Caroline's eyes fluttered open to see Kirk smirking at her. "What are you doing?" he asked, amused. Immediately, her face flushed red. "N—nothing!" "But you closed your eyes just now—""I was … I just couldn't make myself look at the tie." In her haste, she told him the first excuse she could come up with. She looked around the spot she was standing in, trying to think of a way to get out of this predicament.Suddenly, the painting he'd given her popped into her mind, and she mumbled, "I—I have to keep the painting somewhere … I'm going back to my room." With that, she darted out of the dining room and into her room, closing the door with a bang. Kirk watched her the entire time. As he stared at the closed door of her bedroom, the smile in his eyes faded and was replaced with his usual icy look. He'd almost lost control of himself … and he'd never done that in front of a woman before!Maybe Sean was right. Maybe he did like Caroline a bit. But that didn't mean that it was l
Caroline had heard a lot about Eddy's second uncle, but they'd never met before. Despite that, why was he so concerned about her?"Um ... he didn't explain why, did he?" "No, he didn't," replied Mr. Sander. "Alright, thanks." Caroline sounded slightly dejected because she'd been expecting more. Upon hanging up, she opened her laptop and started scouring the internet for any information on Eddy's second uncle. The man had spent most of his life overseas, so there was barely any news about him at home. A moment later, she realized that even his name wasn't mentioned anywhere. Frustrated about her fruitless investigation, Caroline began brushing her hair. Then, she suddenly recalled what the journalists yelled the other day. According to them, Eddy's second uncle attended the auction ...Had he noticed Brie bullying her? Perhaps he'd decided to intervene personally because he wanted to protect his family's reputation? Caroline massaged her throbbing temples. Since it wa
"K—Kirk? What are you doing here?" Kirk calmly pointed at a private dining room nearby. "I was supposed to meet a business partner, but he wasn't able to come today. I saw you when you came in, so I figured I'd drop by and say hi." Caroline let out a sigh of relief. For a second there, she'd actually thought that Kirk was Eddy's second uncle! What a relief! She'd barely regained her composure when her phone started ringing. She almost pounced on the table to answer the call. "Carrie." Jude's voice greeted her. "Your second uncle gave me a call just now. Something came up, and he won't be able to meet you today. He asked me to apologize to you on his behalf, but he promised to buy you a meal later to make up for it." Caroline quickly glanced at Kirk, who was standing outside the door. Compared to before, her gaze had turned dull. Tightly gripping her phone, she forced a smile as she said, "It's alright. Thanks, Grandpa!" Then, she hung up the phone silently. "Your date lef
Caroline couldn't be bothered to finish doing her nails. After letting Gwen know, she left.By the time Gwen went out after her, Caroline was long gone.Nervous, Caroline sped home. However, when she reached home, she found everyone sitting quietly in the living room. It looked as though there was nothing amiss at all."Didn't you say something happened?""If you didn't come home, something would have happened for sure." Sarah raised her head.Only then did Caroline notice the bottles in front of Sarah. They were black, so she couldn't tell what was inside."It's a pesticide."Sarah seemed to know what Caroline was thinking. She answered Caroline's question before she could ask it.Caroline was shocked. "What did you say?"Sarah picked up one of the bottles and walked unsteadily before Caroline. She dropped to her knees in front of her daughter."Carrie, I'm begging you. Get a divorce, please?""Mom, didn't I already say I wouldn't divorce him? Besides, the company has money
Caroline felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. She drifted through the streets aimlessly.In the past, her parents had said many hurtful things. Each time, she'd felt a stinging pain from it.This time, though, she felt nothing. In fact, she felt a little numb.It was as if … they were behaving like their true selves now.The affection they'd shown her in the past had only been due to her status as the future Mrs. Eddy Morrison. It was all because of the Morrison family. It wasn't because they were a family."Hey," Sean suddenly said to Kirk. He was resting in the back seat. "Isn't that your wife?"Kirk immediately opened his eyes and looked out the window.There was a young woman there. She looked dejected as she walked down the street alone. She seemed pitiful and helpless."Stop the car."Sean muffled a laugh and stopped the car."Hey, Ms. Evans!"Caroline whipped her head up. She quickly saw Kirk sitting at the back of the car. Her icy limbs immediately w
Caroline raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Didn't you just meet Kirk, Dr. Yates?"Neither Sean nor Kirk had a response to that.After a beat, Sean regained his ability to speak. "What I mean is … It means something special when a man says he wants to give a woman a home—""Shut up!" Kirk warned, his expression stern.Sean promptly closed his mouth."Ignore him. He likes talking nonsense."Caroline shook her head. "It's fine. Dr. Yates is a good conversationalist. But based on the way you interact, it doesn't seem like you two just met. You seem like old friends."Sean was stunned. He'd never expected someone as innocent as Caroline to be so observant. Hence, he didn't dare to say anything else during the ride.Soon, they arrived at their destination and got out of the car.The middleman had already arrived.When he saw them, he walked up. He said enthusiastically, "This way, please."The three of them followed the middleman into the villa.The villa was three stories tall. I
Caroline pushed Kirk away and turned her back on him. "Don't treat me so well."She would … Caroline's thoughts went wild. She couldn't help but feel a trace of hope in this world again. Kirk's eyes narrowed, and he clasped Caroline's shoulder. "What's with you today? Did someone wrong you while you were out?"Caroline seemed to be acting really differently today.She looked to one side and pushed herself to stop crying. She bit her lip forcefully. "We'll have to divorce at some point. I don't want there to be too much fuss when the time comes."The day she announced her marriage to Eddy would be the same day she divorced Kirk.Then, Kirk would be able to find the owner of that lipstick. As for her, she would leave this world with no more attachments.After all, no one wanted her.Kirk's brows were tightly furrowed. There was a ball of rage in his chest. He stared after Caroline, his gaze nearly piercing through her.Sean noticed their exchange and walked over. "What are yo
Gwen was sharp enough to notice there was something wrong with her best friend. She held Caroline's hand and said, "Of course that's fine. You can stay as long as you want. Let's go then."Caroline and Gwen got into the car.Gwen drove slowly and kept shooting glances at Caroline.Meanwhile, Caroline stared out the window vacantly. She looked like a broken porcelain doll.Gwen felt her heart ache as she looked at Caroline. "Carol, why did your dad want you home so urgently? What happened?"Caroline looked over and smiled softly. "They want me to marry Eddy."Gwen was stupefied. "Why do they insist on having you marry that douchebag?""Because they want the Morrison family's help in taking the Evans family back to the top." Caroline's voice was neutral, as if she were talking about someone else's affairs.The way she behaved made Gwen even more pained. "You didn't agree, did you?""I did."Gwen abruptly braked. "Carol, are you nuts?"Caroline chuckled. "If I hadn't agreed, wa
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