she would do was to… She picked up her phone and called Stephanie. "Stephanie, come and see me," Corinne ordered. A moment later, a timid Stephanie entered the office with uneasiness written all over her face. "Were you the one who told Ms. Evans about me using the company's money?" Corinne demanded. Stephanie was so afraid that she almost had a heart attack. "No. It wasn't me. Why would I t
Once the door closed, one of the senior executives asked, "Mr. Gavin, what's going on? Why does Ms. Everson want to see you?" "I have no clue either," said Gavin. "Don't fret, though. Just continue with your work. There shouldn't be much of a problem."Despite his words of reassurance, the senior executives didn't think that things were that simple. All of them wore concerned expressions. Eventually, Gavin said, "Don't be so worried. I believe in Ms. Evans. I'm sure Ms. Everson has it in her since Ms. Evans handed the position over to her. "We didn't spend much time with Ms. Everson, so we don't know much about her. We shouldn't judge her based on a single incident like this." He added, "The problem won't solve itself even if you stay here in my office. Why don't you follow me to see Ms. Everson and see what she wants to do?" In the end, the senior executives followed Gavin's suggestion and headed to Evans Group together. …Caroline was having breakfast upstairs when she
Their gazes locked. Caroline froze. Something stirred in the depths of her heart. Flustered, she quickly averted her gaze from Kirk's eyes."Um… Have you eaten?" she asked, trying to change the topic. "Yes," said Kirk with a smile after stealing another glance at Caroline's blushing face and flushed cheeks. It didn't matter how much time had passed. He still loved seeing her blush. He would never get bored seeing her get embarrassed. "Are you sure you don't want to plant anything else here besides grapes?" "I'm sure," said Caroline, still flustered. "I-I haven't eaten enough. I'll head back to grab something to eat." She scurried back into the dining room the moment she finished speaking, fearing that Kirk would say something that would make her heart race like crazy again. She fled, leaving Kirk standing alone, shaking his head helplessly in the garden as he watched her. After spending time together during this period, Kirk had come to realize that Caroline didn't h
That had to be a reason for her hallucinations! No one could convince Caroline that she yearned for Kirk's touch. No way! Caroline felt like slapping herself over and over again as she tried to convince herself that she wasn't so desperate. But then, a tiny voice in her head asked, "Are you sure?" Just then, she heard Kirk yell from the garden below."Carrie, the grapes are on their way," Kirk hollered. "Do you plant them together?" Caroline slowly pried open a hole in the curtains to look down at Kirk, who, to her relief, still had his shirt on. She sighed in relief and answered, "No thanks!" "Okay," Kirk replied. "I'll do it alone then." Hearing him say that made Caroline pity him. She bit her lip and said, "Never mind. I'll help you with it since I have time to spare." Kirk tossed her a smile, one that made him appear all the more enticing as he stood in the sun.Caroline couldn't take it anymore. She turned away from him and rushed downstairs. But when she stopped
"Because I'm Evans Group's CEO," Corinne answered. She continued, "Mr. Gavin, I know that you're good friends with Ms. Evans, but you can't just do whatever you wish. There are rules that need to be followed in this company." Gavin was even more confused now. "You said that we have to follow the rules here. Just what rule is your decision to fire me based on?" Instead of replying, Corinne smiled and closed the contract file on the table. "Now that things have come to this, I advise you to leave as soon as possible. If you don't, I'll have security come up and take you away." That said, she picked up the phone on the table. But Gavin wasn't afraid of her at all. "Ms. Everson, I will not leave the office until you give me a reasonable explanation!" His tone was firm. He might not have done much at Evans Group, but it was as clear as day that Corinne was doing this on purpose. This was a powerplay. She wanted to instill fear in everyone's hearts. Besides, everyone knew th
Gavin hung up, and Caroline pocketed her phone. She was in no hurry to return to the living room, though. It was simply because she couldn't be anywhere near Kirk for now. Just as she was hesitating to head back to the living room, a sharp noise pierced through the air. Before she could even respond, multiple gunshots sounded in the air. Frightened, she darted back into the house. Kirk, who was in the living room, tossed his laptop aside and rushed to Caroline's aid when he heard the noise. When he saw her, he immediately wrapped his arms around her."Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. Caroline shook her head silently. Soon, the sound of gunshots faded, but the two of them stood still with their arms still around each other. When their surroundings became quiet again and there was no longer a single gunshot to be heard, they heard Nightshade teasing them. Only then did Kirk and Caroline realize that the two of them were in such close proximity.
Nightshade's sentence was cut short when Kirk said, "What do you mean? Did you lie about Thomas?" "Of course not. The part about Thomas is true," Nightshade explained himself. "And so is the fact that I'm trying to set up you and Caroline." Kirk didn't get it. "Why are you doing this?""It's simple, really." Nightshade laughed. "You two look the happiest when you're around each other, and when you're happy, I get a pay raise." He added, "I see no reason not to do so… unless you don't want me to?" Kirk stared at Nightshade without blinking. He said, "Don't interfere. I can handle my problem." As cold-blooded as ever, Nightshade mocked, "Yeah, yeah. I haven't seen any improvements, even after so long." "She and I are staying together now. Isn't this considered progress?" Kirk retaliated, making Nightshade laugh. "Do you think this would have happened if it hadn't been for Thomas? When Sean finds the other two assassins, what excuse will you come up with to stay with Car
Nightshade would take the spotlight and be known as the coolest person alive on the dark web.Kirk's frown deepened even more as time passed. He still didn't get the point. However, after considering Nightshade's offer, he asked, "What do you suggest?" Nightshade's excitement shot through the roof at that question. "You agree, then? You'll plead for help once you two reconcile?" "We'll see," Kirk told him.The answer was ambiguous, but Nightshade was no businessman; he simply took that as a "yes"."My method will surely work!" he sounded ecstatic. "But I can only tell you a part of the plan, just in case you go back on your word." "What is it?""Aren't you two staying in the same room tonight? You can…" Nightshade stood closer to Kirk and lowered his voice until it was just a whisper. After he was done speaking, he gleefully quirked an eyebrow at Kirk. But Kirk didn't seem to like the sound of it. "Are you sure it'll work?" "Trust me. It definitely will." Nightshade
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