I couldn't avoid it even when I was out at sea. The wind picked up, and the ship swayed violently. I had already been feeling unwell, and after a series of heart-pounding events, I was now throwing up into a trash can and seeing stars. Suddenly, a bottle of water appeared in front of me. I knew who it was from, but I didn't take it. Yet the person offering the water didn't give up, he opened the cap and held it to my lips. I turned my head, and as the ship swayed, water spilled everywhere. "Charlotte." That voice was all too familiar. My stomach churned even more violently, and my hands couldn't stop shaking. It was Jack. He was someone I had once trusted completely. After I finished throwing up, I wiped my mouth with a tissue and said coldly, "Don't call me that." Jack scoffed, "Why can Frank call you that, but I can't?" I knew that everything that had happened today was tied to him. Christine showing up in the banquet hall was likely his d
Frank woke up very quickly. Earlier than expected. So much so that Alex hadn't finished dealing with things on his end. Zachary and Alan hadn't found any trace of Charlotte either. Jane waited at the door of Frank's ward, while Alana waited next door for her child to wake up. Both were on edge. Jane was about to go get a hot coffee to calm her and Alana's nerves when the ward door suddenly opened. She turned her head in a daze. Seeing Frank's pale face made her even more anxious. Her lips fumbled for a moment before she managed to say dryly, "You're awake..." Although Frank looked unwell, the coldness and pressure he exuded hadn't diminished at all. "Where's Charlotte?" Jane had to tell the truth quickly, even if Frank went mad, he could find Charlotte faster. "She went into the emergency room but hasn't come out. We went in to look, but no one was there, and now..." "Frank." Jane's words were cut off by the hurried arrival of Zachary. Za
Frank's attitude made him feel even more guilty. "I was indeed careless, I admit to my mistake." "Is this really the time to admit mistakes?" Frank returned to the ward, taking a few steps while cold sweat poured down. The sweat seeped into his wounds, making his lips turn pale from the pain. Zachary followed behind, saying, "I'll definitely find her and bring her back in one piece. You can't let your injuries worsen, if they get infected, you could die." Frank ignored him and walked around the room, asking Zachary, "Where's my phone?" Knowing Frank's personality, Zachary didn't try to persuade him further and handed him the phone. Frank called Alan. Alan had already felt guilty due to the chemical plant explosion. He had been looking for a chance to make up for it. Now it seemed to be a case of mistakes compounding. Alan answered, "Frank." "Any leads?" Alan knew what he was asking about and immediately replied, "No. The hospital's surveillance
As night fell, the entire city was enveloped in damp darkness. I didn't know the full situation in Jeswood. Without a phone and with no clock in the room, I could only see the dark sea through the small window, making it impossible to tell the time. It wasn't until Jack came to deliver food that I guessed it must be evening. "Why aren't you using your cutlery?" I didn't trust Jack, I didn't even dare to drink water, let alone eat the food he brought. Seeing through my thoughts, Jack said, "I don't care. If it comes to it, I can just give you a nutrition shot. After all, I never intended to keep this child." He was certain I wouldn't let my child starve, but if there was something wrong with the food, it would only make things worse. Caught in a dilemma, I grew to hate Jack even more. Jack met my furious gaze with a smile. "Then go ahead and starve." With that, he walked straight out, closing the door behind him. I leaned against the head of the bed,
Before, he thought Jack was being overly emotional and revealed himself for Charlotte. Who would have thought Jack had a backup plan? His scheming was on par with Frank's. But they couldn't let their guard down with Frank. Charlotte had already been taken away, yet he still had that arrogant attitude—it was a bit abnormal.Kevin suggested, "Why don't you have Jack film a short video and send it to Frank?" Senno understood and called Jack.Jack thought Charlotte would at least eat something for the sake of the baby. But to his surprise, she really wasn't eating. He waited for a long time, reheating the food repeatedly, even cooking it fresh, yet he never heard her ask for anything. As midnight approached, he saw from the surveillance that she hadn't even had a sip of water, despite having vomited earlier. Her little face was completely pale, as if she might pass out at any moment.In the end, he couldn't bear to see her suffer anymore. Just as he picked up the food, his phone rang.
Upon hearing this, excitement shone in Jack's eyes. I knew I had placed my bet correctly. "We're going to record a video to show Frank, telling him he can't compare to you, and I should be with you." Jack looked at me with a crazed expression. I tried to take the phone from his hand, but suddenly, he raised his hand, and the phone slipped from my fingertips. I calmly said, "I just wanted to press the start recording button." Jack stared at me without saying a word. I turned away, feigning anger. "You wanted to film this, it's up to you whether you want to or not." For all these years, Jack had disguised himself, lurking in the shadows with ulterior motives. Now, I finally showed him the kind of temper I had toward Frank, and he certainly wouldn't take advantage of it. But despite that, my heart was still racing, especially as his silence stretched on. I felt like my heart might leap out of my throat. Just as I was thinking about whether to stoke the
Before he could think it through, he heard Charlotte speaking to the camera. "Frank, you see this? Don't look for me anymore..." Was Charlotte possessed? Alan, trembling, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Should we show this to Frank?" Zachary asked, "Is it from Jack?" "No." Alan shook his head. "It's from Kevin. It seems Senno wants to threaten Frank into joining them." Zachary pondered, "Doesn't this confirm the deep connection between Jack and Senno?" Alan replied, "Given the current situation, there's no need to hide anything." Zachary couldn't understand why Charlotte would do this. He rewound the video and prepared to watch it again, but unexpectedly, the phone was suddenly snatched away. Zachary turned to see Frank and exchanged a glance with Alan. It was as if he was asking, “Why didn't you warn me?”Frank walked silently, he had just seen it. Frank pressed play, and Zachary couldn't stop him in time. In an instant, the man's face
Frank ignored him. Zachary knew he was in a bad mood. Even if Charlotte was trying to deliver a message for him, that intimate gesture still happened. "You need to prepare for the news about Grandma’s passing, she definitely won't handle it well." Frank stared into the endless darkness ahead, as if even his brown eyes were being swallowed by the night, deep and heavy. He had initially thought that in such circumstances, the child might not survive. At that point, it would be easier to talk about it. Now that he had seen the video, he confirmed that the child was still there, otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen this method to convey the message. At that moment, even Frank felt somewhat powerless. I still ate the food that Jack had given me. I could starve, but I couldn’t let the child starve. I could only gamble that Jack wouldn’t hurt me. "The water isn't poisoned either." Seeing me choke, Jack forced me to swallow and poured me a cup of water.
Jordan and Whitney chatted casually.Most of the time, it was Jordan doing the talking while Whitney listened.After covering enough about the wedding, they talked about Jordan's work over the past few years.She also mentioned the tangled feelings and past with Westley.When she got to that part, she grew a little curious. "Whitney, before you married Caleb, did you ever like anyone?"Whitney shook her head."What about a secret crush?""Not even that."Whitney rarely talked to others about her past.Zachary only knew because he had looked into her and thought she was perfectly suited to be a pawn.And she had needed to become that pawn—to completely sever ties with her past, achieve her goals, and fulfill her ambitions."I was too busy studying and working to think about anything else."Jordan sensed she didn't want to go further, so she didn't press.Just then, Jane called, saying she and Charlotte would arrive soon and join them for lunch.She relayed the message to W
"We had a meal together before, and I noticed you always seemed to like sweet dishes, so I tried buying some. I was worried it might not suit your taste.""It does, it does." Jordan took a bite of the pudding. "It's delicious. But did you buy anything you like to eat?"Whitney said, "I already had breakfast. I can't eat anymore."Jordan offered a suggestion, "Why not try a bite of this sponge cake? It's a specialty here in Nelana."Whitney really couldn't eat any more. She had a small appetite, a condition built up over the years.If she ate a full meal, she couldn't eat snacks afterward. And if she ate snacks, she would lose her appetite for meals.She had a small stomach.But seeing Jordan looking at her so expectantly, she still picked up a piece of sponge cake and took a bite."It's very good."Jordan smiled and took a big bite of the sponge cake herself."Whitney, you're so good at picking food! This is great!"The old house was a bit remote, but it had a rooftop terrac
Jordan said Whitney would be coming over later.Westley hadn't expected that the first one to get out of bed would actually be Whitney."Just the two of you?" he asked."For now, yes."Jordan glanced at her phone. In the group chat, it was just her and Whitney talking—no response yet from Jane or Charlotte.She more or less knew why Jane hadn't responded, but Charlotte too?Still, it didn't really matter. There weren't any specific plans for today anyway.She hadn't known Whitney was coming, so it was a nice surprise."Maybe my sister will text me around noon. We can decide what to do then.""You." She pointed at Westley. "You are not allowed to show up in front of me again after breakfast."Westley nodded. "Got it."After buying food, Whitney told Caleb, "I'm going to find Jordan. You can go handle your stuff. I'll be staying at her place until the wedding."Caleb leaned against the elevator wall, his voice low and lazy. "You're telling me what to do?"Whitney wasn't in a
She replied with an emoji, then looked for her girls in the group chat to ask them out for food.Their group chat had a new member now—Whitney.And it was Whitney who replied to her."I'm already eating at the hotel. Do you want to come over, or should I bring something to you later?"Whitney had actually had a good night's sleep.Though it was a bit later than her usual habit, she still managed to get up for breakfast.Before, it was always Caleb who brought breakfast to the bedside and fed her, because she simply couldn't get out of bed.Jordan figured she was probably having breakfast with Caleb and decided not to bother her."No need, I'll just eat something nearby. Your hotel isn't close to me."Whitney replied. "I'm heading over later anyway, but I'll probably be a bit late. If you're hungry, go ahead and eat something first. I'll bring you something else."Jordan. "Thanks."Whitney. "No problem."Caleb noticed her holding her phone, her expression much softer, even t
Caleb was thinking that in the future, he could let her drink a little more.Of course, only when he was around.She looked kind of cute like this."I did say that, but didn't you just say you wanted to thank me?"Whitney felt that alcohol really wasn't a good thing.Even when hanging out with Jane and the others, she decided not to drink too much anymore.The rationality and logic that she was so proud of had completely vanished.She had never been as calm in front of Caleb as she was with others.Besides, there was a power imbalance between her and him.If she were sober, she wouldn't have been able to reject him anyway.Let alone now, when her mind was muddled.But maybe because she was muddled, she dared to say things that she didn’t usually dare to say."I just lost my balance earlier, and you helped me. Even if you don't accept verbal gratitude, that doesn't mean I owe you something this big."Caleb saw she could barely stand, so he held her by the waist to keep her
"But your reaction just now didn’t seem like you knew I was here."Jane tried to pull her leg back, but when she couldn't, she slapped him in frustration."It was called acting, understand? I didn't want you to look embarrassed, so I got those two out of the way first."Zachary rubbed her ankle with his thumb, as if he believed her. "Then should I be thanking you—for being so considerate?"Jane couldn't be bothered to argue. "Let go. I want to drink.""I'll drink with you."Meanwhile, Frank held Charlotte close and asked in a low voice, "Did she really know we were here?"Charlotte nodded. "What do you think? You really think Jane would mess around during her marriage? She might be bold, but she has boundaries. But you guys really are annoying."Frank hooked her chin with his thumb. "I knew it. You're being cold to me because you're sick of me. I've said it so many times, and you still wouldn't admit it."After saying that, he picked her up and walked out of the bar.He hadn'
Charlotte nudged him with her elbow, warning him not to stir things up.Jordan truly didn't dare to stay any longer. "Westley, take me home.""Okay." Westley finally got up. "You all take your time. If it gets too late, don't go back to the old house—just find a place to crash.""But..." Jordan suddenly felt like leaving wasn't such a good idea. "Maybe I'll stay and play a bit more."Westley simply dragged her out."Jane and Zachary...""You can't control what they do, so why bother worrying over nothing?"Jordan was settled into the passenger seat, her seatbelt fastened firmly.She didn't resist, mostly because she felt what Westley said made sense.Jane was way more capable than she was. This kind of minor drama would be easy for her to handle.Plus, with the smart and composed Charlotte around—It was better if she didn't add to the chaos.Once Westley got into the driver's seat, she asked, "Why did you guys show up? Especially you—didn't you say no seeing each other a w
But it was just a polite gesture—if they had been singing inside, they wouldn't have heard her anyway.So after knocking, she pushed the door open and went in.Charlotte and the others followed to take a look.When they saw the scene inside, they gasped.The four men from home were sitting around a cards table, all eyes on the door, each with a different expression.Zachary looked at Jane, who entered first, and said with a smile, "Honey, pick someone you like and give him a kiss."Jane took a step back and bumped into Charlotte's arms.That was when she noticed the big screen beside them—it was showing their own private room."You were watching us?"Zachary tapped the cards on the table with his long fingers, still smiling."If we weren't watching, how would we get to enjoy such an entertaining scene?"They had all been drinking.Whitney didn't hold her liquor well. She was already a little dazed. Although the room was fairly bright, everything seemed a little off to her.
Caleb didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Westley and played a card.Westley won.And it was a big pot as well.He cocked his brows. "Is this your wedding gift to me, Caleb?"Caleb asked, "Your wedding—Dr. Greyson won't be absent, will he? I heard you two are very close. You've been at death's door multiple times, and he's the one who saved you."Westley nodded. "Theoretically, yes. But I'm not sure if he might have some emergency.""Besides, it's not like you, Caleb, can't reach him. You helped him last time. It's impossible he'd ignore you now."Caleb could contact Carter, but if he did, it would mean helping Carter meet Mandy.He had no interest in meddling in romantic matters—too troublesome.But he couldn't get in touch with Tanner at all.Technically, there was no real need for him to attend Westley's wedding.Even if Whitney was invited by Jane, he himself wasn't obligated.He simply wanted to go, hoping to "accidentally" run into Carter.That way, it wouldn't loo