I hadn't even taken my exam, and I already promised to buy two meals.Noah insisted on accompanying me to the exam center after we finished eating. He claimed he had nothing to do at home, so I agreed.We soon arrived at the exam center. Once we alighted from the car, I told him to find a café and wait for me there. I would call him once I was done with the exam.As soon as I finished speaking, someone else butted into our conversation."Exam? No way, Emilia! Don't tell me you're talking about the exam for grad school? Why would someone like you even try getting into one?" said a female voice.I turned toward the direction of the voice with my brow furrowed. It belonged to Lily's mother, Susan Walter.I involuntarily grimaced as I recalled our last encounter. She had incessantly tried to set me up with that nephew of hers—I think he had a Ph.D."No offense, Emilia, but aren't you too old for that?" Susan asked without waiting for a response. "Why are you trying to get into grad
Following the direction Landon was pointing at, Irvin spotted Noah. His eyes darkened, but he didn't respond.Landon said, "Emilia is beautiful and wealthy. She'll be swarmed by suitors very soon now that she's divorced. I really think you were too impulsive when you gave all your assets to her. If you want to have a chance of winning her back, I suggest you figure out how to get some cash on hand, Irvin."Otherwise, you won't be able to win her back. Not only that, you'll have to watch helplessly as another man snatches her away. Or worse, she might even be scammed out of her money and love."Landon genuinely felt Irvin had made the wrong move. Regardless of how remorseful he was, he still shouldn't have transferred all his assets to me.We lived in a capitalistic era, so what could Irvin possibly have without money? Without it, he had nothing and was a nobody. Forget about getting me back, he would probably have no choice but to watch as I was snatched away by someone else.Irvi
My exam spanned two days.Irvin stood outside the exam center and watched me the entire time. His gaze was so intense that his buddies even felt heartbroken for him. Thus, they found a way to let me know what he had been doing in hopes I would feel sorry for him.However, I didn't feel sorry for Irvin when I found out he had been following me this whole time. Instead, I thought he was a stalker and passed him a warning through his buddies. I told them to tell him I would call the police if he continued following me.His buddies were taken aback by my reaction. Having witnessed how strongly I had loved Irvin, they couldn't believe I was completely unsympathetic. In fact, they were shocked when I had even threatened to call the police.…I went through my answers with Mr. Holland after the exam was over. Once I had confirmed I had no issues passing it, I finally relaxed.Coincidentally, it was just in time for Julianne's criminal trial for my near-death kidnapping.Mom and Henry h
I felt the heat from a malicious glare the moment I entered the courtroom.Upon meeting Julianne's hateful gaze, I could tell she wished I was dead. Smiling arrogantly, I challengingly cocked an eyebrow at her.The look on my face seemed to say, "Oh? You want me dead? I'm not the one who's finished right now—you are!"Julianne's hatred instantly intensified at my cocky provocation. She had never wanted me dead as much as she did in this moment. However, her fervent wishes were all in vain. She knew she was no longer a match for me now. I was no longer the dirty doormat beneath her shoe.Julianne knew she would be lucky if she could walk away from this criminal trial unscathed. She also knew she couldn't make any mistakes during the trial session. Thus, she didn't glance my way again. Even so, she couldn't stop her hatred for me from brewing. She absolutely despised me.Julianne had received praise for her looks since she was young.When she joined the Quill family, she had di
I continued ignoring Henry and Mom. I acted as though I didn't hear a thing no matter how they cussed at me.After the trial was adjourned, Mark and I immediately busied ourselves with finding a breakthrough in this case.We needed to convince our key witness to stick to our original agreement. In addition to re-identifying Julianne as the mastermind, we also wanted him to testify that Irvin had interfered with the judicial process.As we were in the midst of figuring out how to do this, we suddenly received news from the detention center—Julianne was dead!She had always had a sickly body. Additionally, she had lived a pampered lifestyle. Thus, she couldn't bear the conditions in the detention center.On the third day after Julianne had been detained, she started to feel unwell. Then, she fell seriously ill by the fifth day. She had also been sick yesterday. As the doctors at the detention center weren't equipped to treat her, she had been sent to the nearest hospital to receive
I glanced at Irvin.I couldn't help feeling the corpse before us wasn't Julianne's. I believed she had faked her death and that Irvin had helped her do so.Hence, when I saw how red and swollen his eyes were, I sneered. He was putting up such a good act.Irvin seemed to know the reason behind my sneer. However, he wasn't comfortable speaking while the police were still present. Thus, he didn't say anything to me and instead turned to my parents."Henry, Catherine, please don't be like this. It's not Emi's fault. It was just an accident…" Irvin teared up when he mentioned the last part."Accident? Impossible!" Mom exclaimed. "This wasn't an accident! It's that bitch's fault that Lianne is dead. It was Emilia—" An idea seemed to come to her mind as she spoke because in the next second, she grabbed onto one of the officers and pointed at me."That's right—It was her. She did it! Getting Lianne imprisoned wasn't enough for her—she wanted her dead too! So when she heard Lianne was r
Cordelia heard about Julianne's death after she returned from vacation. She also learned I was in denial about it.Because of this, she told me that while love and hate were completely opposite emotions, they actually weren't very different.Loving someone too much would lead one to do anything to ensure the person was happy. Then, if the person suddenly passed away, it would feel unbearable. One would feel the person shouldn't and couldn't have died just like that.On the other hand, hating someone too much would have one doing everything to make the person suffer. And if they abruptly died, one would lose the target of your vengefulness. Similarly, one would also be in disbelief over their death.Cordelia claims this was the reason I felt Julianne wasn't dead.I was at a loss for words.What she said made some sense. However, my hatred toward Julianne hadn't reached the point where it was all-consuming. I just…"Oh, come on! Stop thinking about her!" Cordelia exclaimed, interr
Leaning back in my seat, I smiled and replied, "Nope."I had finally gotten out of one fire pit, so I definitely didn't want to jump back into another. In fact, I hadn't thought about dating at all.Noah smiled and was about to say something. But then, I quickly added, "But there's no harm in having a little fun."Just because I didn't want to get into another relationship didn't mean I couldn't fool around with handsome men. Life was hard, so I might as well enjoy what it had to offer whenever there was a chance. Besides, what woman didn't like to check out good-looking men?The car came to a stop before Noah could think of a response. As I stepped outside, I received a call from the lab.Although I hadn't officially started grad school yet, I was already logging hours in the lab by helping out wherever I could. I would only start school in the spring of next year, so I had to wait until then before I could officially participate in the lab's research.I walked as I talked on th
"If you refuse to do this, Tim, don't blame me for taking action!" Magnus threatened.He didn't want to deal with me. I was just a young woman, and he felt someone as insignificant as me wasn't worthy of his time. However, if Irvin insisted on being stubborn and believing I was more important than the family's interests, I would then be an obstacle. Magnus had no qualms about eliminating any pesky obstacles."If you dare lay a hand on Emilia, then I will reveal to the world that I'm not Timothy! Then we'll see just how unstable Hardwell Group's stock prices will be and how the shares will be redistributed."We'll also see if your brother, who has been waiting in the shadows all this while, will use this chance to take over. I'm sure you know better than I do what the outcomes will be, Magnus," Irvin threatened back.Magnus knew Irvin was brave, but he didn't realize he was so bold. Not only did Irvin refuse to obey him, but he had also dared to threaten him.Furious, Magnus slam
Upon hearing Magnus agree to her plan, Grace lowered her gaze to hide her satisfaction.Irvin had used his favored status with Magnus to threaten her. Well, she would see how well he fared when he had to go up against Magnus instead.Irvin was just her chosen pawn, and there was no such thing as a pawn turning on its master.Magnus had always been a man of action. So, he immediately called Irvin to the room. Once Irvin arrived, Magnus explained Grace's plan.Upon hearing what they wanted him to do, Irvin wanted to laugh. He had always thought of Magnus as one of the better people in this family, but now, he realized he had thought too highly of him."Agatha and Grace created this mess. Yet, they want Emilia to take the blame for it and expect me to be the one to condemn her? What do you take me for, Magnus? A mentally impaired idiot?" Irvin asked derisively.Magnus frowned. "Watch what you're saying, Tim. Can't you see the public's doubts and their effect on Hardwell Group's stoc
At the time, Grace was already more than five months pregnant.So, even if she hadn't wanted the child, she still shouldn't have gone as far as using her body to frame me in this way. Hence, if she really did intentionally try to frame me, there had to have been a reason behind it.Additionally, Irvin and Timothy looked identical. Because of this, many people couldn't help speculating and suspecting that Timothy was the twin who had died, whereas Irvin was the surviving twin. And since Irvin wasn't her husband, that was why Grace had tried to frame me in such a risky manner.On top of that, in all the photos Grace had taken of us, it was clear Irvin was the one who had initiated intimate contact.People could tell he was the one who had embraced me first and behaved affectionately toward me. And in every photo, it was evident that I had no intentions of seducing Irvin. This only further reinforced people's belief that Timothy had died, while Irvin was still alive.Hardwell Group's
William's gaze deepened as he smiled at me. "I'm glad I have you. Otherwise, I might've had a hard time finding out the truth."He reached out once again to pat my head.But then, we heard someone call out, "Emi! Uncle Will!"William's outstretched hand froze at the sound of the overjoyed voice.Snapping back to reality, he quickly retracted his hand and stuffed it into his pocket. His already deep gaze now seemed so dark that it was like the vast deep space.I reflexively turned toward the direction of Noah's voice when I heard it.He had grown so much in the past year. He no longer had a youthful air around him and had now transformed into a full-grown adult. So much so that his image no longer matched the version of a younger brother I had.Noah had changed a lot, but the one thing that hadn't changed was the burning intensity in his eyes whenever he looked at me. He had been walking toward us at a brisk pace. But when our gazes met, he lost his composure and practically jogg
"Your mother believed Julianne's father would've continued to pine after her if she didn't have you with her that day. That was why, after that, she couldn't bring herself to treat you well, even though you were her own flesh and blood," William concluded.I was floored by this information.Seeing the dumbfounded look on my face, he couldn't help but gently and sympathetically pat my head again."So, forget about your mother. She's not worthy of your care," he advised.I was still at a loss for words.Fortunately, I had already given up on Mom long ago because I had become fed up with being disappointed by her. That was why, no matter how absurd things got with her, I could accept it. Hence, I was able to get over my shock quickly."And Julianne…" I started to ask."She can't move right now. Because of her frail health, your father administered many different drugs to boost her immune system in the past," William explained. "However, even he doesn't know what exactly he gave J
In this world, many mothers didn't love their children, and oftentimes, it was without reason. However, these mothers usually only loved themselves and not anyone else, let alone someone else's child.So, when a mother only loved her adopted daughter and not her biological one, there had to be a reason behind it.Mom answered William's question in a dazed state. William had encountered many strange things in life, but her answer still rendered him speechless.…That same evening, I had given Grandma a sponge bath and watched her until she fell asleep.I was about to go over some data when I received a message from William, saying he was in the hospital's garden.Figuring he had gotten the information he needed, I grabbed my down jacket and rushed downstairs. I was anxious to know what William had learned.As soon as I saw him, I asked, "What did my father say? Did he conduct any drug trials on Julianne?"William stared at me but didn't immediately answer. There was a hint of pi
I couldn't stand to even look at Julianne. So when I spotted her approaching, I said my goodbyes to William and left.Not long after I left, William stood up and turned to Julianne."Let's go. It's time to meet your godparents," he said.Julianne was momentarily taken aback before she quickly said, "William, what are you—""Showing my support. You only acknowledged Emilia Quill's parents as your godparents out of spite, didn't you?" William answered.Julianne knew she couldn't hide how much she hated me from William. Hence, she had decided from the get-go not to do so.However, she found herself asking, "Doesn't Noah like Emilia?"Wasn't William only helping me because of Noah?"So what?" William asked, cocking an eyebrow.Julianne's heart involuntarily skipped a beat at the devilish expression on his face.…My family was very excited when they received a phone call from Julianne, saying she would be bringing William to visit them."Isn't Lianne the best! She always thinks
Henry was a man of poor character who couldn't do anything right. However, he had a natural talent for creating all sorts of harmful drugs.As mentioned, if these were medieval times, he would surely be exalted as a talented alchemist—known for his ability to craft and cure poison. Truthfully, any drug Henry casually created would definitely be considered illegal.Struck with an idea, I looked up at William and said, "Why don't you talk to Henry directly? Given your status, I'm sure he will happily tell you everything."William looked pleased at my use of the word "happily"."That's actually why I came," he admitted.Then, thinking of something else, I quickly added, "Actually, no. Henry might not happily spill the beans to you. He's very protective of Julianne, so he may lie to you instead. You'll need to be careful discerning which of his words are true."William chuckled. "I know, don't worry. Once I've gotten all the puzzle pieces, and if Julianne is no longer useful, I'll ha
I admit that my way of thinking was outdated and too conservative. However, that was who I was, and there was nothing I could do about it, even though I wanted to change.If I could change my personality and loosen up, my life would probably be a lot simpler. There were so many handsome men out there. What could be better than spending time with some of them?I couldn't help sighing as I pondered Noah's borderline obsession with me.Suddenly, my phone rang—it was William calling."Where have you gone? I came to the hospital to visit your grandmother, but you're not here," he said.Hearing this, I told him to wait for me and said I would be there soon.When I arrived at the hospital, William was leaning against a red maple tree and smoking a cigarette.On this crisp autumn day, he was dressed in a camel wool coat. The coat had been tailored perfectly to fit his tall frame, making him appear even more striking.Beautiful people looked good no matter what they did, and William was