Howard was dead serious as he addressed Lana, his expression devoid of any hint of humor."No, mere suspicions won't cut it. Since the incident with Nadia and me being abducted, I've had this nagging feeling that something isn't right about Emilia."Howard struggled to put into words his unique intuition."What precisely seems amiss?" Lana questioned.Howard deliberated on his choice of words. "Well, it's like her shadow, maybe? There's this constant, mysterious feeling surrounding Emilia. It's elusive, veiled—hard to pin down."Lana, trying to make sense of Howard's cryptic description, furrowed her brows and pressed for clarification. "Elusive?"Howard paused, attempting to find an alternative way to articulate his thoughts. "Imagine her silhouette," he suggested."The impression Emilia leaves on me consistently brings to mind the figure of someone.""Her silhouette?" Lana found the description increasingly perplexing. "Are you suggesting there are two Emilias?"Lana's words
"Mr. Liam, are you seriously rejecting these generous terms?" Cynthia persisted.Yet, Liam remained resolute. "I won't change my mind. To me, marriage isn't a mere transaction. I won't trivialize its significance."Undeterred, Cynthia was prepared to challenge him further."You speak of not taking marriage lightly, but wasn't your previous union with Ms. Lana essentially a transaction?"Frankly speaking, the marriage between Liam and Lana was indeed transactional. Lana entered the Kane family to fulfill a debt of gratitude, and the marriage with Liam primarily served as a means to reassure Violet.The underlying motive was clear—once Carol returned to the country, they would part ways amicably.Liam couldn't stand hearing Lana's name from other women. Regardless of the nature of his relationship with Lana, there was always a reserved and sacred space for her in Liam's heart.While Liam had appeared amiable just moments earlier, a sudden seriousness overcame his expression as h
Lincoln found himself disheartened as, in the past, there had been no investigation beyond his reach.Yet, when it came to the Cooper family, days of relentless searching yielded no progress. Despite this setback, Lincoln felt the responsibility to honestly report his findings to Liam.Liam, however, offered reassurance rather than the expected pessimism. "It's not your fault," he told Lincoln. "If the Coopers are determined to conceal something, given their methods, they would undoubtedly execute it seamlessly."Lincoln couldn't help but nod in agreement upon hearing these words.The Cooper family's flawless orchestration of Emilia's integration into the Watson family, even to the extent of eliminating Nadia, raised one question. Was there any feat beyond their capabilities?"Nevertheless, sir, my journey to the Cooper family's hometown wasn't entirely in vain," Lincoln informed Liam as he handed him an old photograph.Accepting the photo, Liam observed three young women captu
Upon catching sight of the person, Lana was so astounded that words eluded her, and her face paled.The person facing her regarded Lana with a touch of hurt and remarked, "Is it so distressing to see me?""Addy, that's not what I meant."Adrian, wearing a pained expression, countered, "Not what you meant? I've been back for quite some time, and you haven't spared a moment to meet me."Lana offered an awkward smile. "I've been really busy, you know?""Too busy that even Marcel couldn't get you to visit him?"In the days since his return, Adrian had enlisted Marcel's help to reconnect with Lana.However, Lana continued to elude Marcel's attempts, maintaining her avoidance.Had Adrian not overheard Marcel and Nicholas's conversation today, revealing the area of Lana's workplace, he would have remained uncertain about when he could meet her.Fortunately, luck favored him. Adrian had just entered the area when he noticed Lana, taken aback by the sudden downpour."What's with your
The rain had ceased, revealing a glimmer of twilight on the horizon. The golden hues cast a dazzling light, illuminating each face as if transporting everyone back to the days in the mountains.After Adrian had settled down, Nicholas approached him, pulling him aside. "She's obviously a girl, so what's there to be so happy about?" Nicholas asked.Adrian's face suddenly reddened, and after glancing at Lana, he replied, "Well, I came out to my family."Nicholas was suddenly rendered speechless.Why does that sound so peculiar?"What does coming out have to do with Lana?"Adrian stammered, "I … I told my family that I'm into a guy."Nicholas suddenly realized, "So, you like her?"Adrian blushed and coyly stomped his foot, yelling at Nicholas, "Mind your own business! I haven't even confessed yet. Why'd you have to go and blurt it out?"After the outburst, Adrian shyly ran off.Lana found herself at a loss this time. She had never imagined a casual lie from years ago would cause
Nicholas, Marcel, and Jessica all expressed their intention to attend, but Lana was the only one who declined."You guys go, I'll pass."Adrian's face immediately fell. "Why not? They're all going, why can't you?"Lana shamelessly lied, "I'm busy!"Nicholas suddenly covered his mouth and chuckled. "I think Lana's just shy. After all, she might be meeting her future in-laws."Nicholas knew about Lana's breakup with Liam, but Lana was still so young. She had to find someone to spend the latter half of her life with. So, in Nicholas's opinion, Adrian was the best candidate.He had watched Adrian grow up and knew him inside out. According to Adrian, his family seemed well-off. Entrusting Lana to him, Nicholas would feel at ease.Lana punched Nicholas. "If you can't say something useful, you might as well be mute. No one will pay attention to you."Nicholas, sporting dark circles under his eyes, teared up. "If you don't want to hear me, I won't say anything. Why resort to violence?"
"Emilia, this place is so upscale. There must be a lot of beautiful women and delicious food later."Listening to Maverick chattering in her ear, Emilia couldn't help but roll her eyes.No wonder she has always looked down on Maverick—this person is too uncouth.Emilia finally managed to secure an invitation to the Snyder family's ball. Upon learning this, Mitchell shamelessly forced her to bring Maverick along. Of course, it was to broaden his horizons.However, someone who talked about beautiful women and good food in a place like this must be someone with limited horizons."Emilia, look! Isn't that woman a celebrity? I remember seeing her on TV," Maverick excitedly pointed to a woman not far away and said, "Wait for me. I'll go get her autograph."Emilia was speechless.How embarrassing!Asking someone for an autograph in a place like this is lowering one's status, isn't it?In a city like Dawsbury, actors are the lowest class of residents, only for the entertainment of the
"Are you talking to me?" Lana suddenly asked.Thinking his chance had come, Maverick put on his usual bully demeanor and said, "Are you deaf? I've always been talking to you. Or are you blind? Can't you see me?"Lana smiled faintly and stood up abruptly. "Don't misunderstand. I'm not disabled. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to hit the wrong person.""What do you mean hit the wrong person?" Maverick was still contemplating Lana's words when suddenly, he let out a scream. The next moment, he found himself on the ground, experiencing intense pain in his elbow and shoulder. It hurt so much that he broke into a cold sweat.It was the first time he had taken a beating in his life.Maverick quickly got up, pointed at Lana, and cursed, "You bitch, you don't appreciate my generosity! You should be honored that I took notice of you. You better kneel and apologize to me now, or I'll have my sister throw you out.""Your sister?"Lana and Nicholas exchanged a glance. In this day