"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
After the so-called Lumi came back to her senses, she said, "You evil woman—"But I interrupted with a sneer, "Julianne, how could you wear the face of someone you killed and use it to seek justice for yourself. Aren't you afraid she'll come back to haunt you?"Although I didn't know how Julianne had made it happen, if she was still alive, then that burned corpse had to be her cousin, the real Lumi.She killed her and stole her face and identity.Now, she was even trying to avenge herself using Lumi's identity. If ghosts really existed, Lumi would probably turn into the most vengeful spirit in the world just to haunt her.But she was Julianne, after all, a woman who had the guts to commit murder multiple times and eventually succeeded. She had a terrifyingly tough mentality.Even after hearing what I said, her expression remained completely unchanged. She simply said, "Emilia, you're truly evil! How could you slander my cousin like this after killing her? I was really close with
Not long after Noah's uncle left, my bodyguard arrived. Regardless of whether he had overheard or guessed anything, I still had my bodyguard remove the faucet as planned.Just as we packed up to leave, I heard a voice."Emi."I turned, and it was actually Irvin.I couldn't help but think of how many unexpected things had happened tonight. I had only come to bid for the Quills' heirloom pendants, yet I ended up running into so many people.Seeing the faucet in my bodyguard's hand, Irvin's eyes darkened. Realizing something, I raised an eyebrow. "You must have met Julianne's cousin, Lumi, right?"Irvin didn't respond."You cared so much for Julianne and went to Felys with her countless times. There's no way you wouldn't know Lumi, right?" I continued. "Do you think this Lumi is the same person you met before?"After a brief silence, Irvin said, "Lianne is already dead."I chuckled, ignoring his words and turning to leave.But Irvin grabbed my arm, saying he had some company mat
Noah and I didn't continue the conversation.As we were about to get into the car, Noah's uncle happened to be leaving as well, surrounded by a group of bodyguards in black as he moved to his car.The woman who claimed to be Lumi clung to his arm, staring at me.Noah, who might have been upset with his uncle, remained silent, offering only a slight nod before getting into the car. Since his own nephew didn't say anything to him, I simply smiled at him before getting into the car as well.After we left, Lumi held onto the man's arm as she got into the car. Once inside, she affectionately called out, "William."She was about to say something when she suddenly sensed the chilling air from him, as if he could take her life in an instant. She immediately loosened her grip on his arm, not daring to say another word.The man was too unpredictable. He had always spoiled her, giving her anything she wanted because she had saved his life. Even if she asked for a star in the sky, he would
Irvin was a very handsome man.In fact, he still seemed like the better-looking one, even when compared with Noah's uncle. This was especially so when Irvin was well-dressed because he looked so attractive that it was hard to focus on anything else.The whole world seemed to brighten when he smiled. However, now that his brilliant smile had suddenly disappeared, the world seemed duller. It was enough to make one's heart ache.There was a saying online that good-looking people could never sin. No matter what they did wrong, their faces were enough to make one's mind go blank. Hence, it was advised to avoid falling in love with someone who was too good-looking.My heart ached involuntarily when I saw the happy look on his face shatter and his smile vanish. Perhaps it was because I had been vividly dreaming of our past affection these past few days after being hypnotized.Irvin handed me the flowers.Then, he laughed bitterly and said, "You know, don't you?""Yes," I replied evenly
After being together for seven years, Irvin was the person who understood me the most. He knew I tended to push unimportant people away. Bit by bit, I'd moved them to the edge of my life. Then, it would eventually reach a point where I would forget about them altogether.Previously in the lab, I had treated him distantly, like an acquaintance. Before then, he had still been deliberating on whether to proceed with his hypnotist plan. After that, he immediately decided to put his plan into action.Without waiting for my response, he looked me in the eye and said, "But Emi, I really can't allow you to forget me completely. I can't stand you looking at me like I'm a stranger—I just can't. "I don't know what I would do if there's truly no chance for us to be together again. I know what I did was wrong, but I couldn't help myself."Irvin wouldn't be able to control himself unless he was dead.I didn't know which of these was true—did he love so much that he couldn't bear to lose me?
Many companies regularly engaged in charity work, so I didn't read too much into Gideon's words.I simply said, "Then we should donate it under your company's name if you plan on doing charity."Gideon would be bearing all the cost, after all. Additionally, donating under his company's name would enhance its image. Not only that, it would also strengthen the company's brand and entitle it to tax benefits.Hence, it didn't feel right for me to take credit for the donation too. Besides, I wouldn't benefit from it in any way.Gideon chuckled softly at my words. "Do you really not understand what I was implying, Emi?" he asked.I stared blankly at him—I honestly had no clue.Realizing this, Gideon sighed and said, "Looks like I haven't made myself clear enough."His words made me think back to when I was treating Louis to a meal for helping me get released from the detention center. Back then, Louis had brought him along.I recalled the words Gideon had said to me at the time and w
I put my phone away and was about to get in the car.But then, I heard someone say, "Tsk, what a busy girl."The male voice was laced with sarcasm, which made me reflexively turn toward it.I froze when I saw who was leaning against the wall—it was Noah's uncle, Mr. Ashford."First, you managed to coax your ex-husband into willingly working for you for free. Next, you had the owner of a small pharmacy chain donate medical equipment for you. "Then, you spent the whole night conversing with an academic professor. And lastly, you still remembered to buy food for your 'little brother' before you went home."Tsk, tsk, tsk. Your methods and time management skills are truly impressive, Ms. Quill," Mr. Ashford stated.I was stunned. His comment about my time management skills wasn't wrong—my day had indeed been packed.But still…"Why do you know what I've been doing all day, Mr. Ashford?" I questioned.Had he been monitoring me?Mr. Ashford seemed to be able to tell what I was thi
"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