As the newcomer gradually drew closer, everyone caught sight of him.Upon recognizing him, nearly everyone froze in place. It wasn't until he was right in front of them that they realized they were blocking his way. They quickly stepped back to let him pass.The newcomer was none other than Ezra.His presence prompted a long, perplexed stare from those gathered. Everyone needed a moment to absorb and confirm that it was indeed Ezra standing before them.But if Ezra was here, then who was the man in the corner with Rose?Confusion swept through the room, leaving everyone, especially Lizzie, completely dumbfounded.The second she saw Ezra, the smug look in her eyes vanished, replaced by a single question that kept echoing in her mind. "What is Ezra doing here? This is not where he was supposed to be! Shouldn't he have been with Rose? If Ezra stood here now, then who is with Rose?"Before Lizzie could process it further, Ezra's voice cut through the eerie silence of the greenhous
"Handle the matters within the family… What matters was Elijah referring to?" Eleanor mused.Eleanor, who had been so focused on securing the marriage between the Finch and Xanth families, suddenly realized that she might have missed something important.Prompted by Elijah's words, she began to analyze the situation more closely.Eleanor knew Jonathan was deeply devoted to Rose. Regardless of the intensity of his feelings, his character would never allow him to act inappropriately in the greenhouse, particularly not in front of so many people. The way Jonathan had protectively shielded Rose only reinforced her belief that something was amiss.Eleanor's face darkened as she carefully pondered the unusual events that had unfolded. Abruptly, she spoke up. "Everyone, we have some family matters to attend to tonight. So, the birthday celebration will come to an early end. I apologize for any inconvenience, and the Finch family will send a generous apology gift."The implication was
After the guests left, the remaining Xanth, Young, and Finch family members gathered in the grand hall.What had been a vibrant celebration mere moments ago was now engulfed in a heavy silence. No one uttered a word, their expressions an array of indifference, contemplation, and pensiveness.The atmosphere was tense, and the large, untouched birthday cake in the center of the room only served as a stark, ironic reminder of the evening's abrupt end.Many in the room were still reeling from what Jonathan had said outside. "Married couple…"Jonathan and Rose were married? Those who had known about it earlier, like Clover and Elijah, remained indifferent, while others, like Miles and Ezra, stayed calm.However, Harriette felt uneasy, for she hadn't told Lizzie about Rose and Jonathan's marriage.Glancing discreetly at Lizzie, Harriette saw that her expression remained neutral. But the more composed Lizzie seemed the more unsettled Harriette became.Amid this anxiety, Anna led Jonath
No one in the room seemed to believe Lizzie's words. Even Cyrus, who stood by her side, felt a growing sense of unease gnawing at him.Despite this, he quickly regained his composure and spoke up for Lizzie before anyone else could respond. "Mom, Lizz was with me the entire time—""Hah…" A soft chuckle interrupted him before he could finish.Cyrus turned to Ezra, only to meet his cold, icy gaze. Anger flared within him. "Ezra—""Ezra, tell us. What happened?" Eleanor cut in, completely ignoring Cyrus' anger.After being interrupted again, Cyrus' face darkened, but no one cared about his frustration at this point.Although Jonathan had been with Rose in the greenhouse, everyone's initial assumption had involved Ezra."I was brought back to the Finch Manor for what I thought would be a grand reunion, only to discover it was a trap." Ezra's tone was thick with sarcasm."Who brought him back?" Eleanor thought as her gaze swiftly turned to Cyrus, but before she could speak, Cyrus in
Lizzie only spared Carl a fleeting glance before quickly averting her gaze. "I don't know him," she said. She then turned to Cyrus with an innocent expression and reached out to hold his arm. "Cyrus, I have no idea who he is."Even with Carl standing right in front of her, she still tried to deny it.Ezra chuckled lightly. This woman was always good at feigning innocence, but no matter how much she denied it now, the truth would eventually come out. He exchanged a knowing look with Finley.Before entering, Finley had managed to extract some information from Carl. "Mrs. Finch, although you claim not to recognize him, it appears he is quite familiar with you," Finley declared, emphasizing the words "quite familiar."Lizzie's heart skipped a beat, and a look of displeasure washed over her face. "Judging by his attire, he appears to be a bodyguard from the Azure Clan, which serves the Finch family. It's not surprising he recognizes me," she countered.Indeed, it wasn't surprising
In that fleeting moment of panic, many noticed Lizzie's reaction, including Cyrus."Lizz, you and him…" Cyrus tried to resist the influence of Clover's words but couldn't help wanting a clear answer."Cyrus—" Lizzie had already prepared her explanation, but Clover didn't give her the chance to voice it.With a faint, mocking smile, Clover said, "If I were her, even if there was something shady going on, I'd still say there wasn't."He was obviously implying that LIzzie's words couldn't be trusted.Cyrus' brow furrowed deeply, an unmistakable crease forming as he felt an unsettling agreement with Clover's suspicion. He looked down at Carl, who was kneeling on the floor.In his mind, Carl was just a bodyguard from the Azure Clan, yet the man seemed to be everywhere.Suddenly, a feeling of dread welled up in Cyrus' chest, and he didn't dare to ask further. Just as he wavered, Carl broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Mr. Finch."Cyrus stiffened. "What is Carl apologizing for? What could
The mockery in Jonathan's gaze felt like a hard slap on Lizzie's face. It felt like she had been brought back to that one night many years ago. It hit her hard.Jonathan's gaze merely swept past her. He didn't even bother to take a proper look as all his attention focused solely on the woman beside him.Jonathan held onto Rose's hand, guiding her to sit next to him. He couldn't even stand the gap between them, prompting him to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer.He was only satisfied once she was pressed closely against him. Jonathan didn't care about the other people at all.Rose's face was already flushed, but her cheeks grew even hotter after Jonathan did all that. She was baffled by how inappropriate he could be in public.She frowned at him in disapproval. He, however, was unfazed.For a long time, she preferred to keep their relationship low-profile. She didn't even let him hold her hand in front of others, treating him almost like a secret lover. But now th
"What are you laughing at?" Eleanor frowned in displeasure.After a moment, Carl stopped laughing, and silence filled the air. His gaze turned wild. "I'm laughing at how foolish the Finches are, being played by me!"Everyone's expression darkened at his words. Then, they glared at Carl. He was merely a bodyguard. How dare he mock the Finch family?The madness in Carl's eyes only grew stronger, a smug expression spreading across his puffy, beaten-up face."I hate the Finch family! Remember? I'm a Larson…"Larson? Even Eleanor couldn't understand what he was trying to imply.But Jonathan said in a low voice, "Michael Larson…"The sound of the name stunned Carl. He looked at the man he truly feared, never expecting that out of the whole Finch family, Jonathan would be the only one who remembered that name.Michael Larson… After a moment, Eleanor seemed to recall him too. "Michael Larson. Is he your father?"Carl answered with a cold smile, "Yes. Michael Larson is my father. So, M
Really? How could that possibly be true?Lizzie and Jonathan had a seemingly calm relationship on the surface, but underneath, there was a deep-seated conflict. One was a stepmother, and the other was the son left behind by the first wife.This time, Jonathan's disguise was solely to deceive Lizzie.Lizzie had repeatedly plotted against Rose, so how could she genuinely be concerned about Jonathan?Amidst Leonard's thoughts, there was a commotion coming from the direction of the operating room."Jonathan…" Eleanor called out. She quickly hurried over with the help of her walking cane.The others quickly followed and finally saw Jonathan being wheeled out from the operating room.He kept his eyes tightly shut, with the wounds from the car accident still visible on his face. His hands, feet, and chest were covered, but they could clearly see the lack of life on his face.After the car accident, there didn't seem to be any improvement at all."Jonathan, Jonathan, it's Grandma. You
The atmosphere at the dining table was extremely strange.Elijah and Clover, smiling warmly, served Rose some food. "Rose, have some of this. You love it..."The food was placed on the plate in front of Rose. Then, Jonathan promptly said, "Wifey, I made this."Jonathan looked at Rose, his face clearly saying, "Wifey, praise me.""Ugh! This tastes awful!"Clover clearly had a disdain for Jonathan, and it was written all over his face without any attempt to hide it. He picked at her food, took a bite, and felt like spitting it out. But he had come with the intention of having lunch with Rose and ended up going there without having eaten lunch.He didn't get to eat lunch, and his frustration left him feeling full.Although he was still a bit miffed, as soon as the food entered his mouth, he realized he was actually a little hungry.]He hadn't expected Jonathan's cooking skills to be, well… quite good?He had to "reluctantly" swallow it down when his original intention was to spit
Jonathan's voice clearly expressed dissatisfaction.Rose felt a bit uneasy. She focused on keeping her composure, appearing as though she hadn't heard anything.Nearby, Jonathan, sitting on the couch, furrowed his brows.Something felt off, very off.He had been watching Rose for a long time, and usually, she should have felt his gaze by now and looked back at him. Then there would be a moment of eye contact, which would set the stage for him to make his next move.But…Was she not aware of being watched?Jonathan tried winking and making himself noticeable, but she still didn't respond.Something felt off, really off!So, he had no choice but to try a different approach. "Wifey…."He called out to Rose, but she still didn't respond.Jonathan furrowed his brow even more. Was it because he wasn't loud enough?"Wifey…" he called out again.There was still no response. Was his charm not strong enough?"Wifey…" he called out again.Every time Rose heard him call out "wifey,"
The look in Miles' eyes was chilling.Miles always looked at her warmly, so how could this be any different?Before long, the coldness in his eyes vanished, and when she looked into them again, there was warmth once more.But just now… was it her imagination? No, it wasn't!The coldness she felt had sent a distinct shiver through her heart; it was no illusion.Kelly furrowed her brows. She was determined to figure it out.As she was trying to piece things together, she heard Miles slowly say, "I only have one sister left. What should I do?"His tone was filled with anguish.Kelly snapped back to reality, determined to be supportive at a time when Miles was in pain. She reassured him, saying, "Miles, I will be by your side for the rest of my life!"There was only one sister left… Of course, it was her!"Is ten percent of the shares enough?" Miles immediately asked.If calming Miles earlier was her task, then after hearing his question now, she became fully alert.It wasn't e
There was a long silence in the conference room.Miles had a somber expression, clearly showing a strong sense of displeasure.Anastasia sat in the furthest corner. Since Harriette's return, she was no longer the favored daughter of the family. It was as if she had become a completely different person.But no one paid attention to her. Today, she was just there to make up the numbers.Kelly frowned, but inside, she was overjoyed.Among everyone in the conference room, she was the most excited to see Chloe arrive. She had put in effort to ensure Chloe could make it today.She finally brought up the thing that mattered most to her through Chloe.However, she couldn't show her happiness outwardly.On the surface, she was filled with righteous indignation as she said, "Aunt Chloe, Rose hasn't been dead long, and you're already bringing this up? Isn't this behavior a bit too unseemly?"Rose inherited Young Group. Young Group belongs to Rose. How could you… How could you…" she accus
Rose often wore that necklace.Kelly had complimented the necklace, saying it looked beautiful and that she wanted to buy one as well. Rose told her that she had designed and made it herself, and there were only two in the whole world: one that she kept and the other that was given to a friend.She knew that the friend was Yvonne.She pretended to be jealous at that moment, but Rose didn't give in or make one for her too.Kelly recalled that Rose was also wearing it that day.All the information pointed to one conclusion—that body was undoubtedly Rose!"Miles, Rose… Poor Rose…" Kelly was crying so hard she nearly fainted.The level of sadness and grief she displayed was comparable to that of Miles.In her heart, she secretly felt glee at Miles' reaction.After he saw "Rose", it seemed as if the necklace confirmed her identity, and from that moment on, he seemed to have lost his soul.Even her "self-blame" act received little response from him, as if he was deeply immersed in
"Hehe! No need to thank me. Wasn't that what I was supposed to do?" Ezra remarked. He was feeling a bit shy because of Rose's gratitude.Rose could tell there was a plan to deal with Kelly.Rose didn't ask too many questions about the plan. They only asked her to stay here temporarily, and she figured out that she shouldn't make any public appearances for the time being.To ensure Kelly revealed her true intentions, she needed to be tricked into thinking she was truly in a dire situation.If it were just Harriette, she wouldn't be that angry, but since it was Kelly, that was a different story.She still hadn't confronted her about Oliver's death, so this time, she would settle the score altogether.Rose quietly awaited the day of the big reveal.On the night that the news of Rose's death spread, Jonathan rushed back to Regalia. It was said that Jonathan caused a major commotion at the police station, refusing to accept the explanation that she had been "blown to pieces with no r
Miles looked at Rose while listening to Harriette's lie that "Rose was dead".There was only one feeling in his heart—a lingering fear.If Jonathan hadn't discovered early on that Harriette was an impostor, Miles would probably still be deceived, mistaking her for the real Harriette.He didn't care about his own feelings being deceived. What really mattered to him was that the fake Harriette would use him to harm Rose!"What do you plan to do about Harriette?"When Ezra walked in, he was seemingly aware that Miles was already inside.While Rose was still asleep, he asked that question.Ezra didn't realize that "Harriette" wasn't the real Harriette he knew. He only knew that Miles had deep feelings for Harriette and was worried that Miles couldn't bear to do anything to her.If Miles truly couldn't bear it, then a lot of things would have to be done by Ezra and Jonathan.Unexpectedly, Miles said without hesitation, "Wherever she came from, that's where she's going back to."He
It wasn't a trap set by Jonathan, but rather by Ezra.After Ezra had thrown Carl into the psychiatric facility, he never showed up again. Now that he was here, he didn't dare to think about what Ezra might do to him.Ezra spoke up. "Carl, you're weird."Back at the hospital warehouse, you showed so much courage and had already decided you were willing to risk your life for the woman you love. You weren't afraid of dying then, so what's causing your fear now?"It seems like your determination to face death isn't very resolute!"Ezra's tone sounded sarcastic as he said that.Carl immediately responded, "It's not that I'm not resolute…"As he uttered the words, Carl realized he might have fallen into a trap. Feeling a bit guilty, he quickly changed his statement. "What beloved woman? Willingness to risk my life for her? You really like to make up stories, Mr. Turner."Make up stories, he said? Ezra's eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity.Carl didn't admit to taking the fall for Li