Mason tried calling her, but her line was occupied for the longest time.What he saw in his mind was happening right before his eyes!He rushed back into the manor to take another set of car keys and got into another car. Just as he pulled out of the manor, the black Bentley that Zoe drove was nowhere to be seen.His face was twitching so much that he thought he was having a spasm.Then, he made a call to Yanni’s kindergarten and asked one of her teachers to check on her. Five minutes later, the teacher was panicking hard. She was so scared that she was about to burst into tears. “Yanni’s gone, Mr. Mason! We can’t find her. S-She was just napping a minute ago!”His phone almost slipped out of his hand. He was almost certain that Lila kidnapped his little girl. He suspected his aunt last time. So, she created an alibi for herself and made him think that she was in Edo City. The truth was, she was in Edo City. It was just that there was more than one ‘Lila’ in the world and th
Lila sneered, “Do you really think I love Westley?“No. I can’t stand it when you were so deeply in love with him, Lisa. I wanted to ruin your marriage and I pulled it off! As expected, Westley finally left you and little Mason behind once I created enough havoc by misleading him on a few things. “I had a chance to get close to him, but he was so dense. I could do anything to seduce him and he wouldn’t even lay a finger on me! I’ve followed him around, tending to his everyday needs like a servant for the past few years, but he wouldn’t even bat an eye at me, much less sleep with me.“It didn’t matter, though. After all, no one could take your horrible temper!“Your son, however, has been having a wonderful life with Zoe. They looked so happy together that it made me jealous. There’s no way I’m going to let them off the hook. They need to suffer!“Do you want to know something, Lisa? I’ve killed a lot of men. At first, they loved their wives more than anything, but they became dis
Lila had goosebumps. Then, she started recounting her own tale.“I, too, used to be naive and kind-hearted!“After I got married to Cliff, we adopted a little girl. She was beautiful and candid. I gave her all of my love, but I didn’t count on one thing. She went ahead and grew up to become an exquisite lady years later. The only thing was, she climbed onto my marital bed and had sex with my husband!“My damned husband had an affair with his own freaking adoptive daughter!“Do you want to know something, Lisa? She was just eighteen years old while he was forty. I saw with my own eyes how he thrust into her so vigorously.“They had crazy sex on my marital bed while they talked dirty to each other.“Cliff told our stepdaughter that he loved her more than anyone else!”…Lila broke into laughter. She laughed so hard that tears came out. “He told her that he loved her most! Well, then. What does that make me? Am I the worn-out, crumpled servant? “I can’t even imagine when they st
Zoe’s consciousness was slipping away. Her visions also started to become blurred.She could hear Yanni crying next to her, screaming for her to get up.'I can’t die!' Zoe thought to herself. She needed to take care of Yanni as well as Jamie. Most important of all, she needed to live her life with Mason!They had just patched things up today. They couldn’t even wait to make love because they loved each other so much. A bright future awaited them. He told her that they’d have a brand new year. He promised!Oh. How she wished she could live to see it come true.How she wished she could witness their children’s growth with him. It’d be lovely if they could be with each other until they were both wrinkled with old age.They had finally reconciled. They were finally able to love each other.How was this fair?!Be that as it may, Lila injected the drug into her. Now, she was also losing too much blood. It was highly unlikely she could make it out alive.She loved the world. She lo
Mason asked Mia to look after Yanni and descended to the deep ravine again to search for Zoe. Days passed and he had barely gotten any shut-eye.Aside from the search and rescue team sent by the city, he spent a huge amount of money and formed a private search party that was comprised of more than eight hundred people. He was going to save Zoe at all costs.The most crucial first twenty-four hours had come and gone.Then, three days passed. Now, it had been seven days since Zoe had fallen off the cliff, but there were no signs of her. It was as if she had vanished off the face of the Earth. At the same time, Lila was nowhere to be seen. The experts weighed in on this, remarking that they might’ve dropped into the deep end of the river in the ravine. Since it was located very near to the coast, then maybe…No one had the heart to finish the rest of the sentence. Everyone could tell that the youngest and richest businessman in Brookesville was on the verge of falling apart. He
All of a sudden, Mia turned around. Her eyes were filled with tears as she said with trembling lips, “You’re out of your mind, Mason! You have lived here for one whole year. That’s enough. If you’re not going to think about your parents, then think about your children, at least.“Yanni has nightmares every single night and Jamie hasn’t spoken for the entire year! Of course they want their mother back, Mason, but they need their father now. They’re extremely on edge because you haven't been home for so long!“Your children need you, Mason!”His face twitched slightly in response. After a long time, he brought the remaining cigarette to his lips, intending to smoke it. However, it fell… He stared at the fallen cigarette butt for a long time before he responded in a husky voice, “Thank you for everything you've done for the past couple of years!”Tears welled up in his eyes. After that, he didn’t say anything. That night, he sat by the edge of the cliff and brought Zoe’s violin wi
He didn’t want to be with anyone else other than Zoe. It was simply impossible!…Mason sat in his office for a long time. He didn’t go home until it was evening.Darkness began streaking across the sky as his black Rolls-Royce drove through the ornate gate and stopped at the yard. Only a faint ray of sunlight clung to the skies, reluctant to let go.He killed the engine, opened the car door, and got out. Yanni came running out of the manor, held his legs gently, and called out to him affectionately, “Daddy!”At that moment, his heart shivered.The dormant memories came back with a vengeance. This used to be the kind of moment he described to Zoe when he was still trying to win her heart to reconcile with him. He’d come back home from work and their daughter would run over and hug his thighs as she called out to him. He had leaned in her ear and said softly, telling her to make a baby girl with him!Yanni’s eyes resembled Zoe’s so much that it felt as if she was standing rig
Mason refilled the pit with sand, making it look like it had never been dug up. He was in a trance for a long time before he rose gently and left with tears in the corner of his eyes. At the end of the day, he was still just an ordinary man. He couldn’t defy the laws of the universe and bring the dead back to life.He might’ve possessed massive wealth and wielded immense power, but neither could bring Zoe back to him. Try as he might to find her, he knew, deep down, that Zoe was gone for real.He’d have to trudge through the rest of his life without her!…It was evening by the time he went back to the city. His black Bentley drove on the street steadily and the back window was lowered halfway through. Turning his head to the side, he watched quietly as the clouds danced across the sky. His gaunt face was devoid of any expression.What he didn’t see was that Zoe was standing across the street, looking lost and confused. She was robbed of her previous memory and had no fami
Zion noticed Gwen gazing at him with those wide, expectant eyes again. With a chuckle, he reached into the pocket of his trench coat, pulled out a sleek wallet, and carefully extracted a platinum card. He placed it in her outstretched hand and said with a smile, “This is my secondary card. There’s no credit limit.” Gwen gasped softly, then teased, “Wow, aren’t you generous? Thank you, Teacher Qin.” Zion gave her a light tap on the head. Not missing a beat, Gwen wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned mischievously, “Thank you, my sugar daddy.” Zion’s response was to pull her close, cupping her cheeks as he kissed her fiercely. Though he once carried himself as an educator and now as a refined businessman, he found himself utterly smitten by her playful antics. After the kiss, Zion leaned close to Gwen's ear and murmured something uncharacteristically crude that sent a shiver down her spine. He playfully nipped her nose. “Turns out you’ve got a thing for bad boy
Zion could sense Gwen’s cautiousness and chuckled softly. Then, he cupped her face and planted a firm kiss on her lips. “Don’t worry, I won’t touch you. We agreed to save that for our wedding night. Besides, I just drank last night, so I probably wouldn’t be much use. I want your first time to be special, so I’ll make sure I’m well-prepared.” Gwen’s cheeks turned crimson. She buried her face in his chest, mumbling, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” How peculiar! Back then, even though they were together, their relationship had always been proper and restrained. But now, here they were, sharing a bed, their bodies so intimately close it was both thrilling and embarrassing. Gwen had never experienced this before. Zion seemed to understand her thoughts. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “I haven’t either. Before the wedding night, I’ll make sure to study hard.” Gwen didn’t dare ask how he planned to “study,” though she had a pretty good idea—i
Zion maintained a respectful demeanor and immediately greeted, “Mr. Noah.” Noah, however, didn’t make things difficult for him. He gave a light cough, which could be considered acknowledgment. Then, turning to his youngest daughter, he said, “Go upstairs first. Your mother’s been waiting for you all night; she probably has something to say to you.” Gwen hesitated and didn’t move at first. Zion gently nudged her, his voice soft, “You should go.” Only then did Gwen start to move. But before heading upstairs, she walked over to Noah. As the youngest daughter and the most adept at charming her way out of trouble, she hugged her father. Only then, with visible reluctance, did she head upstairs. Her father’s anger dissipated by more than half after the hug. Watching her go, Noah turned his attention to Zion, his tone calm but firm: “Have a seat. Let’s talk.” Zion immediately sat down and, with practiced ease, poured Noah a cup of tea. Noah feigned irritation and remarked, “
But Gwen was not satisfied.With reddened eyes, she pitifully asked again, "Are you married? Is there someone else by your side? Do you still love me?"As she asked, she was more persistent than before, yet it made the man's heart ache even more.Zion remembered that when they parted ways, Gwen was still an innocent, naive girl. Now, however, she was willing to ask such direct and revealing questions. The braver she became, the more pain he felt in his heart.Zion no longer teased her. He looked into her eyes and answered seriously."No, I'm not married. There's no one else by my side. Her leg healed, and she got married earlier this year. And yes, I still love you. Very much."...Gwen's eyes turned even redder.Her voice trembled as she said, "That doesn't mean I have to be with you. I'm still mad at you."Zion took a step forward and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. It had been five years, and now she had become a teary little kitten. He remembered how
At that moment, Gwen was completely flustered. She didn’t understand what Zion meant, nor did she understand why he was deliberately getting close to her. She wanted to ask, but before she could, Zion had already led her out of the car. The restaurant arranged by the school leadership was nearby, just off campus. Gwen had been there with Zion before, but not in a private room. Returning to an old haunt brought a sense of nostalgia. Zion walked side by side with Gwen. He was six-foot tall, and she was about five-foot-five. They made for a strikingly good-looking pair. Considering their history, the school leaders naturally couldn’t resist teasing them a bit. Gwen felt slightly uncomfortable and replied, "We were young and foolish." Over the years, Zion had grown seasoned in the business world, exuding an effortless charm. He responded with a light smile, "I wonder if we can pick up where we left off—still holding a grudge?" As soon as those words were said, the schoo
After running away in a flurry that night, Gwen retreated into her home, avoiding the world outside for several days. Her father, Noah, meanwhile, busied himself with his new hobby of keeping turtles—purchased on a whim after his wife, Gwynn, teased him for being too old. In an attempt to prove his youth, Noah even released the turtles back into the wild one evening, making a point of marking one with the name "Zion" on its shell in a bold act of petty revenge. Gwynn, ever the pragmatist, found the gesture immature and pointless, but it brought him a fleeting sense of satisfaction. Gwen, however, was unaware of the antics her father had indulged in. All she knew was that her father had been unusually concerned during her self-imposed seclusion, urging her to get out and take a break. Noah's insistence that she shouldn’t remain cooped up at home was an attempt to draw her back into the world, to reconnect with life. But she couldn’t shake the weight of everything that had transp
In the lounge, Gwen curled up in Tegan’s embrace, crying silently. Tegan gently stroked her smooth black hair, sighing softly. “If you really like him, I’ll help you talk to him.”Gwen sobbed quietly, “Dad will say you’re being rebellious.”Tegan paused for a moment, then replied, “Your brother will help me, won’t he?”Gwen clung to Tegan, continuing to cry softly. She remembered that today was Yeager’s full moon celebration and decided to cry for just a little while. After all, who hasn’t shed tears in their youth?At that moment, there was a knock at the door. From the sound of it, the person outside had a very refined aura. Tegan immediately guessed who it was; it certainly wasn’t her husband. She gently rubbed Gwen’s head. “I’ll go answer it.”When Tegan opened the door, as expected, it was Zion standing outside. The two locked eyes, and after a moment of silence, Tegan calmly spoke, “You two talk.” Zion nodded.In the quiet lounge, the soft sound of Gwen’s crying fill
The following August. It was the party for Ocelotte and Molly's child. Molly had given birth to a boy, named Yeager Sanders, a name chosen by her eldest brother-in-law, Lorian. She was very fond of the name. As for Lorian and Tegan's youngest son, he was named Fergus Sanders. Yeager and Fergus were the next generation of boys in the Sanders family. However, the first child was still Lola, the one and only little princess. She loved following Gwen around. The little girl was now three and a half years old and about to start kindergarten. On the day of Yeager's party, Gwen was still taking Lola around, but she unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance. It had truly been a long time. Since the year Zion had left for another country, although they had occasionally bumped into each other, they hadn’t had the chance for a proper meeting. How many years had passed? Gwen didn't dare to think about it, nor did she want to calculate. She vaguely felt it had been four
After Yanni finished speaking, the Sanders family stood frozen in shock. It was Gwynn who recovered first, quickly asking Yanni, “How is Molly doing?” Yanni smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Aunt Gwynn. Molly is fine, just a bit overwhelmed. I think the baby came as a surprise. Ocelotte is with her right now.” Before Gwynn could respond, Noah muttered under his breath, “A surprise is great! A surprise is wonderful.” Although the young couple’s relationship was excellent, what parent wouldn’t hope for grandchildren? And with Ocelotte and Molly’s stunning looks, the baby was bound to be exceptional. The mere thought of it had Noah brimming with excitement. He silently speculated that it was definitely going to be an adorable little girl. Definitely just like Molly.After a while, Ocelotte emerged, carrying Molly in his arms. She had regained her strength after sipping some sweetened water but was advised to rest for a few days at home. Moreover, during the first trimeste