But when she thought about it, a blush would stain her cheeks.At this time, there was a knock on the door. "Did you fall asleep?"Caroline opened the door and looked up to see the muscles peeking through his clothes. Her cheeks turned even redder at the sight. "What are you doing here? Didn't I ask you to sit there for a while?""I'm checking if you fell into the toilet or something." Kirk's mood became better when he saw the blush on her cheeks. "What's wrong? Is there no hot water?""N-no …"They were very close. As Kirk's scent filled her nostrils, the lingering memories of the past crossed her mind, almost making her suffocate. "Go and sit down for now. I'll be done soon."Kirk glanced at Caroline, then walked back to his bed happily.Caroline couldn't afford to waste any more time. She fetched a basin of water and put it down beside the bed. Kirk had already taken off his clothes, revealing his firm muscles. She looked away and quickly wiped his upper body. Then, her e
Quentin was worried about Caroline when he learned about her encounter with the gangsters. "It's fine. They have been arrested. It just doesn't make sense that so many of them did this for money, so I want you to help me look into this." "Sure." Quentin added, "Oh right! Have you contacted Adrian recently?" Caroline froze at the sudden mention of Adrian. "No. How is he?" "He's busy working his ass off." Quentin laughed. "Apparently, he wants to become more successful before returning to meet the love of his life." Caroline felt her heart skip a beat. Hastily, she looked out the window. "I-is that so?" "Caroline." Quentin sounded serious all of a sudden. "If you're the one he's after, what would you tell him?" "I …" Caroline pressed her fingers to her temple and fell silent. A moment later, she sighed and said, "I'll probably tell him to lead a good life alone and that he shouldn't sacrifice anything for anyone at all." On the other end of the line, Quentin froze
When Caroline woke up the next day, she found that there were several missed calls from Gavin. Surprised that she had slept so fitfully through his calls, she hastily patted her cheeks in an attempt to make sure that she was fully awake. Her movements roused Kirk. One of his legs was pressed stubbornly against her body, and he mumbled, "Darling, it's still early. Let's sleep for a little longer …""I have to call someone back." "It can wait," Kirk muttered into her back. After trying hard to recompose herself, she told him. "No. I have to make the call now."Gavin had called her multiple times. It could only mean that something had happened. Kirk's eyelids fluttered open. Eventually, he relented when he saw the determined expression on her face. "Fine," he said. Her expression made her seem as though she was a scumbag who wanted to shirk all responsibilities after a one-night stand. Shaking off all the messy thoughts in her mind, Caroline picked up her phone and left th
In the villa in the suburbs, Layla stared at Dan and Sarah, who sat before her. Helplessly, she said, "It's not that I don't want to help you. You know that my company is bankrupt right now. "Eddy won't allow me to get involved in anything related to the company anymore. I don't leave the house much now either, so I truly can't help you."To be honest, Layla simply didn't want to see Eddy. She had suffered a loss of a hundred million dollars. Even though people thought he was a good man for helping her settle her problem, she knew he was pissed off for real this time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone without talking to her for such a long time. Naturally, she was anxious and wanted to see him to ease things between them. However, Eddy had sternly and explicitly told her not to see him. It would be the same as throwing herself off a cliff if she went to see him now. Sarah's expression changed the moment Layla finished her sentence. "But you told us that you would help us
"She's the one everyone knows as 'Caroline' right now." The entire matter sounded so odd that it took Layla some time to digest what she had heard. "You're telling me that the Caroline that I know isn't part of our family?" "Yes," said Dan, staring directly at her. "Once I reveal this to everyone, Caroline won't be able to hold on to her position as the company's CEO."Layla swallowed, tempted by his offer. "What do you want in return?""Have Eddy help us so I won't be locked up," Dan told her. "And let me become the CEO of Evans Group once again!" Layla finally calmed down after taking a few deep breaths. "Dan, don't you think that you're asking for a bit too much?""A secret like this in exchange for something that once belonged to me is fair enough, don't you think?" Dan glanced at Sarah and continued, "Besides, do you think Jude would still insist on Eddy marrying Caroline once he finds out that she isn't my daughter?"That was the best Layla could ever hope for.
Caroline wasn't the kind of person who would easily bend to another's will. Kirk might have an idea on how to stackle this, but she could come up with her very own idea too. She sat on the chair beside the bed and continued going through the documents. A ghost of a smile hung on Kirk's lips as he stared at her, watching her work. It had been long since he experienced a day as wonderful as this, and he found himself thinking that the hospital wasn't that horrible anymore. Just then, a doctor came in to check on him. "Mr. and Mrs. Morrison," he greeted them as he entered the room. Both Caroline and Kirk had left a lasting impression on him. To be precise, they had left a lasting impression on everyone here in the hospital. Caroline and Kirk looked like a lovey-dovey couple, but when asked if they were husband and wife, Caroline would always deny it. Apparently, they had gotten into a fight and weren't on good terms. Still, it was kind of embarrassing for her since her actio
Kirk pressed a hand against his heart. "You frown all day and every day, and you never smile at me. It makes me upset. "I'm sure it's the reason why my wound hasn't healed completely. Why don't you smile at me for once?" Caroline had the urge to give him a good kick in the ass, but she discarded the thought when she recalled what the doctor had just said. She had to bear with it. Eventually, she forced a smile. "Darling, your smile looks so forced that I feel worse now," Kirk said.Caroline was about to talk back when Kirk furrowed his brows and hissed in pain. Seeing this, her expression immediately changed. "I-I'll smile for you. Just give me some time."The frown on Kirk's face disappeared almost instantly. His trick had worked, and he stared contently at Caroline, who stared back at him. She found it extremely hard to smile now, so she forced herself to think of happy things. After some time, she still couldn't recall anything that made her happy, so she gave up. "Let
Caroline left, leaving Sonia and Kirk alone in the room. An awkward silence hung in the air as they both kept quiet. Sonia sat by the bed and stared at Kirk, who was resting with his eyes closed. She heaved a sigh of relief. To be honest, he was pretty good-looking, yet especially hard to get along with. His dominating air was too much to handle, and he always gave others a sense of sternness and rigidity. She wondered how Caroline had been able to bear with him for such a long time. Sonia tapped her nose and took out her phone to read her script, ignoring Kirk. It didn't seem like he was going to strike up a conversation with her anyway. She had received the script just yesterday. It was the work of an infamous playwright called Marietta Weiss. Marietta had come to Easton this time in search of an actress for the female protagonist in her latest work, "Daughter of the Sea". It told the story of an Eastonian woman who had found her true love after traveling abroad. This
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