Caroline stretched out her hand and said through her teeth, "Don't… call them …"Cheryl said worriedly, "But Caroline—"Caroline slowly sat up and said weakly, "I'm fine. Go, get me a glass of water."Cheryl stood up uneasily and poured Caroline a glass of warm water. After drinking the water, Caroline finally recovered from her shock slightly.However, Cheryl was still worried about her. "Caroline, I'd better take you to the hospital."Caroline closed her eyes and leaned against her chair. "No, I'm fine. You can't tell anyone what happened here, especially Kirk."Cheryl frowned in distress and sat next to Caroline. "Caroline …""I'm really fine." Caroline opened her eyes and looked at Cheryl.When she had seen the netizens’ accusations, she had remembered the day Jude had died. They were right; Jude had died for her. But she didn't want to fulfill his final wish. She wanted to live her life with the one she loved. She was really selfish."Caroline …" Seeing how absent-minde
"Mr. Kirk. I-I didn't know that you were the one who had endorsed Ms. Caroline. I know my mistake now. I'll apologize to her in person. Please give me another chance."Krik tapped the tip of his shoe on the ground and asked coldly, "Do you know who's the largest shareholder of this bank?"Mr. Donovan gritted his teeth and shuddered. "Morrison Corp.""Ha!" The smile on Kirk's face widened, but his icy gaze seemed like it could freeze Mr. Donovan. "You're in charge of this bank, but you didn't know that this bank became my property three days ago. Why should I give you a chance?"Mr. Donovan's expression turned even darker. The bank had actually had a change of owners. He couldn't believe that he, the person in charge, hadn’t known about such an important thing. He had even offended the boss himself.Right now, Mr. Donovan wanted someone to give him the mercy of death. "Mr. Kirk. Well … I really—""Enough!" Kirk was no longer in the mood to listen to Mr. Donovan's explanations.
"Hmph! That doesn't matter much. The best thing Layla did was bring Evans Group back on top. Layla did what so many people couldn't.""Oh yeah. You're right," someone followed suit. "Nothing even happened when Caroline took over Evans Group. But look at Layla. Even without a company, she managed to return to the big four families' ranks."These people knew very well how Layla obtained Evans Group. However, things were different now. Since Layla was about to acquire Collins Group, she would become the head of one of the big four families. With that status, everyone was eager to curry favor with her. No one would dare to upset her."I have an idea." Someone raised his glass and said, "Everyone, let's give the new matriarch, Ms. Layla, a toast."Layla had already lost herself in everyone's praises, so she toasted everyone and went wild. "All right! Everything tonight is on me! After I get Collins Group tomorrow, I'll give each of you a branded bag!"Her words immediately made t
After clicking on it and scrolling down, Caroline saw her name written in big letters. There was even a bright red flower beside her name. "It's me! The bank chose me!" she exclaimed as she looked at Kirk with joyful eyes. Perhaps she hadn't had full faith in herself earlier. She was overwhelmed with happiness after learning that she was going to take over Collins Group. Hugging her with one arm, Kirk took one of her hands and planted a kiss on it. "Are you really so happy?" he asked. "It's just Collins Group."Caroline nudged him in the chest. "Hey, you're getting ahead of yourself. Do you know what it means to own Collins Group?""We can do whatever we please in the entertainment industry from now on," she continued. "No one would have the guts to offend us." Kirk laughed at her explanation. "I can give you SY Group if you like it." Caroline couldn't contain her laughter as she glanced at Kirk. "As if." "I'm not lying," Kirk told her, his eyes dead serious. "Dar
A soft smile hung on Caroline's lips. She knew fairly well what Gwen was trying to say. "I asked Eddy's second uncle about it that day," Caroline said, speaking into the phone with her back against the railing. She turned to look at Kirk. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but she could see that his brows were furrowed slightly. Under the soft light, he seemed less stern and more approachable than before. "He said he supported me only because I have a knack for business," replied Caroline."You're too naive. There are lots of others who have a knack for business, too. How come you were the one to catch his eye? You'd better watch out. Especially since he's helped you this time." Gwen continued, "He's a part of Collins Group now, and you'll have to keep an eye out in case he talks about it."Caroline fell silent as she considered Gwen's words. "Don't worry about me, Gwen. I know what I'm doing." "I don't have to worry about you," Gwen told her. "I know you like the back of
Unfortunately, no one answered the call. In haste, Layla remembered that someone must be working at the bank right now, so she quickly called the bank. Her call was answered almost immediately. "Where's Mr. Donovan? Pass him the phone right now!" How could something like this happen? The man must have a death wish. The staff member on the other end of the line sounded confused. "Mr. Donovan? Nobody here goes by that name." "What?" Layla roared into the phone. "Does he think he can hide for all eternity? Tell him that I'll fire him if he doesn't answer my call!" The staff member was flabbergasted. Still, he replied, "Miss, there's no 'Mr. Donovan' here.""Oh right." He seemed to remember something. "The former chairman's surname is Donovan, but he's been sacked. Just call his number if you have any other questions." With that said, the staff member hung up, leaving Layla staring blankly into space. A while later, a thought occurred to her, and she picked up her phone
"Eddy, you can't treat me like this! You can't … Even if you have no feelings for me, I'm still your savior. You wouldn't have lived to this day without me. You can't treat me like this."Eddy hung up, his face expressionless. Indeed, Layla had saved him once back then, but he had repaid her kindness a lot of times too. He didn't want this to carry on anymore. It was fine if she wanted him to give her money or help her search for a suitor. He couldn't care less about her anymore. Right now, all he wanted to do was be together with Caroline. He had finally realized just how much he loved her. He loved her so, so, so much.He couldn't lose her. He had to take her out of Kirk's grasp. Meanwhile, Layla collapsed onto the ground after suffering multiple blows from the truth bombs Eddy had said. Seeing her reaction, everyone around her knew that the matter regarding Collins Group was now set in stone. There was nothing she could do to change it, so they left her alone in the room.
Kirk couldn't resist it when he saw Caroline pout. Still, he managed to hold himself back with his last ounce of rationality. "I can't accompany you there, darling," he told her. "I have something important to attend to on that same day.""What's so important? What's more important than me?" Caroline turned away from him so that her back faced him, her lower lip protruding as she sulked. She had hoped against hope that she could introduce him to everyone during the handover ceremony. Alas, Kirk just wouldn't give in. She was so mad at him for it. Then, Kirk put an arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck. In his low and raspy voice, he muttered, "Naturally, everything about you is most important to me." "But I hope that the ceremony will go perfectly. I don't want to ruin it and make you regret anything later on," he added."You not attending it will be my greatest regret!" Caroline was fuming already. Kirk stared at her and found himself at a loss for words. Noticing
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