Lucas Corporation appeared to be running as smoothly as ever, showing no signs of turmoil despite the recent rumors.Jamie arrived at the reception desk and asked to see Ben. The receptionist raised an eyebrow at the mention of Ben’s name and smiled slightly. “He’s a top-tier lawyer in Birkham now. If you’re looking for him, shouldn’t you be at his law firm rather than here at Lucas Corporation?” “He’s not here? Did he say when he’d be back?” Jamie was momentarily stunned. She had just spoken to him on the phone. Where could he have gone at such a critical time? The receptionist shook her head apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’m not privy to Mr. Lucas’s schedule. If you’d like, you could try calling him directly.” Jamie sighed, unwilling to trouble the receptionist further. She was about to leave when the receptionist called after her. “Wait a moment. Are you Miss Lewis?” Caught off guard, Jamie hesitated. “Yes, I am. Why?” The receptionist looked a bit uncertain, rea
Jamie had originally come with the intention of helping Ben in some small way. She hadn’t planned on agreeing to his job offer so quickly, but seeing his exhaustion had changed her mind. That evening, Ben invited her to dinner. Jamie wanted to decline, but Ben cut her off. “Consider it a celebration for your new position. There’s a restaurant I think you’d like. We could pick up Charlie and bring him along.” At the mention of Charlie, Jamie couldn’t find a reason to refuse. Charlie rarely got to go out, and Jamie often felt guilty about that. She always wanted to make it up to him, even in small ways. Ben drove them back to pick up Charlie, who had been at home with the helper. Since the helper hadn’t started dinner yet, Jamie told her there was no need. *When Charlie heard they were going out for dinner, he was thrilled. “Mommy, where are we going? Can we have burgers?” Jamie started to say no, but seeing the excitement in his bright eyes, she changed her answer
The car skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding disaster. Before the stunned driver could process what had just happened, a large, out-of-control truck barreled through the intersection ahead. The truck was moving too fast to stop, flipping over and sliding across the road, smashing into several vehicles in its path. The screeching metal and shattering glass filled the air, leaving the driver visibly shaken. Had it not been for Jamie’s timely warning, the consequences could have been catastrophic.Ben frowned and glanced at Jamie, who was pale with fear. He wanted to ask her something but knew now wasn’t the time. “Turn around and take another route,” he instructed the driver. It took a moment for the driver to regain his composure before restarting the car and pulling away. Not long after they left, the scene was surrounded by police vehicles. Traffic on that road came to a standstill as officers began redirecting cars. The drive home was smooth, but this time the driv
After breakfast, Jamie took Charlie to his preschool. It wasn’t far. It was just a ten-minute drive. From a distance, she spotted a teacher with long hair and a scarf standing at the preschool entrance, greeting parents and students. Recognizing her as Miss Georgia, Charlie’s homeroom teacher, Jamie approached her with a smile. Miss Georgia crouched down to Charlie’s level and beamed. “This must be Charlie! He’s so handsome. What a little gentleman!” Charlie, shy as ever, blushed and hid behind Jamie, peeking out to observe his new teacher. Miss Georgia couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorable he was. Jamie smiled apologetically. “He’s a little shy.” “That’s perfectly normal. Kids this age are often like that. Would you like to take a quick tour of the preschool, Miss Lewis?” “No, that’s okay. I need to get to work. I’ll stop by later after I finish for the day.” After giving a few parting instructions to Miss Georgia, Jamie waved goodbye to Charlie and left.
Jamie focused intently on taking notes, capturing every detail of the meeting. Although Ben appeared to be fully absorbed in the presentation on the screen, his gaze would occasionally and subtly flicker toward her. It was so faint that no one else noticed. The illusion was only broken when the enthusiastic leader of the project team asked, “President Lucas, what do you think of this proposal?” Ben didn’t respond, lost in thought. “President Lucas?” the leader called again, this time with a touch of unease. Snapped out of his thoughts, Ben’s expression hardened. “It’s no good. Go back and redo it.” His tone was curt, his judgment swift as he glanced at the screen to assess the proposal’s flaws. The team leader, who had been passionately presenting moments ago, fell silent, his enthusiasm deflated. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Ben seemed unusually displeased. Had he done something wrong? The meeting was abruptly interrupted midway when Ben’s assistant entered
Others might not understand Ben’s character, but the assistant certainly did. Ben was calm, detached, and distrustful. He was the type to stick to a decision once made. This was the first time the assistant had seen someone actually make him reconsider.Jamie couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by the weight of that realization.They took a cab to the old district. The moment they stepped out of the car, the distant sounds of shouting made it clear why Ben hadn’t wanted her to come.“It’s your fault my mom is gravely ill! Pay up!”“Block their way! Don’t let them escape! These folks want to tear down our homes and leave us with nowhere to go, only to buy us off with a few measly pennies!” A mob of people surrounded a small group who clearly had no means to defend themselves. The crowd brandished sticks and shovels, looking like an angry mob ready to revolt. But this time, their actions didn’t seem to be rooted in justice.One middle-aged man in the center, drenched i
The man lunged forward, grabbing Jamie’s wrist before she could fully evade him. Pain shot through her arm as his grip tightened. “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, her other hand clutching her phone as she frantically dialed for help. But the man had anticipated her move. He snatched the phone from her hand and slammed it to the ground with a loud crack. “Go ahead, try calling the cops now,” he sneered, his voice dripping with menace. Not far away, the assistant witnessed the entire scene. Panicked, he shouted, “Jamie, hold on! I’m coming!” “Don’t come over!” Jamie yelled back sharply, stopping him in his tracks. She was already surrounded. The last thing she wanted was to drag someone else into this dangerous situation. The assistant froze, torn between his urge to help and her firm warning. He could do nothing but pace nervously like a trapped animal, his anxiety palpable. The man, noticing Jamie’s interaction with the assistant, narrowed his eye
Ben was exhausted. Jamie knew that and didn’t want to trouble him with every issue. Yet Ben still showed up. “You came… I thought… you wouldn’t,” Jamie said, her voice wavering slightly. Earlier, surrounded by an angry mob and nearly having her wrist crushed, she hadn’t uttered a sound of pain. But now, a hint of vulnerability crept in. Perhaps it was just human nature to be strong through everything, only to falter when met with genuine concern. Ben pulled her into his arms, her faintly reddened eyes breaking his composure. His shoulders trembled slightly as he murmured, “I’m sorry. I came too late.” Jamie didn’t resist, quietly leaning into him for a moment. The troublemakers were soon taken into custody, and things settled down. Jamie was about to get into Ben’s car when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, a woman behaving suspiciously with a camera. “That woman’s a paparazzo!” she exclaimed. Ben’s sharp gaze followed hers, and the cold intensity of his
Yelena quickly lowered her arm, letting her sleeve fall over the mark to cover it. “It’s nothing. Here’s your cocktail. Please enjoy.” “Yelena.” Hunter grabbed her wrist without warning. He pulled up her sleeve, revealing the deep, ugly scars on her arm. His brows knitted together instantly. “Who did this to you?” The force behind it was brutal—downright inhuman. Yelena remained silent. Who else could have done this besides Liam? But she had agreed to this. She had willingly accepted Hunter’s request and entered Liam’s world. She had no right to complain. Her silence gave Hunter all the confirmation he needed. “Liam did this to you, didn’t he?” Yelena nodded. “It’s nothing. The wounds have already started healing. They look worse than they feel. Give it some time, and they’ll fade.” “Wait here.” Hunter stood abruptly and walked away. Yelena had no idea what he was doing, but since he told her to wait, she didn’t argue. A few minu
Then again, it made sense. How could a normal person possibly empathize with a lunatic? If Yelena could understand Liam, that would make her just as twisted. *For the next few days, Yelena stayed home to recover. During that time, Liam came back a few times, bringing her flowers and food. Like a child showing off a treasure, he placed the food in front of her. “Yelena, these are your favorite honey crullers. I got them fresh from the bakery. Try them and see if you like them.” “I’m not really hungry.” She didn’t want to eat anything he gave her. She couldn’t even stand looking at him. But she had made a promise. So, she had to force herself to stay. Liam’s expression darkened. “Are you really not hungry, or do you just not want to eat what I give you?” For someone like him, once he had lost his temper once, the second time would only come faster and smoother. With a heavy thud, he slammed the honey crullers onto the table. “Yes, I hit y
If Liam had been a normal person, Hunter never would have sent her here in the first place. But of course, Yelena could only think that. She wasn’t suicidal enough to say it out loud. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. “I was really just messaging an old classmate. If you don’t believe me, go ahead—check my phone.” She wasn’t worried. Whenever she contacted Hunter, she deleted each message immediately. She had even forged an entire fake conversation just in case Liam ever got suspicious. So, no matter how thoroughly he checked, there would be nothing for him to find. Liam narrowed his eyes. “Is that so? Then why do I still feel like you’re lying? Women like you—nothing but liars, every last one of you.” Then, he struck her again. Yelena screamed. The pain was relentless, merciless. She had no idea how long it lasted—only that by the time he finally stopped, she was barely breathing. Her body slumped against the floor
Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind Yelena. She spun around, her heart hammering in her chest. Liam was walking toward her, a faint smile on his lips—but the coldness in his eyes told a different story. Memories of his past cruelty flashed through her mind, sending a shudder down her spine. She forced herself to stay calm. “Who are you messaging?” He was getting closer. So close that when he finally stopped, they were nearly pressed against each other. Then, without warning, his fingers clamped around her chin, gripping tighter and tighter. Pain shot through her jaw, and Yelena winced. “No one. Just an old classmate. I ran into her a few days ago while I was out.” “Oh? Is that so?” Liam’s voice softened, almost gentle. To anyone watching, he might have seemed like a kind, easygoing man. But Yelena knew better. He would never let her off that easily. And sure enough— In the next second, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her hea
“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