Jamie forced herself to swallow the rising pain in her chest. If cutting Ben off completely was the only way to make him give up, then so be it.A million dollars...For Ben, whether as the alias "Jack Green" or as his true self, money had never been an issue. His mother had made sure he never lacked anything. However, Jamie’s single remark, sharp and calculated, cut straight to the heart of their relationship. It reduced everything they had shared to something insignificant and transactional.Ben’s expression turned grim, his dark eyes filled with anguish and anger. “Jamie, if you needed money, you could’ve just asked me. Winning me over would’ve gotten you more than a million. Was it really worth it?”There was a deep sadness in his voice, almost as if he was pleading for her to lie to him, just to make him feel wanted. Jamie could feel the weight of his words, the memories of his kindness clawing at her heart. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say a word,
Jamie bit her lip tightly, her face pale as paper from blood loss. A mocking smile played on her lips. “Don’t worry, Ben. I know my place. How could someone like me possibly hurt someone like you?” Ben felt a heavy weight settle in his chest, as if a boulder had lodged itself there. It was neither something he could expel nor swallow. His dark, piercing eyes glinted with cold, unrelenting anger. “Jamie, you never fail to impress me,” he said, his voice dripping with icy sarcasm. Mrs. Lucas, watching their verbal sparring with satisfaction, chimed in, her tone sharp. “This woman would throw you away for the smallest gain. Why waste your energy on her?” “Enough,” Ben snapped, his voice even and calm, though his gaze burned with quiet fury. It was as if the exchange hadn’t phased him at all. “No need to give her any more money. She’s not worth it.” His cold, piercing stare lingered on Jamie, making her breath hitch. Mrs. Lucas couldn’t contain her glee. “Good. Now that yo
Perhaps due to her injuries, Jamie couldn’t muster much strength, and her resistance felt as feeble as a kitten pawing at someone.Jay gently guided her back to the hospital bed. While examining her injuries, his expression turned serious. “All these years, I’ve attended every class reunion, but I’ve never seen you. Did you move abroad?” Jamie shook her head slightly. “Life’s been messy. Nothing worth mentioning.” “If there’s anything troubling you, tell me. Maybe this old classmate can help,” Jay said softly, his eyes full of concern. Though time had barely left its mark on her face, her eyes carried a deep weariness, dulling the radiance she once had. It was clear she had endured more than her fair share of hardships over the years. Jamie remained silent for a moment before shaking her head again. “I’m fine, Jay.” Instinctively, he asked, “So, did you become a lawyer?” The question hit her like a sharp sting. Her lips trembled for a second before she forced a weak
Jamie couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. “Stop pretending.” Ben's harsh words cut through the air, as cold and unrelenting as ever. Jamie couldn’t straighten up for a long moment. She gritted her teeth, determined to ignore the pain radiating from her wound, spreading like fire through her body. Sweat dripped from her forehead onto the pale hospital bed, leaving tiny dark stains. “I don’t need to play games with you,” she said finally, her voice frail but resolute. “It wouldn’t work, and I don’t want to. I just want my child back.” Ben’s sharp gaze faltered for a moment before he replied in a cold tone, “Focus on recovering first.” With that, he turned and left the room. Jamie slumped against the edge of the bed, exhausted and broken. *Meanwhile, Winnie drove aimlessly, following random road signs, unaware of where she was heading. The road grew increasingly desolate, with the sun sinking below the horizon and barely a soul in sight. “Where are we, Aunt
“Wake up, Charlie.” Winnie held him tightly, panic overwhelming her. She wanted to take him away, not harm him! Just then, the sound of a car pulling up broke through the darkness. Footsteps approached, slow and deliberate. A tall man emerged from the shadows and stopped in front of her. Tears streaming down her face, Winnie looked up. The man’s sharp, angular features were obscured by the dim light, adding to his air of mystery. But she immediately recognized him. It was the same man who had told her the truth about Jack Green being Ben Lucas. Winnie glared at him with fierce determination. “Why are you here? Are you happy now that things have come to this?” “You foolish woman, do you think being deceived feels any better?” the mysterious man sneered. “The truth is nothing but a bloody wound. I’d rather…” Winnie’s voice faltered, unable to continue. “Stop lying to yourself,” the man said with a slight shake of his head. “What do you want?” Winnie asked
“You're the patient, and I'm the doctor. Taking care of you is my job,” Jay said with a light smile, handing her the utensils. “Go ahead, try it.”Jamie was indeed hungry. She hadn’t felt like eating, but she couldn’t refuse his gesture. Besides, she needed to regain her strength quickly if she hoped to find Charlie. She picked up the utensils and was just about to take a bite when footsteps sounded outside the room. The door swung open, revealing Ben. His expression darkened instantly, his face stormy as he took in the scene before him. “So, Dr. Lawson, is this how you treat all your patients, or is this a special case?” Ben’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “Just giving an old classmate some extra care. What’s the harm in that?” Jay replied, his words laced with subtle defiance. The room's atmosphere froze, tension thick in the air. Ben’s sharp gaze flickered between Jamie and Jay before finally settling on Jamie’s pale face, his expression unreadable. Jamie, sensing th
Jamie closed her eyes briefly, sinking further into despair. She didn’t even notice when Ben had left the room. Her thoughts were scattered, her mind drifting in and out of focus.Though she wanted to leave the hospital, she was constantly watched, making it impossible. By afternoon, a nurse came in to change her dressing.Jamie glanced up absentmindedly. “It’s fine. I don’t need it.”“This is under Dr. Lawson’s direct orders,” the nurse replied gently but firmly. “I can’t afford to cut corners. Since you’re still admitted, please cooperate.”Jamie lifted her gaze slightly, her tone subdued. “I’d like to get some fresh air.”“Of course, once we’re done changing your dressing, I can take you outside. Just make sure not to strain your muscles,” the nurse said patiently.The weather was exceptionally pleasant that day. As she sat in the wheelchair outside, Jamie made several calls to Winnie. The phone was still off, as if Winnie had made up her mind to disappear completely from her
The next second, there was only silence on the phone.Ben sent the phone number to his assistant. “Investigate thoroughly.”A thought suddenly struck him. He couldn't let Jamie continue to roam freely outside.*Four days later, Ben's mother came to visit. “You refuse to take over the family business, and now you're going against me by keeping Jamie around again?”Ben didn’t respond, but her anger only grew. “Ben, you’ve seen for yourself what kind of person Jamie is. Why are you still so obsessed with her? The fiancée I arranged for you is far better than the one you’ve chosen!”The Larson family was also one of the prominent families in Birkham. While the Lucas and Larson families couldn’t rival the York family, the Lucas family still held its position as the second most influential family in the city. On top of that, they were relatives of the Scott Lucas. Even Scott, who had initially resisted marriage, eventually followed his parents’ wishes and entered into a family
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.“Haven’t I been just fine lately?“Or do you think my hand isn’t injured enough? If that’s the case, go ahead—do it yourself. “You already know I wouldn’t fight back no matter what.” Without warning, Yelena stretched out her injured hand, an act that instantly enraged Liam. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He snapped. “I was just making a casual remark. Is that really what you think of me? I already told you—I’m not going to lay a hand on you.“It wasn’t intentional before, and you know it. We both do. Stop acting like you’re above all this when we both know who sent you here.” Yelena felt a pang of sadness. They had spent so much time together, yet this was how he treated her—always choosing to hurt her. “I know—I wasn’t someone you chose, and none of this was intentional. But after all this time we've spent together...“I thought maybe I was a little different to you. But I guess I was wrong. Nothing has changed at all.
“Why do you even care about what happens to other people? Haven’t I made myself clear enough already?“Whose card is this—yours or mine?” His assistant immediately apologized upon hearing Caleb’s tone. “I hope you won’t hold this against me. I really wasn’t thinking clearly at the time—I should have considered this more carefully.” Caleb didn’t bother responding. After hanging up, he focused entirely on investigating Vera’s brother. *Meanwhile, Vera was deeply worried. If things had been somewhat under control before, now they were completely off track. The situation on both sides was far more complicated than she had anticipated. “Don’t worry. That’s exactly how it is. If you don’t want to go in person, I can go for you—but it won’t be cheap,” the private investigator said.Since Caleb had warned her about the private investigator, Vera started testing him, probing for inconsistencies. And sure enough, his story had too many holes. “Why are you so sure my b
As Caleb spoke, he looked at Vera with a hint of helplessness. After all, her hand had been injured because of Luna. “Don’t feel guilty about this. Honestly, it’s nothing to me.“And I’m not the type to carry burdens over things like this.“Besides, it’s been so long. If this had happened back then, I might have cared. But now? I just don’t think it matters anymore.” Vera’s voice was steady and sincere. But Caleb’s expression darkened. “Why would you say that? Why do you think it doesn’t matter? Do you really see me as just the same as everyone else?” For some reason, at this moment, Caleb took it personally. Vera couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course not. You’re different from the rest—so obviously, I wouldn’t see it the same way.“You’ve helped me so much. The least I can do is acknowledge that, instead of stubbornly nitpicking about what’s right or wrong, don’t you think?“Besides, whatever happened between you and Luna, that’s none of my business. It’s in
“I didn’t mean to just now. Besides, you’ve been acting all sneaky lately—so really, who else is to blame?” Seeing Yelena in tears, Liam, who had been furious just moments ago, felt a small pang of guilt. He was never good at expressing emotions. But watching her like this made him a little uncomfortable. “Go get your hand treated. Otherwise, people who don’t know any better might think I’ve been abusing you.” With that, he turned and walked away. Yelena watched his retreating figure, feeling a bit helpless. This wasn’t something she could decide on her own. Installing surveillance? It wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Liam was naturally suspicious. If he caught wind of it, the consequences would be disastrous. But she had no choice. She had a mission to complete, and there was more at stake than just this moment. Letting out a deep sigh, she finally decided to head to a clinic to get her hand treated. *“What happened to you? That’s a serious injury. You
And just like that, the conversation fell into a brief silence. Meanwhile, on the other side, Hunter received a call from Yelena. “What did you just say?” Yelena told him that her hand was broken, and on top of that, Liam seemed to be getting suspicious. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she called Hunter for advice. “I don’t really care what happens to you, but at the very least, take care of yourself.“Otherwise, if something else goes wrong later, I’ll have to step in and clean up the mess. Don’t you think so?” Hearing this, Yelena was a little taken aback. “It’s not just about my injury. The real problem is, I’m scared of what he might do now.” Sure, she had taken the two hundred thousand dollars, but she had to stay alive to spend it. At this rate, she wouldn’t even make it through in one piece. “I already told you—protect yourself. If you need anything else, I’ll try to provide it. But right now, I need you to do something for me.” Hunter had been look
“Yes, it’s in that mountain area. If you’re worried, you can go check it out yourself. But as for anything else, we don’t really have much more information.”Compared to everything else, this was the most baffling situation.“You make a good point. But given the current circumstances, I think it’ll be difficult to pull off.”Vera was speaking with the private investigator. Deep down, she was more worried than anything else.“Don’t worry,” the private investigator reassured her. “Aside from what we discussed earlier, nothing else seems too extreme. Plus, we’ve already looked into it pretty thoroughly.”By the time he finished speaking, his expression had grown more complicated.“Alright. I understand.”After hanging up, she anxiously looked straight ahead. If she had been mentally prepared before, now she was starting to feel uneasy. “What’s going on?” Caleb asked while driving, glancing at her. Vera hesitated, debating whether to tell him or not. But seeing the strange
“I only had one surgery today,” Caleb said as he drove, his voice calm but firm. “Now that it’s done, I want to know why this happened.” After that, he said nothing more. Vera sat in silence, her heart uneasy as the car pulled up in front of an upscale club. Even though her hand was already bandaged, she still felt a sting of pain every time Caleb showed concern. “So this is what it feels like to have someone care,” she thought to herself.Back when Vera had been stepped on, her only concern had been the contract—whether the deal would fall apart and if her suffering had been for nothing.If it had been anything else, she probably wouldn’t have cared as much.But Caleb’s concern made it impossible for her to brush aside.It kept lingering in her mind, refusing to let her feel indifferent.“Don’t overthink it,” Caleb said, his voice firm. “Whatever happened between Luna and me doesn’t change the fact that this concerns me too—and I owe it to you to make things right.”
“Oh? So this is the apology you wanted?” Vera’s forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain, but the two women standing over her barely reacted. As if this was normal to them. As if humiliating her was just another game. “I asked you a question.” Vera remained half-crouched on the ground, her hand still pinned under Luna’s heel. Helena smirked. “Yeah, I’d say that’s good enough.” She hadn’t expected Vera to be this stubborn, but it didn’t matter. With an exaggerated sigh, she casually scribbled her signature onto the contract. The deal was officially secured. Vera didn’t waste another second. She cast one last glance at the two women. “I have no interest in getting involved in your personal drama. As for Caleb and me, that’s between us. We both made our choices.” Luna’s expression twisted slightly. “I won’t bother commenting on your relationship,” she said, voice dripping with disdain. “But don’t think for a second that this will ever earn
The moment Vera heard her assistant’s words, her expression darkened. Her previously calm tone turned firm. “If that’s the case, I understand. But I still have to go. This is my responsibility, and no one else can handle it.” If she didn’t take the lead, the other party would only grow bolder. However, the moment she glanced at the name on the negotiation list, she couldn’t help but frown. Because the person she was supposed to meet wasn’t just anyone. It was Helena Xander. Vera had encountered her before—back when her relationship with Caleb hadn’t yet escalated. Even then, Helena had openly mocked her, saying that since Caleb had been Luna’s devoted lapdog for years, he should know his place and never overstep. She had also thrown a few sharp words at Vera, telling her to recognize her own status—as if warning her that getting involved would only bring trouble. Back then, Vera hadn’t taken it seriously. She never thought she would cross paths with the