Clara echoed his words, saying sarcastically, "Yeah, just a woman. Well, enjoy yourself. I’ll get out of your hair." Chad ignored her. As he reached the last stall, he gulped."Pretty lady, you're in here, aren't you?"When he opened the door, Chloe stabbed him in the eye with her heels. "Aagh!" He covered his eyes as he staggered backward. Barefooted, Chloe exited the stall and glared at him. "Get lost. Otherwise, you're going to suffer."She had overheard their conversation, and she had been right. The royal family was full of schemes and evil. If a driver’s daughter had the galls to set her up, what more of the royal children? She now realized that she should accept Callum's suggestion.Chad steadied himself and stared at the stubborn Chloe. He said defensively, "Come on, we're alone now. Play with me, won’t you? Stop pretending to be all pure.""Go play with your mommy. If not, I'm going to scream." Chad's beaten eye was bloodshot, which made him look frightening and h
Callum gripped Carolina's hand, signaling to her not to meddle. Chad had ruined the reputation of the royal. Making him pay the price would set an example to others.At last, Carolina turned away and ignored Chad's pleading look. When Chad realized that he was about to be abandoned, he tried to crawl forward to plead for help, but the strong Vince dragged him away without much struggle.Vince and the royal family guards carried out the task. Vince waved a sharp scalpel at Chad and said wickedly, "This is going to hurt, just like what the eunuchs went through during ancient times."Chad soiled himself. He trembled and pleaded, "No! Please let me go!""It's too late. You offended someone you shouldn't have."Vince then made the cut."Aaaaaahhhh!"It all happened so fast. As Chad screamed in anguish, the pain overwhelmed him and he fainted. Filled with hatred toward Joseph, he swore he would get his revenge.The party soon resumed. As Chad was just a branch member of the royal fam
Joseph leaned back into the seat, leisurely controlling the steering wheel. But his grip tightened when he heard Chloe's words and snorted. "I look forward to the day that you find out the truth.""What else do you know?""A little. Vanya told me some other things when she was conscious."Her heart skipped a beat. "Did she tell you anything about our child?""No." Joseph paused. He stepped on the brakes before turning toward her. "The child is gone.""No, they’re still alive." Chloe became agitated and stubborn."Did you hear something from somewhere?"Chloe was stunned. "No, it's just a gut feeling."Joseph stared at her with an unfathomable gaze. He stopped asking for fear of giving her a harsh blow. He then started the car again."Could I meet your mother sometime?" Chloe said out of the blue as she grabbed her seatbelt.Joseph’s eyes narrowed. When he stopped at the red light of the next intersection, he said, "Okay, let's meet her this weekend. She's busy with work durin
Lucas, whose thoughts had been exposed, wanted to refute. But in the end, he decided against it since it would be unsightly. "I'll be leaving now, sir."When there were only two of them in the office, Zoelle casually threw her coat onto the leather sofa and strode toward Joseph in her high heels. She pushed her hair to the front of her chest and bent over. Her hair brushed past his cheeks, carrying with it a light, pleasant fragrance. "Will you accompany me for a meal? I didn’t eat before coming here."Normal men would fail to hold back in the face of such flirting, but Joseph simply leaned backward to put some distance between them. He then said nonchalantly, "I ordered some food delivery. It’ll be here soon."Zoelle was stunned before she said smilingly, "Are you that impatient?" "Yes, I think our time is valuable.""You are correct..." Zoelle then looked around. "But since it’s our first time, we at least need a bed, right?" She was meticulous in this aspect. She wanted hand
Vanya was in the room, looking much better compared to a few days ago. She still could not move around on her own and needed someone to feed her food and water, but she was better. Her gaze was no longer as vacant as before.Chloe picked up the banana Frieda had given her earlier and peeled it. While eating the fruit, she watched the screen. After the helper finished feeding Vanya her lunch, the latter lay in bed motionlessly. After some time had passed, just as Chloe thought that Noah would not be going to the wing today, a slim figure suddenly came into view. She threw the banana skin into the bin and watched the screen attentively.When Vanya saw Noah come in, her eyes went wide as she curled into a ball and stared at him fearfully."Why are you so nervous? I got you out of there. Shouldn't you be thanking me? If not for me, Joseph would’ve kept you locked up forever.""No…Noah," Vanya mumbled as she tried to back away. It looked like she was facing a ferocious monster.Noah sm
"No, miss. Mr. Noah’s in the rear garden." After a pause, the helper added, "Ms. Zoelle is with him."Chloe frowned. "When did she get here?""About an hour ago. She just visited the wing. I think they're discussing something right now."“Okay. Thank you."Chloe went to her bedroom balcony and looked down. She could see the whole rear garden from there, but it was hard to hear any conversation because of the height.Zoelle threw some herbs onto the round table and gave Noah some instructions."Okay, I'll have the helpers deal with it." Zoelle then sighed absent-mindedly and unhappily.Noah poured her a cup of hot tea. "What's wrong? Can't get used to life here in Docwood?" "No, I travel all year round, so I can adapt easily.""Why did you sigh then?""This is the first time any man has turned me down. I’ve failed to capture Joseph's heart." Zoelle felt upset, defeated, and reluctant. "He remains loyal to his wife. What does she look like? Do you know? Can you show me a pic
As Chloe gazed at Noah's handsome and kind face, scenes of him being by her side filled her mind. Her heart ached, and she dared not imagine his possible connection to Duskfall. She even more so dared not delve deeper and question if he was involved in what had happened five years ago.Despite the warmth of the room, Chloe still felt goosebumps erupt on her skin."What's wrong? You seem lost in thought," Noah asked, his expression unreadable. A flicker of probing could be seen in his eyes."I'm just a little under the weather," Chloe answered as dug her nails into her palm, using the pain to maintain her calm and clarity. "I think I overate during lunch.""The new products are launching soon. You must be under constant pressure at work. How about you take a few days off at home while I help keep an eye on your department?""It’s fine. I'll just go to bed early tonight and sleep in a little tomorrow. I’ll go to work in the afternoon."Noah bent down and looked at her gently, sayin
Chloe wrestled with her thoughts. Did Noah truly love her? If he did, why had he gotten involved with Duskfall and deceived her? There was something unspeakable and unexplainable about the whole situation. Exotic Star had always conducted its business through honest and upright methods and would never collude with an entity like Duskfall. The only possible explanation was that this involvement was related to personal matters.She could not make sense of it, and she did not want to.Feeling exhausted, Chloe rubbed her temples. "Let's talk about this tomorrow, okay? I'm tired and want to sleep."Noah looked at her silently for a moment, then put his smile back on. "Okay, rest well. If you feel unwell, just call me."After leaving her room, he went straight to the wing. "Has Chloe been here in the past few days?"One of the helpers in charge of caring for Vanya respectfully replied, "She came by yesterday."Noah's expression changed, and his usually gentle voice suddenly turned cold
After Chloe calmed herself, she realized that the place she was in resembled the villa she lived in while overseas five years ago. However, upon closer inspection, the exterior scenery was different. She realized something and froze."Did you build a villa identical to the one I stayed in five years ago?" she asked.Noah was busy bandaging himself. Upon hearing her question, he replied, "Yeah, doesn't it look almost identical?"Chloe's gaze swept over every item in the room, and she admitted that she was touched. She turned back to Noah and looked at him gently as if she had returned to the time when she simply treated him as a little brother."How did you convince Tiffany to cooperate with you?"Tiffany had made her move while Noah distracted Desmond."I just told her about it, and she agreed."Chloe asked, "Do you think you’re treating her fairly?"Noah said flatly, "I’ll compensate her."Compensate? How? Chloe thought that youth was the most precious thing in the world, but
In the Whitman family home, Joseph went to deal with a bunch of urgent company matters after putting Jasper to sleep. By the time he finished, it was already past three in the morning. He contemplated calling Chloe to ask about Noah's situation, but thinking it might disrupt her sleep, he abandoned the idea.When Joseph woke up the next day, it was already half past six. He recalled Chloe mentioning that Exotic Star had a new product launching today and that she would have to wake up early. He reached for his phone on the table, intending to call her.However, his hand slipped and the phone fell to the floor. The loud thud caused his heart to tremble. He stared at the shattered phone screen as he got a bad feeling. He grabbed his spare phone and quickly dialed Chloe's number. After ringing for some time, a cold, mechanical voice informed him that there was no one available to answer at the moment. Without hesitation, he immediately headed to the Sullivan Manor. When Joseph got ther
“Yes, Grandpa, and I hope you won't stop me when the time comes," Noah said. "You're not discussing this with me. You're just informing me!" Desmond said exasperatedly. "I'm sorry, Grandpa.”Desmond hemmed and hawed for a long while, at a loss for words. He seemed to age ten years as he stared into the distance through the window. After a while, he said, "I've already had someone contact doctors abroad regarding your condition, so don't worry. All you have to do now is just focus on recovering. Don't give up so soon."Sensing Desmond's determination, Noah's eyes filled with tears. He too wished to spend a few more years with his grandfather.When they arrived at the Sullivan manor, the foreign doctors had replied. Upon learning that the renowned healer, Z, had treated Noah but only achieved limited success, they decided not to intervene.Noah was not discouraged by this. He comforted Desmond and said, "Grandpa, I would like to go abroad for a few days. It's been a long time sin
Half an hour later, Desmond and Noah walked out of the ward together.Desmond said, "The doctor told you to stay in the hospital for a few more days, so why don't you just listen? If something happens to you again, they can treat you immediately."Noah smiled warmly and said, "It's okay. The medical equipment at home is sufficient."Desmond sighed. It would be good if Noah stayed at home as well. At least there would be more pairs of eyes on him.Desmond instructed the driver to come to the hospital’s basement car park. When he hung up the phone, he looked around the corridor and wondered, "Wasn't Chloe just sitting here? Where is she?"Noah did not say anything and just lowered his head."And where's Tiffany too? Call her. We need to go home," Desmond said as he took his phone out to call Chloe.However, Chloe did not answer his call. Noah did not call Tiffany. Instead, he said, "Her brother had something to discuss with her, so he came by and brought her home. Maybe Chloe ha
Chloe looked at Tiffany and said sarcastically, "Not everyone is willing to contribute their entire life knowing that the other person doesn't like them."Tiffany had a heart problem. She might die at any moment, yet she chose to live around someone who did not love her back. Chloe often marveled at the greatness of love, but she would never possess such a sacrificial spirit.Tiffany laughed coldly. "It’s because I have compassion and you don't. When Xavia died before your eyes, you just coldly stared at her body."Chloe raised her head sharply, glared at Tiffany, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Xavia took my child, stole my man, and wrecked my marriage! She nearly got me killed several times! If she hadn’t died, it might have been me! I should've celebrated her death with fireworks! None of you know what I've been through, so stop pointing fingers at me!"At first, she had felt responsible for Xavia's death, but she had since come to her senses. Xavia's death had nothing to
Desmond was taken aback that he even forgot his cane and almost tripped on the carpet. He quickly got back up and headed for the second floor. The butler immediately called for an ambulance while the other housekeepers guided the panicked guests away.Chloe furrowed her brows, following Desmond into Noah's bedroom. The curtains were drawn tightly, blocking out all light. But just standing at the door, one could detect the strong scent of rust from inside.A helper flipped a switch, and the room was flooded with light. The wooden furniture was neatly arranged while neatly folded clothes sat on the sofa.Chloe looked around but did not see Noah. She then looked toward the bathroom and her face sank.Tiffany pointed to the bathroom and said, "He's in there."Desmond trembled as he pushed open the bathroom door. Inside was a mess, with red stains covering the floor. Noah was in the bathtub, his wet clothes clinging to his body. His arms hung limply over the tub's edge, and his head sl
Chloe did not know how to answer."Say something. You wanted her dead, right? Are you happy now that she is dead?!” Kenneth shouted angrily at her, his eyes bloodshot and his gaze piercing.He was so loud that it drew the attention of many nearby. Callum and Joseph rushed over, and Joseph shielded Chloe behind him. He pushed Kenneth back several steps and said sternly, "Never speak of that woman in front of Chloe again. Otherwise, there'll be consequences!""Hah! Are you protecting a murderer?" Kenneth laughed. "Oh yeah, you’re both responsible for Xavia's death after all."Smack!Callum slapped Kenneth across the face, instantly silencing him. "Get a grip, Ken! Xavia deserved to die. Stop embarrassing yourself in front of Chloe.”Kenneth held his face as he muttered, "Yeah, you're right… Xavia should’ve died. She was evil. She deceived and took advantage of me… She should die..."Then why was he so tormented over her death? He could not sleep or eat. He knew Xavia deserved th
Joseph frowned. "Of course not. Her death has nothing to do with you. Promise me you won’t think such thoughts."The unexpected turn of events caught both Chloe and him off guard. Xavia clearly wanted to haunt Chloe forever by killing herself in front of her. Although he felt shocked, he was not deeply shaken. After all, he had not witnessed Xavia's jump, and Xavia probably thought that the third floor was not enough to kill her. After all, being in the hospital for treatment was better than being detained by the police.Chloe looked at Joseph with vacant eyes and smiled bitterly. "You're right. It’s good that she's finally dead. She got what she deserved, and I should be happy," she said."Exactly. Even if she didn't jump, the police would’ve arrested her," Joseph said gently, "It's my fault for asking you to buy us some time. If she comes back as a ghost to haunt you, I'll stop her."Joseph, Tyson, and a few officers had arrived just moments after Xavia jumped. He had brought a g
Everyone erupted into gasps. As a deafening crash came from below, the staff scattered. Some ran downstairs to try and rescue Iris. Some who had rushed to the windows shouted anxiously, "She's still alive!"Everyone around Chloe was running as her mind was filled with an endless ringing. The whole world became a blur. She never imagined that things would end like this. The meeting hall was on the third floor. It was not too high, but it could be fatal if one were to land on their head. Everyone's accusatory gaze fell on Chloe, and the crowd started to murmur."Damn, how could she do this to Iris? Do you think she’ll be haunted by nightmares tonight?""Yeah, why does she insist that Iris is Xavia?""What if Iris dies? Won’t Ms. Chloe indirectly become a murderer?""Do you think Iris will come for revenge in the middle of the night when she dies?"Something inside Chloe snapped, and she shouted, "It wasn't me! What she did has nothing to do with me!"Her outburst silenced the ro