Raising an eyebrow, Sean stared at her and waited, but she faltered and didn't continue. Soon, the waiter came with their food, so Sean said, "Let's eat." After finishing their meal, Sean and Caroline said their goodbyes. He watched her as she left before he took his phone out to call Kirk. "Where are you?" "At the company." Kirk had rented a place for his company in a small business district east of town. It wasn't exactly huge, so he'd asked Eddy to have the 88th floor emptied so that it could be turned into a leisure area for him to work out. When Kirk said that he was at the company, Sean instantly knew what he meant. "I saw your wife today."Kirk had been listening to Sean without much interest, but now he froze. His fingers halted, and the pen in his grasp stopped moving. His expression turned grim. "We even had something to eat." "Sean!" Kirk warned. Sean started chuckling. "It was a coincidence. She was here to fix her laptop, and I recommended you. "What do y
Caroline ran here and there with her laptop in hand for the entire afternoon, but to no avail. She even thought of withdrawing from the contest. But … She wasn't with the Evanses now, and she couldn't just rely on Kirk all the time. He probably didn't have much money with him after buying a villa. Besides, he still had to pay for it every month. All of this reminded Caroline of how much she wanted to strangle Layla for her sins. This morning, Kai had messaged her, saying that the process had begun. Layla should receive the court summons in about two days' time. Still, it would take some time before the official hearing.Kai had told Caroline that she didn't need to worry about it and that he'd settle everything for her. So, she'd only need to show up at court that time. Caroline felt her spirits improve now that all she had to do was wait for Layla to receive her punishment. It was a shame that …Caroline clicked open to the public page for the design contest and was about to
Half an hour later, Kirk received a call from Sean."Were you in a meeting just now?" Sean asked, and Kirk could hear him burp from the other end of the line. "Eddy called and spoke to me about sourcing a kidney for him. Didn't you say that you wanted to stop the search? Why are you starting it again?" Kirk was still simmering with rage, so his voice was dangerously low. "It's your business." "No way." Sean refused it right away. "I told you before that his lover's medical condition is strange. I was glad when you told me to stop our search. If I had to carry on with it, I'd have to go through her reports again," he complained. "You'd better give me an answer. Are we doing it or not?" Instead of replying, Kirk ended the call. That made Sean realize that they weren't going to do it after all. No more than five minutes later, Eddy called Sean again. Taking out Layla's medical report, Sean started his plan to find a reasonable excuse to refuse Eddy's request. However, one
"Why us?" Gwen couldn't contain her anger anymore. "I'm the boss here," the man spat. "Leave now. We won't welcome anyone who offends Ms. Collins." Gwen wanted to argue with them, but Caroline tugged at her arm and said, "Gwen, it's fine. It's the weekend. We shouldn't waste time on people like them." There were many places selling delicacies at the bottom of the hill anyway. "That's not entirely true," someone said jokingly. "You should be happy when you come out to have fun." Caroline looked in the direction of the voice to find Sean standing there. She'd never thought she'd run into him here. He strode toward them and gave Caroline and Gwen his greetings before turning to face the restaurant's owner with a polite smile. "These two are my friends," Sean told him. The meaning behind his words was as clear as day. Chasing Caroline and Gwen away was the same as asking him to leave. The restaurant's owner didn't know who Sean was, but Brie, who stood beside him, knew Se
Kirk opened his eyes and saw Caroline through the veil of smoke. Their eyes met, yet no one uttered a single word. Sean pushed Caroline to sit beside Kirk, smiling. "What a coincidence! I met Ms. Evans when I was coming back from the restroom." Caroline took her seat. She could smell the unique minty scent on Kirk, which made her heart race. Gwen was unaware of what had happened between the couple. She was still shocked by the fact that Kirk knew Sean. "You two are … friends?" Kirk was full of surprises, indeed. He'd even made an acquaintance with a renowned, genius doctor. "We met at the hospital," Sean explained as he sat on the chair beside her. He handed the two women a tablet for the menu and added, "Ms. Jameson, we've already placed our orders. Take a look and see if there's anything you two would like." Perching on the edge of her seat, Caroline tried to kick Gwen's shin from under the table. She wanted to signal her to leave, but the latter remained unaffected an
Gwen burst out laughing. "And you tell me you don't have feelings for him. You're thinking on behalf of him already.""Gwen!" Caroline's cheeks turned red.After recomposing herself, Gwen told her, "Fine! I won't go after Sean then." She sighed and added, "What a shame! You'll have to find me another handsome guy as compensation!" Caroline could finally sigh in relief. "That's not a problem. I can find you any type of guy that you want." They chatted and giggled their way back to the private room. Once they entered the room, Kirk's gaze automatically fell on Caroline. Noticing this, Sean stood from his seat and asked, "It's still early. Why don't we go to the movies?" "No, thanks." Gwen wanted nothing to do with Sean now, so she appeared to be distancing herself from him. "Carol and I are going shopping. Thanks for the treat!" Her reply took Sean by surprise, but he was quick to respond. "Let Kirk and I go with you. We can help you carry your things." Sean regretted his w
After Brie had left the Faladorian restaurant, the more she thought about the incident, the angrier she became. She didn't have the guts to go and meet Kirk, but Caroline was already acquainted with Kirk's good friend. How did any of these make sense? No. She couldn't just stand by idly. She took out her phone and dialed someone's number. "Greg?" "Hello, Ms. Collins." "Find out who Caroline's husband is!" She wanted to send him pictures of Caroline cheating on him with other men everywhere she went. That way, he'd surely teach Caroline a lesson. "Ms. Collins." Greg Wilson forced a laugh. "Aren't you just making things difficult for me? Last time, the Morrisons themselves tried to find out who her husband was, but they failed. Even if I managed to discover his identity, I might lose my life doing it." Brie straightened her shirt. "Really?" Greg sighed. "I'm only telling you this because you're one of my most loyal patrons. There aren't many who are aware of this. Eve
Caroline kept thinking about Kirk's words, which had left her hanging. If it weren't for the fact that she'd received some news about the contest, she would've forgotten that the results were going to be announced soon. This contest was especially grand. It was the first time these major brands came together to organize a packaging design contest of such a huge scale, after all. The announcement venue was as spectacular as an award ceremony. Gwen took in the sight of the tables full of desserts and clucked her tongue in satisfaction. "As expected of an event organized by such big brands, even the desserts here are from well-known manufacturers." Caroline tossed her a sideways glance. "Since when were you so interested in food?" With a guilty face worthy of a convict, Gwen tried to explain herself. "We've been going out for food all the time these days. I've become a foodie." Caroline didn't doubt what Gwen said. She simply walked around and found a seat for herself while G
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