Daley points to another romantic wedding dress behind me and says, "I think you'd look better in that one.""Maybe you're right," I said, looking at the white strapless dress. I had been so focused on Frade and Sarah that I hadn't even noticed when Daley was coming up behind me. Did he sense something?I immediately erased the image of Frade and Sarah from my mind. I shouldn't have random thoughts right now. So I asked Lucea to help me change into the dress, while Daley followed another shop assistant to try on the groom's suit.As I changed into the dress, Daley walked slowly from the fitting room to my side. He looked at me in the mirror for a moment. He chose a pure white groom's suit with black lining. Black and white, this is his consistent style."You're so beautiful," Daley said, his eyes full of tenderness and love. Dressed in a white suit, he looked like a prince from a fairy tale. But I couldn't look at him in the mirror. I was afraid that he would find my inner contradictio
Daley said he needed to go to Las Vegas and lobby several neutral family members to support him. He will probably be away for a few days. He wants me to go with him. Although he told me to think of it as a short trip, I knew he wanted me there to better convince the rest of the family. Even if he did not speak out, those in the middle would have guessed that he had the support of the Green family.I politely declined his request because I wasn't sure what was going on between my father and him. I had always been wary of the alliance between the Green and Logan families, and my father hated me so much that he would not let me off so easily.I told Daley that Liv would bring me the flash drive soon. I'd better wait for her at home before she comes back. Daley agreed with my decision. I stayed in the manor all the time after he left. My gut tells me it's best not to go out, even if Daley leaves me with a chauffeur and a bodyguard. Given the present situation, I think it is safest to stay
Damn it, I was naked in front of him. Seeing his smug look made me so angry that I went to him as fast as I could to try to get my panties back. He raised his hand above his head on purpose, and I had to move closer to reach my underwear. I realized we were too close when my chest bumped into his strong chest muscles."We shouldn't be this close," I whispered.Then Frade realized something and gave me back my underwear. I was about to leave when he took my hand."I'm sorry. I was just trying to play a joke on you," he said."Frade, I think you know very well that I am going to marry your brother and you are going to marry Sarah," I began to regret agreeing to play such a childish game with him. I should say no when he suggested swimming."We should keep our distance," I said sadly. "It's better for all of us.""Sorry." Frade looked at me apologetically. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just wanted you to be happy. When you smile, I feel happy."“You should say that to your fiancee,” I
"Liv, where are you?" I asked over the phone. "Liv, are you okay?"But the phone hung up. I tried to call her, but there was only voice mail. An ominous feeling came over me, and I clutched my phone in bewilderment."What happened?" Frade asked."My friend, she just called me for help," I said in a panic. "I think something bad happened to her. Frade, you have to help me.""Calm down, Eva." Frade came to me and put his hand gently on my shoulder. "Do you know your friend's home address? We can go to her house right now."I calmed down and thought. I immediately remembered that Liv had told me that she was attending her mother's funeral, so she would be in her mother's hometown. But what if she's already back?"I know where she lives," I said to Frade. "Can you drive me to her apartment?""We're leaving now," Frade thought. "I think we need help. Give me a minute to call Mark and get him to help me."The waiter came to the door with a nice plate of sushi. The kimono-clad waitress looke
"Come on, we can talk in the room," Frade said, pushing open the bedroom door. I followed him into the room.Now everything in the room was so familiar that I remembered that when I first met Frade at the bar, he had knocked me out and taken me to the hotel. I woke up in this suite. I remember the chandelier on the ceiling and the smell of lavender on the sheets."Eva, you may speak now," Frade said, interrupting my recollection and forcing my thoughts back to the present moment."It was Mikeal who took Liv. He wanted the flash drive." I decided to tell Frade the secret, "Mikeal is my father in name. He did illegal business with my ex-husband. Their dirty dealings are recorded on a flash drive. My friend Liv had the flash drive. I had planned to use it to get back at my ex-husband and my father, but when I got to Liv's apartment just now, the drive was gone. Frade, I want you to help me.""So, the flash drive was a fatal blow to both the Moors and your father?" Frade said in a low voi
"Jenny, she's the financial manager of Ron's company," I said. "She must know something about Ron's illegal business.""Then we have to find her as soon as possible," Frade said. "Give me information on this woman, and I'll have Mark look into her right now."Just as Frade was about to leave the room, I stopped him."Frade。""What?""Thank you," I said to him."Don't forget our agreement," said Frade with a smile.Then Frade came up to Mark, and he told Mark to immediately contact the hacker to look into Jenny's background. Mark hesitated for a moment, then he opened his e-mail to find an investigation file on Jenny."Boss, I thought you asked me to look into this woman before," Mark said. "See, here's everything I found out about her.""When did this happen?" Frade thought. "Are you sure I asked you to look into her? I don't even know her."I immediately gave Mark a look, and he quickly explained, "It's me. I remember you once asked me to investigate Moore's employees, and this woman
"Why did you betray me?" I asked my first question."Sorry, Eva." Jenny almost cried, "Gina found out about my embezzlement and she threatened to expose me and send me to jail. So I had to agree to work with her, and she wanted me to tell Ron that you wanted to kill her. And she wants me to pin the embezzlement charge on you.""That sounds like a good way to help Gina get rid of me and get someone to take the fall for you," I scoffed. "But you didn't think I'd live, did you?""Eva, I've always thought of you as my good friend, and that's the truth," Jenny begged. "Please let me go.""The truth is that you and Gina conspired to kill me," I continued. "Second question, how much do you know about Ron's illegal operation?"Jenny gave me a timid look, and then I saw a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. She was thinking. This is a common failing of all finance managers, who are timid but weigh the pros and cons even in times of crisis."I don't know much. Jeff usually gives me the statement
"It's too dangerous." Frade frowned. "Why do you have to go to your ex-husband's house?""Because the most important weapon is hidden in Ron's computer," I decided. "I have to go."I remember Ron always used a computer in his study with a password when he worked from home, and I'm sure it had information about him and Mikeal smuggling weapons."Time is running out, I must go." I must gamble."I'll go with you," Frade said firmly."No, you have to help me get Gina out," I said. "Mikeal wants Gina, and if he doesn't see Gina, he's probably going to hurt Liv."An exchange was the last resort, even if I knew it was a trap, and I had to go for Liv.“Where exactly is your sister?” Frade asked.I told Frade where I was holding her, and he looked shocked when he learned that Gina was being held in the basement of the Logan family's abandoned factory."Your fiancé is in charge of that factory now. I'll have to find a way to get in," Frade said helplessly. "Unless you call him and tell him to l
A week later, the trip to Mexico didn't go well. Mexicans were angry at Mickle's claims that the wall had been expanded. The Mexican president and Mickle met in secret for three hours. I don't know what they talked about.After the meeting, he got on a plane and left Mexico. But he left me behind, and I knew exactly what he was doing.I was not surprised to see Daley in front of me as the representative of Mexico. Instead, I had the urge to punch him, but I held back.During my stay in Mexico, Daley was responsible for receiving me as the Mexican representative. The night we met, he took me to a fancy restaurant in Mexico City.“I had no idea that the famous Daley was already a member of council.”I looked across at Daley. The last time we parted, he looked pale. But now, beneath his mask of calm lies a kind of ineffable pride.“Do you have to talk to me like that?” Daley smiled at me, “It's been a long time since we were alone together and I miss you so much. I think we should celebr
“Why do you always have to decide before you tell me?” Frade asked, smoking hard on the couch. “Didn't I tell you to consult me before you made any decisions?”“Because this time there is no room for negotiation.” I stood in front of him, looking at him like that. My heart felt extremely painful. But I had to tell him about my decision. We have to face the truth eventually.“Mia was dead.”Frade's face froze for a few seconds. “She's dead?”“She escaped from the sanatorium, frantically searching for her father and questioning him as to why he had abandoned her. Mickle's bodyguard shot her for endangering the president. It happened right in front of me.”I have mixed feelings about Mia's death. Even though she was detestable, her death was like a razor blade slicing through my unsuspecting skin. It was instant, clear pain.Frade continued to smoke heavily. He didn't show much emotion about Mia's death. But I guess he felt the same way.He was in love with Mia. Her love was fake, but hi
I didn't expect Mickle to agree to meet with me as soon as I contacted him. But I had to go jogging with him, so I changed into a white sweatshirt and drove to his estate.We jogged side by side on a path near the estate, with two bodyguards following us. I can't remember the last time I ran in the morning. I was a little out of it at first, but after a while, I got my breath back.“Do you need a few minutes?” Mickle, who was wearing a black, short-sleeved tracksuit, turned to me. “Looks like you haven't exercised in a while.”“I'm fine,” I said.“I'll wait for you at the lake ahead,” he said as he continued to run.By the time I got to the lake, he was resting. A burly bodyguard offered him water, but Mickle gave it to me.“You need water,” he says.“Thank you.” I opened the bottle cap and took a sip. The bodyguard somehow took out another bottle of water and handed it to him.“It's a rare day for you to call me,” Mickle said, his face flushed but his tone calm. Judging from his stro
According to Vickie's will, her body will be transported back to Italy for burial. So Frade decided to hold a simple farewell ceremony for Vickie in the manor. After the ceremony, he would be in charge of sending Vickie's body back home with Mark.Vickie was right that no Sicilian would refuse the dying wish to return home. This time, they offered to open their arms to the Logan family to show their deepest sorrow.The place of the farewell ceremony was chosen in the hall of the manor, and all the participants were dressed in black as a sign of mourning. Black-and-white photographs of Vickie's life were placed in the centre of the hall. As her body was temporarily placed in the hospital morgue, guests had to mourn over her picture in silence.Each of the guests held a white chrysanthemum in their hands and placed it in front of the tablet. In the photo, she looked at everyone with a smile on her face, her eyes looking at everything indifferently.Frade greets guests who have come to p
In the room, Vickie is lying on her bed, a private nurse holding a clear plastic tube attached to a ventilator up her nose. Since a trip to Italy, Vickie has grown weaker. Mark told me that she was taken home in an ambulance from a private hospital after she landed.“Why don't you take her to the hospital?” I asked in a low voice.“She's determined to go home,” Mark said. “No one can change her mind, and you know it.”“The patient needs to rest. Please leave the room,” the middle-aged brown-haired nurse said politely.Mark and I left the room just as Frade and Vickie's doctor came out of the other room. That was the room where they had been discussing Vickie's condition, and Frade's sullen face didn't look good.It's terrible.“Mark, please help me get Dr. Hans out of here.” Frade's voice was hoarse and tired, and the stubble on his face seemed to have grown overnight, making him look even gloomier.“Are you all right, darling?” I stroked his cheek and looked at the man in front of me
A middle-aged woman in a plain grey T-shirt and light blue jeans sat on the living room sofa, her hands on her closed knees, her eyes downcast. The coffee in front of her was steaming, and it was obvious that she hadn't touched it.“Hey!” I whispered. “I'm Eva.”“Hi!” The woman stood up at once. She looked at me a little stiffly. “My name is Joe. I'm a friend of Joan's. We're all in the same union.”“How did you find me?” I motioned for her to sit down.“Joan gave me your number,” said Joe, “And we found your place. I'm sorry to bother you so late. Joan needs your help.”“You didn't come alone?” I asked curiously.“I have another colleague with me,” Joe said truthfully. “He's waiting for me outside.”“Is he here to ensure your safety?” I looked at her. “Since your friend is worried about your safety, why are you looking for me? So, what's the matter?”“We just...” Joe looked down sheepishly. “Just in case. But Joan says you're a trustworthy person. You're not like your father.”“I hel
During my stay in the hospital, I received many greeting cards and gifts from strangers. They piled gifts for the baby in front of the hospital or at the nurses' station, and a few fanatical fans even pretended to be nurses sneaking into the ward to see the baby. Fortunately, the fanatics were spotted by the doctor on duty and called the police, who quickly took them away.To prevent this from happening, Frade picked me and my baby up from the hospital in the middle of the night and took us back to the manor. Frade also put guards around the manor to keep out outsiders, leaving Mark in charge of all security, and Liv came to accompany me.Frade was on the move for us to leave the United States. This time he didn't entrust anyone but himself. He didn't tell me that he had met with those people. But from his tired face after each return, I can guess that our departure would become a distant dream.When Vickie learned of Frade's plan, she decided to go to Italy herself, because most of t
“What does a newborn baby get him?” I stared at Ian. “He's already president.”“The president just wants to show his concern for you,” Ian explained patiently. “This baby is his granddaughter. You're family.”“What an official statement,” I said. “Just this once. I need at least three months off for the rest of the year. During that time, neither I nor my baby could be seen in any media.”“Deal,” Ian readily agreed.“I'll give you some time to get ready,” Ian said. “I'll let you know when the president is arriving at the hospital.”After Ian leaves, Frade gently places the baby in her own crib, where she falls fast asleep without crying or fussing. Frade walks to the bedside, his eyes brimming with anger. I knew he was unhappy with my decision, and as I prepared for his wrath, he just lowered his voice and said, “Why did you agree to his request?”“Because I can't say no.” I looked at him. “Ian's right. Mickle is the baby's grandfather. I have no reason to say no to him visiting his g
“Do you have to go to the inauguration?” Frade asked as he peeled the apple. “The doctor told me your due date is coming up.”The skin he cut off with a knife was attached to the flesh of the apple, and less than two-thirds of the whole apple was left in his hand. I stared at the silver knife in his hand and asked, “Do you have a problem with apples?”“I hope this knife didn't cut apples, but...”“Stop,” I reminded him. “Watch your mouth.”“I don't want you to go to a crowded place,” Frade said, handing me a peeled apple. “In that case, all eyes are on the new president. If you're not feeling well or...”“Ian will have a nurse with me,” I said. “Besides, I only promised to be at the inauguration, and as soon as it's over, I'll be home.”“I'm going with you,” Frade said, “Or I won't trust you.”“Sure,” I readily agreed. “I'll tell Ian and get him to set you up.”“All I have to do is stand next to you.” Frade walked to the bed and brushed my cheek, then put a hand on my belly.“She's mo