Cordelia chuckled. "That's true."The big shot—who owned the fleet of helicopters—was about to leave the hotel when we went back. Word had it that the hotel's CEO had even specially flown in so he could personally see the big shot off."Come on! Let's go see what this VVIP looks like!" Cordelia excitedly urged.She had always loved joining in on the excitement, so she grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs by the side of the building. She was eager to see the person who commanded a fleet of helicopters just to pick him up.Dozens of bodyguards in black emerged just as we reached the third floor. They swiftly formed two neat rows, creating a path between them. Then, a smaller group of elite-looking guards respectfully created a perimeter around the big shot as he walked out of one of the villas.The big shot was exceptionally tall, even for a Cavashan man, that he stood out even among the men surrounding him. He had great posture and carried himself with the authority of someone
However, Cordelia said, "I can't tell."Perhaps she had met Julianne too few times, so she didn't see the resemblance."You don't think she's Julianne, do you? Do you still think Julianne faked her death and is still alive?" she asked.I was about to say that was exactly what I thought, but Cordelia spoke again."But I heard the housekeeper has been working at this hotel for over a year when I asked around earlier. Hasn't Julianne been dead for less than half a month?" she asked.I didn't know what to say because she had a point.Then, Cordelia added, "Besides, she wouldn't dare show up in such a place if she did fake her death, would she?"As a fugitive who had faked her death, Julianne should be hiding in some dark corner because she was too afraid to appear in broad daylight. She surely shouldn't be in a place like this."You have a point…" I was going to say more when my phone rang.It was Grandma. She told me she had a bad case of food poisoning and was having diarrhea
I wanted to see if the housekeeper had recently returned to the country and whether she had any interactions with Julianne.After I hung up the call with the private investigator, Cordelia looked at me. "Are you suspecting that the one who died wasn't actually Julianne but the real housekeeper, and that the current housekeeper is actually Julianne pretending to be her?"I nodded.I did have my suspicions because the silhouette of the woman I saw this afternoon really did feel like Julianne's.Cordelia fell silent, lost in thoughts.She found it hard to believe, but considering how many times Julianne had schemed against me, it wasn't entirely impossible.Especially since Julianne had always been abroad and had even studied at an art school in Felys.…The private investigator I hired was highly capable. He was the same one who had previously found out that Julianne had been legally married to Irvin's father.But this time, no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find any e
Although the weather was getting warmer, it was still just the beginning of spring. Yet, Noah would eat shirtless. For a moment, I didn't know whether to focus on my meal or his sculpted abs. When I had only looked at his face before, I only thought he had changed a lot and got so good-looking, completely different from before. But now that I saw his beautiful abs and toned muscles, I realized he had grown up.He was a full-grown man now.But still…"Aren't you cold?" I asked, looking at Noah, who was serving food without a shirt.I knew young men could be more resistant to the cold, but while I was still wearing a thin sweater, he had already stripped down to only wearing pants. That was a little crazy.Noah was silent."Put something on. You'll catch a cold," I said as I passed him a shirt.His grip on the spoon tightened slightly, and there was a flicker of complex emotion in his eyes. "Thanks, Lily."I was about to shrug it off, but then I suddenly realized something. "
I wasn't interested in an auction and was just about to turn him down, but I noticed the auction catalog in his hand.I narrowed my eyes when I spotted something inside. I examined it carefully, and after confirming that it was what I had been searching for, I got up to change my clothes.Noah was happy that I had agreed to go and went to change as well.Perhaps grown men were more conscious of their appearance, because by the time I was already dressed and ready, he still wasn't done.Just as I pulled out my phone and was about to play a game to clear my mind, Noah walked out.As he had put in the effort to dress up, he looked even more strikingly handsome than usual. I couldn't stop looking at him.Although he wasn't my brother, having such a handsome friend made me feel a little proud. Still, I could tell he was trying very hard to appear more mature.He was still a student, yet he was dressed in a suit, and his hair was slicked back, looking like a young CEO.…By the time
I was momentarily stunned. The woman who had placed the bid caught me looking at her. She flashed a smile and provocatively raised the bidding paddle in her hand.That familiar eyes and provocation made me tighten my grip on my own bidding paddle.It was Julianne.She wasn't dead. She was alive.Although that face wasn't exactly Julianne's, it more closely resembled the housekeeper, Julianne's cousin.However, her gaze and expression told me. It was Julianne.Seeing that face out of the blue left me so dazed that I didn't even notice the auctioneer calling out "ten million" for the third time.By the time I snapped out of it, the emerald pendants had already been sold for ten million dollars.I lifted my gaze, looking at her coldly.She wasn't afraid when our eyes met. Instead, she held onto the arm of the man beside her, looking extremely provocative.Only then did I recognize that handsome man. He was the one who had been picked up from the island by nearly a dozen helico
Her gaze and provocation felt like Julianne. However, her voice, directness, and innocence didn't seem like Julianne's.Julianne had always pretended to be delicate and innocent. Whenever she encountered a situation like this, she would whine and claim she was being slandered, unlike now.Was she putting on a new persona? Noah said coldly, "I'm talking about you, Julianne Sinclair! You want to charge me with slander, but do you even dare to call the police?""Julianne? You think I'm Julianne? You've got the wrong person, sir. I'm not my cousin. My name is Lumi Calder, Julianne's cousin," she said.Her words felt a little redundant, but she looked adorable. Even the powerful man beside her couldn't help but chuckle and ruffle her head.Encouraged by his affection, the woman who claimed to be Lumi grew even bolder. "And Julianne isn't a fugitive! She was framed by this wicked woman!"She pointed at me as she said that, her gaze filled with hatred, as if she wanted me dead."You'
"That's not important, and you don't need to know. All you need to know is that I'm keeping her for a reason," his uncle said.Noah frowned, about to say something.But the man's gaze darkened slightly as he continued, "I heard from Edric that you didn't even wait for your grandfather to be discharged from the hospital before rushing back to take care of her."Noah lowered his gaze and remained silent."Noah, I won't object if you want to relive your childhood warmth and fulfill your dream of dating someone you had feelings for. But you should know what your future holds. Don't take this too lightly."Noah's hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides."And you're not a child anymore. When I was your age, I was already carrying the weight of our entire family on my shoulders. Yet, you're still so reckless. "Today, you were affected by the sudden appearance of an insignificant woman. How do you expect to succeed like this? And the worse thing is you don't even realize that yo
"How could you take advantage of your position to seduce my husband! How could you knowingly become the other woman!" Grace accused.The photo she showed me on her phone was from when Irvin hugged me tightly after standing up from his wheelchair.When I first saw it, I was stunned. But then, it hit me—we had been watched this whole time!Based on the direction the photo was taken from, it could have only been taken from outside my work studio's window. And given that my studio was on the 10th floor, there was no way a random passerby snapped the photo by chance.Plus, the camera angle of the photo indicated it wasn't a coincidental shot. Someone had clearly been watching us from a floor above in the adjacent building.I also realized I had never closed the curtains in my studio. So, if someone had been watching us the entire time, they definitely knew Irvin had long since regained full use of his legs—which meant the Hardwells no longer needed my services.Thus, here came the poi
The young man's ability to stand again had filled his family with overwhelming joy. Coincidentally, it was also his 17th birthday, so they threw a grand birthday party and invited me to attend.I couldn't refuse. I was genuinely happy for him, so I went.Since his family was acquainted with William, they were undoubtedly influential figures in Lestoria. Therefore, the Hardwells were also invited.When I saw Grace pushing Irvin's wheelchair into the venue, attending the party as a married couple, I felt a sharp pain in my heart.I must really be a hopeless romantic.I had planned to use the time spent treating Irvin's legs to treat my withdrawal symptoms from him. I wanted my final decision to be cutting him out of my life completely.But instead of letting go—as I had hoped—the time we spent together only reminded me how good he once was to me.Even though I knew he had no choice, my heart still ached to see him with another woman.I truly…I really hated how I was. It made me
Because of Agatha's favoritism and stubbornness, Magnus had been growing increasingly impatient with her. "I think I've made myself very clear," he said, leaving no room for further discussion."Magnus, you can't do this! You can't just forget about Tim so soon! How could you treat him this way? Let me tell you—"Before she could finish, Magnus cut her off with a stern shout. "Enough! This is not up for discussion. I don't want to hear another word about it. Just leave!"Magnus' authority was absolute in the Hardwell family. Once he made a decision, Agatha had no power to change it no matter what.Though unwilling and displeased, she had no choice but to leave.As soon as Grace returned home, she was informed about the argument between Magnus and Agatha. She immediately rushed to find Agatha.The moment Agatha saw Grace, tears streamed down her face.Upon hearing that the argument had been about Irvin's hypnosis, Grace finally told her the truth, that Irvin had been faking it.
Grace had always wanted to stand at the pinnacle of power.The man beside her raised an eyebrow and suggested, "Then don't let her die. Force her into a dead-end and offer a hand, so she can be used by us."Grace chuckled but said nothing.Now that she had the picture she wanted, there was no need to continue watching. She withdrew her gaze and returned to the couch in the room.After taking a bottle of collagen, she finally looked at the man sitting across from her. "At the rate Irvin is recovering, he'll be fully healed in at most two to three weeks. Have you made all the preparations I asked for?" she asked."Of course! When have I ever failed to complete a task you gave me?" he replied confidently.Grace's lips curled into a smile. "Great."Seeing how she smiled so casually, completely without any hesitation or pain, the man couldn't help but comment. "Ms. Keller, you're ruthless indeed."Grace lowered her gaze and gently stroked her belly. She didn't respond.That night
Since Irvin had lost his memories, his behavior had regressed to that of his younger self.Although he had difficulty moving and had to avoid the Hardwells, he still prepared small surprises for me every time he came for treatment. Just like how he did when he was pursuing me.Just like when we were newlyweds.No matter how busy or exhausted he was, he always put in the effort to prepare something for me, whether it was a bouquet of flowers, a ticket to a movie I wanted to watch, or a dessert I loved.We were poor back then, and the things he gave me weren't worth much, but I was moved to tears every single time. After all, he was always thoughtful and affectionate. The eyes that were once cold and indifferent now burned with compassion and sincerity. Those naturally affectionate eyes gazed at me with so much love, as if I were his entire world.His one and only.That kind of love was irresistible, drawing me in.And I couldn't help but wonder, if none of it had happened, if
"I'm sorry, babe. Do you not like sunflowers? I… I saw online that…" Irvin stammered.He had searched for information about me online and discovered that I loved sunflowers, so he secretly hid one to give me. But I ended up crying instead of taking it with joy. Snapping out of it, I forced a smile and accepted the flower. "I do love it. Thank you."He stared at me, unsure if I was truly happy or just pretending."But don't call me 'babe' anymore. We're divorced." I couldn't bear to hear him say it in the same affectionate tone as before. That genuine, affectionate tone would only make me feel bad for him.And I didn't want to feel that way.Irvin, who was already anxious, panicked at my words. He grabbed my hands and said, "Babe, I couldn't find anything about what happened between us, but I know that it must have been my fault if we got divorced. "I'll make sure to be good from now on and listen to everything you say. Please, just give me another chance."Irvin had always
Adolescence was already a time when emotions are most unstable, making it easy to act impulsively and engage in risky behaviors. Being treated that way by my own family, I walked into the ocean, one step at a time.I wanted to die.I wanted them to regret, to suffer, to have everyone condemn them for killing their own daughter over an adopted one.I was so foolish back then, thinking I could punish them with my death. I completely forgot that they needed to actually care about me to feel remorse and pain for losing me. If they didn't care, it wouldn't matter if I died a thousand times.Using my own death to punish others is the most foolish thing in the world. I came to that realization when I was on the brink of death. I struggled, trying to make my way back to shore, desperate to survive. But then, a huge wave dragged me under, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stand up. I didn't know how to swim back then.Just when I thought I was going to die, a tall young man do
I comforted Mr. Holland for a long time before he finally felt better and ate some oatmeal.When I got home that night, I pulled out Irvin's medical records and the reports of his treatment with various devices. I analyzed his responses to the treatment to plan the next steps. I wasn't sure how I felt about Irvin, so I chose to ignore it completely and focus solely on treating his legs.If his legs could recover and function properly again, we would be even. No matter what happened in the future, I would take it one step at a time.Things would work out eventually.By the time I finished comparing all the data and finalized the device frequency settings for Irvin's treatment the next day, it was already past 1:00 am.I collapsed onto my bed and fell asleep immediately.Ever since my injuries from falling off the cliff, I needed sleeping pills to fall asleep every night. When I lost my memory, I thought my insomnia was due to the pain. But after my memories returned, I realized
William recalled that at the time of his accident, Cordelia and I had also been vacationing on the island.Although he didn't think it was possible, he instinctively asked anyway.I had assumed that William's intimidating presence on the way here was because he was angry at me for not answering his question.I never expected him to suddenly ask such a thing.Although I didn't know why, my first instinct was to admit that I had saved someone while I was on the island.But before I could say anything, his phone rang. It seemed like an urgent call. After answering it, he hurriedly told me he would send someone else to pick me up before leaving in his car.Feeling bad for troubling him when he was so busy, I sent him a message. I told him that he didn't need to send anyone and that I would call my own driver instead.William didn't reply to my text.Instead, Noah called. "Emi, there's an emergency at home. I have to leave for a while. Wait for me, I'll be right back." he said.W