Summer sneered, her voice dripping with mockery. “How righteous and noble you sound, Jamie. If I didn’t know you better, I might actually believe you.”She didn’t wait for Jamie to respond before raising her voice to a near shout, her words sharp enough to cut. “Everyone, come take a look! This woman not only hooked up with her sister's fiancé but is now trying to steal someone else's! Be careful around her! She's the kind of woman who'll stop at nothing to ruin lives!”The crowd's curiosity flared, and like moths to a flame, people began to gather around them.Ben's striking height and commanding presence caught everyone's attention immediately. Whispers rippled through the crowd.“Wait, isn’t that the famous attorney, Ben Lucas?”The mention of his name stirred a flurry of murmurs.“Not anymore. He’s left law and joined the business world.”“Wasn’t there talk about him being engaged? Looks like he’s moved on to someone else.”“It’s always the same story, two women fighting ov
The crowd’s response to Ben’s defense of Jamie was unexpected, with admiration replacing gossip. “That’s real courage—standing up for her in front of so many people. What a man!” “This is what a good man looks like.” “Now that’s true love.” “Miss, forced love never sweetens. Let it go. The only person getting hurt is you.” Each word hit Summer like a dagger, sharp and cutting. The situation felt laughable, painfully ironic. After firmly standing by Jamie, Ben addressed the onlookers one last time. “Even if Jamie were at fault, which she isn’t, it’s not your place to judge.” He then turned to Jamie, placing a protective arm around her. “Let’s go.” The two left, but Ben’s purpose in bringing Jamie to the boutique wasn’t forgotten. He was here for a reason, and that reason was to find the perfect wedding gown for her. Jamie, however, couldn’t shake the feeling that incidents like these would only multiply in the future. Ben’s public status alone guaranteed that
Hunter: *[insert exasperated emoji]* “Why don’t you say you’re next, huh? You looking for a fight or what?” Caleb: “Me?? Bro, are you serious? I’m drowning in work every day. Who even has time for romance?” Quincy: “You two could fall in love at the same time.” Nash: “I’d bet on it.” Caleb and Hunter both fell silent at Quincy’s comment.Meanwhile, Nash was smirking at his phone, deeply amused. When Nina walked in, she found Nash placing Gemma gently on the bed while grinning at his phone like a teenager. “What’s so funny?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. Hearing her voice, Nash reflexively put his phone down. “Oh, just the group chat. Caleb and Hunter were arguing, and Quincy chimed in with the truth that they might both fall in love simultaneously.” Nina chuckled lightly. “For once, Quincy’s keeping it real. But… has Ben actually popped the question yet?” She couldn’t help but recall how they had once planned to attend Scarlett’s wedding, only for Scarlett
Jamie’s mind was a whirlwind of emotions. But she couldn’t deny that compared to her outright rejection in the past, she was beginning to waver. Ben’s words echoed in her mind: even if she could ignore her own feelings, what about Charlie? Was she really going to let him grow up without a father he could proudly call his own? And as for her feelings toward Ben… “I need to talk to Charlie first,” Jamie finally said, looking directly into Ben’s eyes. At last, she wasn’t running away. “This isn’t just about us,” she continued. “It’s about him too. He doesn’t even know about you yet. I need to tell him first.” Ben’s grip on her shoulders loosened. It wasn’t the definitive answer he had hoped for, but it was progress. Jamie’s willingness to consider it gave him hope. “Alright,” Ben said softly, his voice gentle. “Take your time to talk to him. I’ll wait.” Jamie felt a wave of relief at his understanding. As Ben left, he immediately tasked his assistant with preparing
“Mommy, why haven’t you come yet,” Charlie muttered to himself, his small voice lost in the chaos of the bustling schoolyard.At that moment, a woman in a black dress with long flowing hair appeared, her steps unhurried. She crouched down to meet his gaze and asked gently, “Are you Charlie?”Charlie looked at the unfamiliar lady, his curiosity piqued. After a moment of scrutiny, his eyes widened in surprise. She looked so much like his aunt! But uncertainty lingered in his young mind, so he cautiously replied, “You look familiar.”Winnie smiled faintly, a glimmer of complexity in her eyes as she studied the child before her. She already knew exactly who he was. “I know your mom pretty well. We’re… friends.”“Do you know why she hasn’t come yet?” Charlie asked, his brows furrowed with concern.“She might be held up on the way. How about this? Come with me, and we’ll wait for her together at a nearby cafe. It’ll be more fun than standing here.”Charlie hesitated, his mother’s const
Ben nearly walked out of the company the moment he learned Charlie was missing. Unfortunately, he was in the middle of a crucial meeting when the call came in. As Ben rose to leave, the board members exchanged nervous glances and scrambled to stop him.“Mr. Lucas, where are you going?”“You can’t leave now! This issue hasn’t been resolved yet. Without a clear direction, how can we proceed?”Their frantic objections only made Ben’s temper flare. Shooting them a sharp glare, his icy tone silenced the room. “I have more important matters to attend to. This discussion can wait.”The board members gaped, but Ben didn’t give them a chance to argue further. He strode out, leaving behind a roomful of frustrated sighs and resigned faces.*Meanwhile, Jamie arrived at the preschool, her face pale and her steps quick. She spotted Miss Georgia pacing nervously and hurried over. “Miss Georgia, have you found him yet?”Miss Georgia looked momentarily relieved at Jamie’s arrival, but her exp
After hearing Charlie’s explanation, Jamie finally managed to calm down. However, the emotional rollercoaster of the day had been overwhelming, testing her limits.“What did the lady who took you look like?” Jamie asked.“She kind of looked like Aunt Winnie,” Charlie replied, his words causing Jamie’s hand to freeze mid-motion.Winnie?Her pulse quickened at the mere mention of her sister’s name, her newly found composure teetering on the edge. It was as though her body instinctively reacted, her chest tightening and her breath growing shallow.Sensing Jamie’s unease, Ben intervened. “That’s enough for now, Charlie. Come here.”Charlie glanced hesitantly at his mother, noticing her troubled expression, but eventually obeyed Ben’s firm yet gentle instruction.Ben, after settling Charlie down, turned his attention back to Jamie. “Take a moment to breathe, Jamie. Remember, Charlie’s still watching.”Her eyes snapped to his, and for a moment, she looked like someone pulled from dro
The assistant had barely picked up the phone when a strange expression crossed his face. “Mr. Lucas, this call seems to be for you.”The receptionist had called to say that someone was specifically asking to see Ben Lucas.Ben frowned.This wasn’t the kind of person he would waste his time meeting. If he entertained every random person who claimed they wanted to see him, his days would be endless.But just as he was about to decline, the assistant slowly added, “She says her name is Winnie Lewis.”Ben’s sharp eyes narrowed as a glimmer of light flickered across them. “Let her up.”The assistant nodded and made the arrangements. Ben immediately headed to the lounge to wait.Before long, the door opened, and a woman stepped inside.Ben’s gaze landed on her face, and for a moment, surprise flickered in his eyes. “Your face…”From her build, she was unmistakably Winnie. Her facial features were strikingly similar too, yet something about her was vastly different.It was her aura.
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
“Alright, enough of this. If you’re serious about investigating, you’ll need proper psychological evaluations,” Caleb said nonchalantly.“The best way to assess something like this is through clinical observation—watch for behavioral inconsistencies, memory gaps, or personality shifts. If you can, gather video footage of his daily life. That’s the only way to get a clearer picture. Otherwise, it’s just speculation.”Caleb made the remark casually, then swiftly issued a dismissal.“You came all the way here just to mess with me? What about your own situation? How’s that going?” Caleb’s sarcasm was dry and pointed. Hunter let out a long sigh. “What else could it be? Business as usual. Compared to others, I’m probably the only one with enough patience for this mess.” He was, of course, referring to his ongoing battle with Liam. Caleb gave him a small nod. “Alright, you should get going now. I need to rest. Don’t loiter around here.” Without hesitation, he waved his hand
Vera forced an awkward smile at Hunter before quickly retreating back into the bathroom to change. Hunter, watching her leave, couldn't help but smirk. “You’re really living the good life, huh?” he teased. “Didn’t expect you to have such luck.” Caleb rolled his eyes, clearly uninterested. “Enough with the nonsense. Why are you here? And who exactly were you talking about over the phone?” He didn’t want to entertain pointless banter, especially not about women. If he was being honest, even he couldn’t fully explain his feelings toward Luna. He wasn’t sure what was left between them—was it love, or just the remnants of something that had long turned sour? That pitiful look in her eyes earlier had shaken him. For a fleeting moment, he had wanted to pull her into his arms, to comfort her like he used to. But after so many years of being humiliated and pushed aside, he had forgotten how to even speak to her anymore. So instead, he did what was easiest—he change