The calmer Lydia appeared, the more anxious Mrs. Fay became. She would prefer if Lydia broke down in tears, screamed, or even smashed everything in the house. Anything but this eerie calmness.Mrs. Fay pulled her into a tight embrace. “Lydia, you know you’re our only child. If anything were to happen to you, your father and I wouldn’t survive it.”With the awful things being said online, Mrs. Fay was terrified that her daughter might not be able to handle it and would consider something drastic.But Lydia wouldn’t let that happen. She wrapped her arms around her mother, noticing how much weight she had lost. It was something Lydia hadn’t realized before. All because she had been worried about her.“I may have lost my child, but I still have you and Dad. You’re the best parents in the world, and I want to take care of you. As long as we clear up the truth, everything will be fine,” Lydia reassured her, though as soon as she spoke, the doorbell rang.She quickly went to the door and
Quite the opposite, Mrs. Fay believed that Eugene’s tears were proof of how deeply he loved Lydia. Because of his love, he could truly empathize with her pain and feel her suffering.Lydia wanted to say she didn’t need Eugene’s help, but seeing the exhausted faces of her parents, what choice did she have? Could she really just kick him out?Doing so would only hurt her parents, who had already been through so much. So, instead, she watched as Eugene sat down with her parents on the couch.“Mr. and Mrs. Fay, I’ve already come up with a plan for handling the online scandal on my way over. We’ll fight fire with fire. They want to attack Lydia? Well, Quincy is no saint either! He’s been messing around with another woman the whole time.” Eugene slammed his hand down on the table to emphasize his point. “Lydia and I haven’t even been in touch, but Quincy’s cheating led to Lydia losing her child. I’ll make sure he ends up with nothing.”Lydia didn’t want things to escalate like this. In h
“No, not yet,” the doctor sighed heavily, “Your mother’s condition is incredibly severe. The chances of a successful surgery are very, very slim. She already had a weak heart, and now with this brain hemorrhage, it’s a tough situation. In all my years of practice, I’ve never seen anything like this.”Quincy felt a sudden chill grip his heart. He had always hated his mother meddling in his marriage, and had even thought to himself that it would be a relief if she stopped interfering one day. But he had never imagined the cost would be her life.“Doctor, is there—”“Whatever you need to ask can wait. First, you need to sign the critical condition notice. Every second you delay puts your mother in more danger,” the doctor interrupted, handing over the papers.A nurse quickly brought over the pen and paperwork. Quincy grabbed the black pen and, without hesitation, signed his name. He watched as the doctor disappeared back into the operating room. His heart felt like it was lodged in
Tiffany's eyes filled with tears. “Mrs. Perez, it’s just that I’m not lucky enough to be your daughter-in-law.”“Don’t say that, dear. You’re a sweet, thoughtful girl, and your luck will come in time,” Mrs. Perez consoled her before calling Quincy over.Quincy approached, but he kept a noticeable distance from Tiffany, not wanting any association with her.Mrs. Perez grabbed his hand and placed it in Tiffany’s, saying, “Quincy, this is my only wish. You refuse to fulfill it, so I’ll settle for Tiffany becoming my daughter. She can be your sister instead. That should be acceptable, right?”“Mom, I already have a sister. Mabel is standing right here,” Quincy replied, exasperated. He couldn’t believe his mother’s persistence. She wasn’t even that old, but she was acting like she had lost her mind. If she had really wanted another child, she could have had one back then. Modern medicine had come a long way. She could have gone abroad and had another child through IVF if she wanted to
When the secretary finally explained the situation to Quincy in full detail, his first reaction wasn’t about how badly he was being dragged through the mud. It was concern for Lydia. “Lydia never did anything wrong to me. She doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment. Who’s behind all of this?”Even if Lydia was with someone else now, as long as the man treated her well, Quincy would feel no more than bitter regret. He would never blame Lydia for anything. She was a wonderful person, and it was his failure to be the husband she deserved that had led to their separation.“I’m not sure,” the secretary replied. “A user posted a video online, and suddenly all the major marketing accounts started sharing it. It quickly trended on social media. Then the Fay family retaliated.”Without hesitation, Quincy ordered, “Get a team on it immediately. Issue clarifications and send legal notices to those accounts. If they keep spreading lies, we’ll take legal action.”With that, he hurried out, det
As they walked out the door, Eugene seemed to be trying to calm Mr. Fay down, but every word he spoke only fueled the fire.Just as they reached the entrance, they ran into Quincy.“You’ve got the nerve to show up here? After everything you’ve done to my daughter, what are you doing here now?” Mr. Fay rolled up his sleeves, clenching his fists tightly.Normally a calm and rational man, Mr. Fay wasn’t one to resort to violence. But right now, all he wanted was to land a punch on Quincy’s face to vent his rage for Lydia's sake.“Mr. Fay, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault I couldn’t take better care of Lydia, I—” Quincy began to apologize sincerely, but before he could finish, Eugene cut him off.Panicked, afraid that the truth might come out, Eugene was desperate to get Quincy out of there. “You two are divorced now. You have no right to be here. Get lost! You’ve already hurt Lydia enough, and now you want to come here and harass her parents?”“Eugene, even if you want to swoop in and ta
How much suffering had his daughter endured during her marriage?As Mr. Fay thought back to the online attacks, where so many people blindly insulted Lydia, hurling vicious words at her, his fury reached its peak. He couldn’t hold back any longer. His fists, fueled by rage, landed punch after punch on Quincy.“Mr. Fay, Eugene is a liar. You can’t believe anything he says. I never laid a hand on Lydia, and I would never try to slander her,” Quincy pleaded, trying his best to avoid the blows without fighting back. He didn’t want to hurt Mr. Fay. He dodged and explained, but Mr. Fay, blinded by anger, wasn’t hearing any of it.“I only believe what I’ve seen with my own eyes,” Mr. Fay spat, his voice trembling with fury. “You’re just like your mother, constantly making my daughter’s life miserable. What good could possibly come from you?”Quincy fell silent, unable to respond. As a man, he could understand Mr. Fay’s reaction. If his own daughter had been hurt like that, he wouldn’t
“Of course not! There's nothing between us,” Quincy hurried to explain.Tears welled up in Tiffany's eyes as she looked at Quincy, her expression filled with sorrow. She lowered her head, as if making some big decision. Then, turning to Mr. Fay, she said, “I only see Quincy as an older brother. We have always treated each other as siblings, so please don’t misunderstand our relationship, and definitely don’t say things like that.”That was the last straw for Mr. Fay. He wasn’t stupid. Just looking at Tiffany’s expression made it clear that their relationship was far from innocent. Brother and sister? What a joke.“I’d say you two are more like ‘lovers pretending to be siblings.’ Now that the divorce is final, you can go be as close as you want, but spare me the act! It’s disgusting!” Mr. Fay spat, releasing Quincy’s collar and shaking off the frustration with a sharp clap of his hands.His heart broke for Lydia, who had wasted so much time on a man like this.“It’s not like that
Winnie reacted strongly, refusing to believe any of it. “We’ve known each other for so long. He’s always been so good to me, and he’s incredibly dedicated to his work. He’s an exceptional lawyer. How could he possibly do something like this? You have to investigate thoroughly and clear his name,” she said, her voice trembling. The captain waited until she finished before asking, “Miss Lewis, just now you called him ‘Jack.’ Is that right?” “Yes, that’s his name, Jack Green. We’re engaged, and we’re getting married soon. Is there a problem with me calling him that?” Winnie responded, momentarily stunned. Her first thought was that the captain was being unnecessarily nosy. Was it wrong for an engaged couple to call each other by their first names?The captain shook his head. “This has nothing to do with your upcoming marriage, but the name you’re using doesn’t match the one on his ID. Were you aware of that?” “You’re joking, right? That’s not funny,” Winnie said, her face
While Nash spent time with his daughter, Gemma, every day, Nina and Pharaoh had missed out on so much together. Now that the doctors had given Pharaoh only five years to live, it was clear they needed to make the most of the time they had left and create as many good memories as possible.Lydia completely understood.She waved goodbye to Nash, then linked her arm through Quincy’s as the two walked toward their parked car.“I was thinking that, since work has been slow, we could take a short trip to a nearby city,” Quincy said, glancing at her with a warm expression. “But it looks like we’ll have to postpone it.”With her by his side, life felt perfect.Lydia smiled. “If not this week, then next week or the one after. We’ve got all the time in the world.”They were still young, with plenty of time to do everything they wanted.……Meanwhile, Winnie was left alone at home since Jamie went out to work. With nothing else to do, she decided to tidy up. The villa was large, and clea
Nash was the first to speak. “Mrs. Lucas, what exactly happened to Ben? Can you tell us everything? Let’s see if there’s a way we can help.”“Alright. Thank goodness he has friends like you. Otherwise, I’d have no idea what to do right now.” Mrs. Lucas recounted the situation in detail but carefully omitted her own involvement.The living room fell silent, and everyone’s expressions darkened.“I raised Ben. I know my son. He would never do something like this. It must be a setup,” Mrs. Lucas said, her voice trembling with emotion. The more she spoke, the more heartbroken she felt. All she could think about now were her Ben’s virtues. Apart from refusing to listen to her about marriage and career plans, Ben had always been a good son.“Don’t worry, Mrs. Lucas. We’ll figure something out,” Lydia offered as she stood and gently guided Mrs. Lucas to the nearby study. “You should rest for a bit. Don’t wear yourself out.”Quincy watched Lydia closely as she left the room. Only when sh
Mrs. Lucas deeply regretted her decision. If she had known it would come to this, she would never have sought out this man for help. “You hide behind a mask and won’t even show your face. How can you call yourself a man?”“Mrs. Lucas, do you really think throwing insults will make me take off the mask and obediently do your bidding like a dog?” The masked man remained calm, his tone even laced with amusement, which only added to Mrs. Lucas’s frustration.She was on the verge of breaking down. “Just name your price. How much will it take to get my son out of there?”As long as Ben could walk out safely and unharmed, no amount of money was too much.But the masked man shook his head. “This isn’t about money. If it were that simple, you wouldn’t be here begging me for help.”The truth was, Mrs. Lucas had come to him because she had run out of options. He was her last hope. Yet, he shrugged nonchalantly, as if to show her just how powerless he really was.“I don’t make the laws, an
Why would Caden do this?“And then there’s that recent case you handled. The client is suspected of laundering money for an international corporation, and these are the ‘evidences’ you submitted.” The captain’s brows furrowed as he pulled a file from the side, placing it in front of Ben. “Take a look at what you turned in.”The documents were full of evasive arguments, but the worst part was that a check had somehow been slipped between the pages. With all this evidence piled up against him, even as a lawyer, Ben had no way to prove his innocence.He had no idea how things had come to this. He had personally organized and submitted these files to the court, but the ones on record were completely different. Someone had swapped them out.But who?Ben handled everything himself, except for having his assistant print the documents. Could it be…?“Mr. Lucas, the evidence is overwhelming. You’d better think about how to clear your name,” the captain said, standing up and looking at Ben
“Please come with us,” one of the officers stepped up, holding a pair of silver handcuffs.Ben was even more puzzled. He hadn’t done anything illegal. Why were these officers showing up at his office? And why the cuffs?His first reaction was to step back. “You must have the wrong person.”“Your name is Ben Lucas, right? We’ve already matched your photo. I suggest you don’t resist and just come along quietly,” the officer barked.They wouldn’t be here without solid evidence. There was no mistake.“If you’re taking me in, I’d like to know the reason,” Ben replied, still trying to make sense of what was happening.To the officers, his reaction came across as defiant, making him look even more suspicious.“Don’t tell me you’re unaware of your own wrongdoing? You’re supposed to be a lawyer, familiar with the law. How convenient to play ignorant when it applies to you!“Think carefully! Confess, and things might go easier for you. Resist, and you’ll only make it worse. Don’t interfe
How could Jamie feel right about taking the money? In just a few days, Winnie had already lent her so much. She couldn’t keep taking advantage of her.“Jamie, if I were living alone, I wouldn’t care so much. But now, with Jack and the baby on the way, it’s unrealistic for us to keep living together forever. Take this money. It’s enough to cover at least half a month’s rent,” Winnie said firmly.Jamie could hear the underlying message. Winnie was trying to hint, as gently as possible, that it might be time for Jamie to find her own place. It made sense. Winnie was building her own family and naturally wanted privacy. Having a relative around wasn’t exactly ideal, especially with everything Ben had been doing lately. While he hadn’t openly revealed anything about their past, it was clear enough that Winnie had noticed something.Jamie truly wanted to move out, but the moment she started looking for a place, Ben would make her life difficult. She didn’t mind for herself, but with
The next morning, Ben opened his eyes. He immediately noticed the blanket covering him. Could Jamie have been the one taking care of him last night?He sat up, only to see Winnie sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor.“You’re awake? You were so drunk last night that you passed out on the way home. It was a struggle just getting you here. I even tried to wake you up for some tea to help sober you up, but you were completely out,” Winnie said as she woke up, too.After straightening up the living room a bit, she went to the kitchen and came back with a mug of warm herbal tea. “I’m guessing the hangover’s mostly gone, so you probably don’t need anything strong. But this will soothe your throat.”“You don’t have to go through all this trouble,” Ben replied, placing the mug on the coffee table without drinking it.Ben looked around the room. It was just the two of them. Where had Jamie gone?The thought nagged at him, so he asked directly.“Jack, I’m not sure if I should say this…
“He… likes my sister?” The shocking thought had barely surfaced before it jolted Winnie. “You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not Winnie,” Jamie quickly pushed Ben toward Winnie’s side.A look of irritation crossed Ben’s face. It was Jamie he wanted to hold. What did Winnie have to do with him?Annoyed, he grumbled, “Why do you keep pushing me away?”“Jack, you’re mistaken. I’m your fiancée!” Winnie finally couldn’t hold back anymore. She strode over, took Ben’s hand, and placed it around her waist. “I get that my sister and I look a bit alike, but you can’t keep confusing us like this!”She had brushed it off the first couple of times, but this was going too far.Ben still seemed inclined to push her away.Just then, the taxi arrived, and Jamie opened the front passenger door, slipping inside. Seeing this, Ben staggered in her direction, while Winnie hurried to open the back door for him.Once inside, Ben leaned back in the seat and fell asleep almost immediately.Not wanti