A smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of Isabella's lips."Milan Club?"Victoria's celebration party was also held at the largest Milan Club in the city. Some of the most prominent local entrepreneurs, out of respect for Nathan’s status, attended to show support for Victoria. Nathan’s close friends also made the effort to come from afar, giving Victoria ample face.Nathan had booked a luxurious VIP room at the hotel and hired many famous singers and dancers to perform lively songs and dances in the hall.Victoria looked around at the festive and bustling scene, her eyes welling up with emotion.She clung to Nathan’s arm. "Nathan, thank you for throwing this celebration for me. I’m so happy."Nathan gazed at Victoria with tenderness. Even though Victoria had her makeup on, her exhaustion was still evident. He recalled the doctor’s words: although her kidney transplant had been successful, her body had been frail for a long time, and there were concerns her single kidney might not
Victoria resumed her lecturing tone, taking on the role of the older Sis. "Bella, you spent so much money on the Newcomer Competition, it must have been a loan, right? You still haven’t paid off your debts, and now you're spending so lavishly at the most expensive club in Milan. You’re going to accumulate a lot of debt this way. You know, Dad's company hasn't been doing well these past two years, and it’s not making much profit. He doesn't have the money to help you pay off your debts."Isabella looked at Victoria indifferently. "He doesn’t have money to help me pay off my debts, but he has money to help you get a kidney transplant. Is that right?"Tears rolled down Victoria’s face. "Bella, I didn’t want to use Dad’s money…""Then why don't you just die? If you die, you won’t drag the Moore family down, will you?"Isabella could no longer tolerate Victoria’s self-righteousness.*Slap…*Nathan's slap landed hard on Isabella’s face, like a wild beast, his eyes bloodshot with rage as he g
She decided to boldly reach out for a hug. Thinking it would be a brief embrace, she didn’t expect Theodore, being so tall, would accidentally cause her petite frame to wrap her arms around his slender waist.This little guy really had a great physique—lean but firm, as if sculpted from years of fitness.Without overthinking, Isabella bombarded him with questions: "Are you getting used to being back home?" "Did your stepmother and brother give you the cold shoulder?" "Does Grandpa treat you well?" Theodore held her tightly, as though afraid she might turn into a butterfly and fly away. He recalled his first day back home: after retorting to his stepmother during dinner, she deliberately complained to his father. Without asking for the truth, his father slammed his bowl on the ground and ordered him to kneel as punishment. He knew they were sending him a message—a warning that he was merely an outsider in the Sanchez family. That night, he endured it. "I'm fine, Sis," he
Ava looked at him teasingly. “Mr. Hill, you’ve finally remembered you still have a wife, huh?” Nathan’s bloodshot eyes burned with fury as he roared, “Who’s in there with her?” Ava glanced at Victoria, who was panting heavily beside her, and sneered, “Mr. Hill, you should focus on taking care of Miss Victoria. My Sis doesn’t need your concern. She already has someone who cares about her.” “I’m her husband,” he shouted angrily. “I’m the only one who has the right to care for her.” Ava shot back heatedly, “You’ve harmed her body. You don’t deserve to be her husband!” Victoria stepped forward, her voice steady and condescending. “Little girl, the matter between my Sis and my brother-in-law isn’t something you can understand in just a few words. My brother-in-law once saved my Sis’s life. Their connection runs deep, far beyond what outsiders like us can comprehend. My Sis may claim she doesn’t love him, but that’s just her acting out because she can’t have him.” Ava, still youn
Isabella’s thoughts traveled through the long river of time: For the sake of her child, she had pleaded with him to cancel or delay the surgery. But his face was colder than ever. Taking a drag on his cigarette, he exhaled a cloud of smoke and said emotionlessly, “Isabella, Victoria has waited too long for this moment. I don’t want her to wait any longer. The longer she waits, the more she suffers.” “But I’m pregnant with your child. If you harm my body now, the child will be in danger,” she begged. “The child can be aborted. We can always have another one later,” he replied coldly. “Husband, please, no... This is *our* child. I don’t want to lose it,” she cried. “If you want to keep it, then keep it,” he said indifferently. She thought he had softened, that he would spare their child. But what happened later? Later, he forced her onto the operating table. True to his word, he let her give birth, but after being subjected to excessive medication, she delivered a fra
Isabella turned pale with fright and quickly shielded Theodore behind her. Nathan’s raised fist hovered in the air but never came down. He simply stood there, stunned, staring at Isabella. Seeing her protect another man, her gaze so firm and resolute, something deep inside him began to crumble. The once timid Isabella had only ever shown such courage for him. Now, that bravery was no longer his alone. He finally understood: he had lost the girl who had once loved him with all her heart. Taking advantage of Nathan’s momentary daze, Isabella grabbed Theodore and ran. When they reached a deserted street, Isabella clutched her chest, exhaling in relief. Then, she lightly punched Theodore in the chest—a gesture more sound than fury. Angrily, she scolded him, “He’s the young master of the Imperial Capital, someone even your eldest brother has to tread carefully around. You’ve offended him—do you not want to survive in the Imperial Capital anymore?” Theodore put on a look
Nathan stared at her indifferent expression, feeling an inexplicable stab of pain in his heart. So, love *could* fade. "Bella, do you hate me for taking your kidney?" Isabella’s lips curved faintly, a weak smile devoid of warmth. There were so many reasons for her to hate him that she didn’t know where to begin. Yet, regarding the kidney donation—if there hadn’t been deception—she didn’t truly hate him for it. "You saved my life and paid for my education. Consider the kidney my repayment. We owe each other nothing now," she said, rising to leave. But Nathan wasn’t ready to let her go. "Bella, if you don’t hate me, then come back home with me." Isabella stared at him, her gaze blank. She didn’t hate him for taking her kidney, but there were countless other reasons for her to resent him. "I won’t go with you," she replied. In her indifferent eyes, Nathan couldn’t see even a flicker of passion. He felt a rare sense of helplessness. "But we’re married..." Isabella i
Nathan stood at the door for a long time, his expression dark and sour. In the end, he could only sullenly take Victoria back. **The Capital.** After shaking off the fatigue of travel, Nathan returned home. But instead of heading to the grand Hill family villa, he went to the smallest, least notable property he owned—a modest apartment that served as his and Isabella’s marital home. The apartment was only 89 square meters. For an average person, owning property in such a prime location would be considered a decent asset. But for Nathan, heir to the Hill family fortune worth billions, with countless villas and properties, using such a place as a marital home underscored his disregard for Isabella. Back then, Nathan had subconsciously thought: for a girl who was abandoned by her parents and survived by scavenging trash, providing her with this kind of life was already a gift. She used to be so content. But when had she started wanting to escape the dream he had fabricated f
Samuel howled, "But I didn't want to accept it."It was late.Drake came in holding a roster. He opened the roster, which had photos of the blind date participants - some with makeup, some without, as well as candid shots and work photos. It also contained the archival records of the individuals from birth until now."Please take a look."Kassidy eagerly took the boys' roster, while Samuel held the girls' roster and they both started flipping through them."Wow. They're all so good." Kassidy exclaimed enthusiastically, "So handsome and talented... I like every one of them. Except for this rich young man... What a nickname, 'Foodie'? This photo must have been photoshopped, definitely a chubby person..."She threw the roster to Drake, "Everyone except him."Drake smirked.Samuel pouted and said, "This chest is too small.""This hair color was too yellow." "This leg was a bit thick.""This waist would be perfect if i
Eric returned home and only then did he realize that his mother, Hana, had already been discharged from the hospital. Ingrid's attitude towards him had become much colder. In fact, she even showed a hint of disgust towards him."Eric, where have you been hiding these days when mom had a car accident and was hospitalized?"Eric, with the postoperative sequelae, was very weak and feeble, saying, "I had a little accident..."Hana finally noticed something unusual about her son, “What's wrong with you?"Eric lifted up the hem of his shirt, revealing the surgical scar on his lower back. "I had my kidney taken away by someone."Hana's pupils dilated, filled with fear. "How could this happen?"Eric closed his eyes in pain and said, "This matter is hard to put into words."Ingrid, who was skilled in calculations, immediately realized that the value of Eric's utilization had been discounted."You were not feeling well now, so will you b
Eric said, "Kassidy, please stop talking. I believe this wasn't done by you. Your character is just like your mother's, both of you are honest and kind people, who would never stoop to such despicable means."He lowered his head in shame and said, "I am getting what I deserved."Kassidy stared at Eric expressionlessly. It was strange, as once she had faced Nathan's myriad of turbulent and grand emotions, but now she was calm like dead ashes.In the end, she simply said, "I didn't mean to not save you. I truly didn't realize how difficult your situation was."With boundless hatred towards that man, Emma pleaded with Kassidy, "So now, could you please help us seek justice?" Despite the pleading tone, her voice was firm, tinged with a hint of reluctant inexperience.Kassidy stared at her coldly and said, "Why should I help you?"Emma was stunned, and then her little face turned bright red.Yeah, why did Kassidy save her?She shoul
Emma trembled as she asked, "Which place do you want?"The man's gaze fell on Eric's waist, “Kidney."Eric couldn't help but feel a chill run through his entire body, as if every nerve was connected to his heart. A sense of unbearable despair washed over him from his heart."I disagreed," Eric roared.The man looked at him with an increasingly cold gaze, “My son was sick. He was the same age as you all, but he developed kidney failure at such a young age. The doctor said he must have surgery as soon as possible, otherwise he won't survive this year. I won't let him die, so I must find a suitable kidney source for him... As long as he can live, I don't care about breaking the law..."Eric shouted impatiently, "You idiot, not everyone's kidney is suitable for him. If we give him our kidney, it could cause rejection, and your son would die even faster."Snap-The man slapped Eric in the face and menacingly said, "How dare you curse my so
The man's face darkened, and his eyes, filled with a predatory gaze, stared at Eric. "You wouldn't be deceiving me, would you? Eric, do you realize the consequences of deceiving me?"Eric was speechless, he was dumbfounded by the man's lack of intelligence. "My phone is in your hands, I didn't have time to tamper with it. Kassidy's phone number has always been stored in my phone. If you can't reach her, it's probably because her phone is currently with her."The man thought for a moment and felt that what he said made some sense. Then he took a deep breath and said, "Then I'll give you another fifteen minutes. If Kassidy doesn't call to confirm that you have some relationship with her, then I won't be polite to you."Time passed by minute by minute.Eric's heart grew more and more anxious. He didn't know if Kassidy would call back in such a short amount of time.As the moment of the clock was about to end, Eric's phone rang. Eric let out a sigh of
Eric looked at the screen, but Samuel's words kept echoing in his ears. Suddenly, he fell to his knees, covering his face with both hands, tears and rainwater streaming through his fingers.Yes, Isabella has always been well. She was strong and optimistic, born in adversity but with a heart to overcome obstacles. She was loyal to love and loyal to her family, so she could receive selfless love from her family.Isabella, who was so good, was looked down upon by him in his past life. Now, as he finds himself trapped in a quagmire and realizes the hardships Isabella went through, he discovers that he cannot be as good as her at all. Eric is overwhelmed with shame.He deeply realized that he was not worthy of Isabella.However, Eric soon emerged from the melancholy of lost love. He had to save Emma, and the longer he delayed, the greater the danger she faced.He got up and ran hard.This time, he couldn't help but run for a long ti
Thea suddenly touched her face and said, "Your mother was young and still had her charm. If she had married a middle-aged man who was a good match for her, they could have built a marriage together. Maybe they could have lived a comfortable and peaceful life. But your mother insisted on flattering William and indulging in unrealistic dreams. In the end, she lost both her dignity and her wealth.""Ingrid, remember my words well: Be down-to-earth and work hard in life. Don't try to take shortcuts, as those who seek to gain without effort will not have a good outcome.""By the way, also tell Eric these words."Thea finished speaking and left gracefully.Little did she know, Eric, hiding in the stairwell, understood her words perfectly. He was now caught in a dilemma: a grounded life?Can he still reach the height of his past life?After Hana was discharged from the hospital, faced with a large amount of compensation money, she had no choice but
Hana was so angry that she trembled all over, "I never expected you rich people to be so unreasonable and heartless."Olivia laughed in anger, "I never expected you poor people to stoop so low in your desperate attempts to climb the social ladder. Even resorting to using your own uterus. Oh, not all poor people are as spineless as you, my sister Thea has a lot of pride."Hana took a desperate measure, treating the dead horse as if it were alive, and said, "If William is not willing to take responsibility, then I will accuse him of negligence.""Oh, so you finally reveal your true colors, huh? If you have the guts, go ahead and sue. Do you have any evidence? If you do, bring it out immediately, and we will register this child's household registration right away. If you don't have any evidence, it's not you suing him, but us suing you for damaging William's reputation."Hana couldn't argue with Olivia and left in a huff.Olivia continued to playfully
Hana panicked, "William, I was just momentarily anxious and spoke without thinking. Please don't be angry, I won't say these nonsense words again in the future."William was exhausted and said, "Let it go."The other side.Hana heard the busy tone coming from her phone, and her face froze. She looked helplessly at the pair of children next to her and said with great disappointment, "He wants me to hit this child? Just because I said bad things about her daughter being selfish and self-centered?"Eric frowned, deeply experiencing the despair of having a teammate who was a liability. He weakly retorted, "How many times have I told you that William is obsessed with spoiling girls? If you're with her, the stepmother will have to treat you better than your own mother. But you foolishly want to compete for favor with Jade."Hana held her son's hand, tears welling up in her eyes. "Son, can you help me? How can I change his mind? I don't want to terminate