"Mr. Cassano, you came to my room so early to wake me up. What can I do for you?" When she turned her head and looked at the alarm clock next to the bed, Clarice discovered it was only 5:30, yawned, and looked lazily at Nicholas."Early? Do you know what time it is? It’s still early?" Nicholas asked somewhat guilty."I checked. It’s 5:30, and if you’re thinking of going to the gym, this is the right time. Would you like to go to the gym?" Clarice asked.Nicholas had no intention of going to the gym, but beyond that, he couldn’t find any other excuse to knock on her door. After all, it was too early to do anything."Alright, I’ll just exercise," he said, lifting his head."Ah, the gym is on the eighth floor. You can change and head straight there. As a guest in the presidential suite, the hotel has arranged for a personal trainer to be assigned to you. After you go to the eighth floor, someone will be there to meet you," Clarice said as she turned to go back to her room to rest.Seeing
"Miss Roberts, it seems I am your boss now, and you want me to wait for you while you chat with someone else." Walking ahead of the two, he spoke to Clarice with a serious face. His words were loud, but anyone listening could tell he was using them as an excuse to speak. At first, Clarice wasn’t sure if he was really jealous, but after hearing his words, she immediately believed Edward's feelings were genuine. "Nick, you ran too fast, and Clarice won't be able to keep up with you, but that's fine. You go ahead; we’ll follow you," Edward said at that moment. Nicholas was already angry, and seeing Edward stepping in to speak on her behalf made him even more upset. He looked at Clarice with eyes full of displeasure. Clarice could no longer bear his terrifying gaze, and to avoid the two brothers fighting because of her, she turned to Edward and said, "Edward, I feel much better now. I can run, and you don't need to accompany me anymore." With that, she lifted her feet and quickl
"Don’t be embarrassed. I understand that for women like you, it’s not easy to make it in this world. It’s understandable that you’d want to earn some money from a man. Besides, with your beauty, you truly deserve a good price." Nicholas didn’t feel his words were offensive to Clarice. To him, it was a veiled compliment—at least because he had accepted her as a woman. Clarice clenched her teeth upon hearing his words. Her fists tightened, and she genuinely wanted to punch him to wake him up and make him understand how hurtful his words were. However, after the initial anger, she calmed herself down. The Nicholas before her now was no longer the Nicholas of the past. She couldn’t continue holding him to the same standards as before. Taking a deep breath, a bright smile spread across her otherwise furious face. "Since you’ve said that, then I’d rather ask you—how much do you think I’m worth?" She looked at him charmingly. Her eyes were captivating and seductive, like an enc
"I'm fine, you should accompany Mr. Cassano, and there's no need to delay your work because of me," Clarice could only use Nicholas as an excuse.When Carlos heard this, he immediately turned to look at Nicholas, who wasn’t far away. Seeing that Nicholas was looking in their direction, Carlos quickly let go of Clarice’s arm and said gratefully,"Miss, you’re very considerate. Please, take care. I’ll accompany President Cassano first and come back later."Clarice smiled with a look of forced politeness. Who asked him to accompany her? Still, she awkwardly smiled and waved at him.Carlos thought Clarice had accepted him and was overjoyed. Smiling, he walked toward Nicholas. At this point, everyone gathered around Nicholas and began introducing the area, the land, and its design.Clarice found a large rock by the roadside and sat down. Since it was an empty lot, the ground was full of potholes, making it impossible to walk in high heels. She knew Nicholas had asked her to come with him b
As Nicholas' housekeeper, she definitely knew many things that no one else did, and if she could bring Nicholas down, he would surely be able to gather information about him. Furthermore, a woman like Clarice, chosen by the company's management, could also be considered his lucky charm. Presumably, she would not refuse. With this plan in mind, Carlos picked up his phone and looked at the number he had saved for Clarice. He felt very pleased, after all, he could call her later to express his concern for her injury. After Clarice got into the car, she sat next to Nicholas. Since the toenail cover had been completely kicked off, her big toe looked extremely mutilated. To prevent the blood from dripping onto the car seat, Clarice had Luna pull out some tissues and place them under her injured foot. Nicholas looked at the bright red blood blooming on the tissue paper. He could only see blurred images flashing through his mind, leaving him in a daze. "Clarice, does it hurt? Don’t
After Clarice cleaned her wound in the emergency room and bandaged it, she was supported by the nurse and leaned on her injured leg, limping forward.When she saw that only Luna was outside, her eyes immediately scanned the area.“There’s no need to look for him; he left first,” Luna said, knowing who she was searching for. Luna walked up to her, extended her hand to take over from the nurse, and supported Clarice as they walked down the corridor.Clarice hadn’t expected him to leave first, but after thinking about it, she felt relieved. He couldn’t remember her now, so naturally, he wouldn’t be concerned about her.“This is the prescription. You can go to the pharmacy to get the medicine,” the nurse said, handing a list to Luna. Luna took the papers and helped Clarice sit in a chair in the corridor before going to get the medicine and make the payment.When she returned with the medicine, the two left the hospital together in a car.At a café downtown, Edward sat on a window seat wit
Since it was inconvenient for Clarice to move, there were many things she couldn’t do. So, she could only listen to Luna and not let her imagination run wild. After settling Clarice in, Luna asked for Jessica's room and headed there.Room 2709.When Jessica was brought by the guest room manager, she saw Nicholas sitting on the living room sofa. However, since Nicholas didn’t stand up, she simply walked over to his side, grabbed his hand, and said cheerfully: "Nick, I'm so glad I found you! The hotel staff is really despicable. They made me wait for so long, I hope you teach them a lesson!" "Really?" When Nicholas heard this, he raised his head and looked at the guest room manager, as if questioning him about her situation. The manager didn’t dare to neglect it and quickly explained. "President Cassano, it’s a misunderstanding. The reception simply cannot allow anyone in without authorization, especially anyone who isn’t a known guest!" "What are you trying to say? That I’m just a
Entering the elevator, Luna saw Nicholas press the button for the 27th floor."Sir, are you going to look for Mrs. Johnson now?" "Someone sent me a message saying a surprise was waiting for me," Nicholas said indifferently, and he could guess that Edward had done something strange. However, if the target was Jessica, he was quite eager to see what would happen. "At this moment, Clarice, who was upstairs, was also summoned by Edward, and she was called to enter the elevator and descend the stairs."The elevator ascended and descended, and they all stopped at the 27th floor. When the elevator door opened, the four of them stepped out almost simultaneously."Clarice, Edward, why are you here too?" Seeing them, Luna seemed surprised. "Did you send this message to the CEO?" "I thought he would be too lazy to come; I didn’t expect him to come so quickly," Edward said with an amused expression. "I’m very curious, what surprise have you prepared for me?" When Nicholas said this, he wa
In the ApartmentAt 10 PMThe two children had already gone to sleep, and Clarice was tired of sitting on the bed, reading. She lay down as well and fell asleep, disoriented. Just as she was drifting off, she suddenly felt as though a familiar palm was gently caressing her cheek.She, who usually slept very lightly, woke up and slowly opened her eyes. Under the faint light, a familiar face appeared before her. When she saw the person in front of her, she felt a mix of surprise and joy.“Nicholas, is that you?”“It’s me,” the other person replied in a gentle voice.“How could you...” Clarice wanted to ask why he was here, but she quickly laughed at herself. “I must be dreaming right now; otherwise, how could you be here?” Nicholas looked at her bitter smile and took her hand, letting her soft hand rest against his warm chest.Powerful, rhythmic thumps vibrated through her palm. The sensation was so real, so reliable.“Nicholas, is it really you? I... I’m not dreaming, am I?” Clarice wa
"Mr. Cassano, this is the butler from the Johnson family. Miss Jessica has just been taken by the police.""What? Jessica was taken by the police? Why?" Nicholas pretended to be surprised as he asked."They said she paid someone to kill on her behalf, but that’s impossible. We believe she must have been wronged by someone. Someone like her would never do such a thing, and she has no enemies." The butler explained."Really? If she has no enemies, who would accuse her falsely?" Nicholas asked."Well…" The butler realized he couldn’t win this argument, so he handed the phone over to Mrs. Johnson."Nicholas, it’s me, Auntie. Please, think of a way to save Jessica. After all, her wedding is the day after tomorrow. If the reporters find out about this, even if Jessica is innocent in the end, the reputations of both the Johnson and Cassano families will be affected, and your wedding will be definitely impacted. You need to act quickly." Mrs. Johnson urged."Aunt, don’t rush. How about this?
The person who entered the house first glanced at Nicholas and greeted him with a look, and Nicholas responded with a slight expression. However, Luna pretended not to know anything and asked,"Officers, we heard you're here to apprehend a suspect. Could you explain?""Of course, we know this is the Cassano family, but even if it’s the Cassano family, if someone breaks the law, they will still face consequences," the detective said."Officer, may I ask who you’re trying to arrest?" Nicholas asked."Who is Julie?" The officer looked around the room and asked. When Julie heard her name, she froze, her face turning pale."Julie is here. Why? What has she done?" Luna raised her hand and pointed at her."Miss Julie, you are suspected of murdering a man from our town, Wayne Robust. We are taking you in for questioning." The officer didn’t answer her question but instead walked over to Julie and said sternly."Officer, there must be some misunderstanding!" Olivia exclaimed in surprise upon h
Just then, in addition to the old man from before, a lady entered the room with a basket of vegetables in her hands. Seeing Julie, she asked.“Old man, are there any guests?”“To see Wayne.” The old man said.“Uncle, auntie, Wayne's just had a little chat with me and he's a bit tired. Now that he's asleep, I won't bother you anymore. “As she spoke, she got ready to leave.“Let's eat before we leave.” The old woman wanted him to stay, but her husband looked at her. “She's busy.”“Ah, then I won't send you away. Take care. “The old woman smiled.As soon as she received the amnesty, Julie quickly left the room, and after she left, the old man looked at the old woman with disapproval.“What happened to you? Didn't you see that she was fully armed when she came to the house for fear of being infected by Wayne? Would she dare eat our family's food?”“I didn't think she was like the people who came to our house this morning. I think these people are very nice and don't dislike us.”“Aren't
“I never knew Nicholas' weakness until Clarice and Jessica came along. And Clarice's way of allowing me to find Nicholas' weakness, and Jessica's appearance, was the equivalent of giving me the knife. ”Julie's mind was immersed in the fantasy of revenge, and her expression became fierce. “But, unfortunately, Jessica is very stupid, and to be exposed so quickly, I didn't expect you to find me here.“You really are incredible. You knew how to deal with Nicholas, and yet you chose to blame me. Did you want to make Nicholas fight with me?”“But in the end, you still didn't find out?”Julie now regretted her mistake. After all, although Edward could have become her greatest help, he was different from Jessica, he was very intelligent and couldn't be controlled.“We're in the same boat now. Your goal is to destroy the Cassano Family, and so am I. That's why I think that if we work together, Nicholas will definitely be no match for us.”“Tell me, how can we cooperate?” Upon hearing this, J
"You must be very curious, right? How did I know you were the one hiding behind Jessica?" When Julie sat down, Edward spoke with a smile."Did Jessica tell you? Did she feel like I was using her?" Julie asked."Did she tell me? Do you think a woman with that kind of IQ would even realize she was being used by you?" Edward scoffed."If she didn’t tell you, then you..." Julie’s confusion grew deeper."Isn’t there a saying in this world? If you don’t want others to know about it, do it yourself, because someone else might find out. By the way, I don’t have any enmity with you, so why do you like to frame me? Have you thought about the consequences of being discovered by me?" Edward spoke, deliberately leaving out what had happened 30 years ago. Instead, he seized Julie and asked Jessica to incriminate Edward, causing a misunderstanding between him and Nicholas."Did you invite me here today to take revenge for me framing you?" Julie, however, was quick-witted and could only respond with
The Next MorningJulie got up early the next morning, had breakfast prepared in the kitchen, arranged for the servants to clean, and went to the garden to tend to the flowers and plants. When Olivia finally got up, Julie served her breakfast. After noticing that Olivia seemed busy preparing for the wedding, she stepped forward and spoke to her."Ma'am, there's something I need to take care of today. I promise it won't take long.""You're leaving?" Olivia frowned. "The hotel will send someone to deliver the menu later, and I wanted you to help me look it over.""It won’t take long. I should be back in about an hour. I’ll contact them at the hotel and ask them to come for lunch. Is that alright?" Julie thought for a moment."Alright, then go and come back quickly." Seeing Julie seemed to be in a hurry, Olivia simply waved her hand and added, "Go ahead."Having received permission, Julie quickly went upstairs to change before leaving.At 9:00 a.m., Edward's people arrived punctually at t
In the Cassano Family's Main House.It was three in the morning when Julie was lying in bed, sleeping deeply.Suddenly, the phone on the nightstand rang. She must have done a lot of bad things over the past years.Although she thought it was revenge, she still subconsciously knew she held two new lives in her hands.Thus, over all these years, she had rarely slept peacefully.Nightmares came almost every night.At that moment, her phone rang again, and on this quiet night, it felt especially deafening.She woke up startled and looked at the clock on the wall opposite her bed. It was three a.m.Why would someone call her at this hour? Frowning, she picked up the phone from the nightstand.The screen’s light was much brighter than her night lamp, making her eyes—accustomed to the dim light—feel uncomfortable as she squinted.When she saw the caller ID was from an unknown number, she assumed it was a call from a scammer but had no intention of answering. She simply hung up.She placed th
As soon as he entered, he saw that Luna and Edward had arrived, and Edward’s forehead appeared to be slightly injured, so he had wrapped it with a simple bandage.“What happened to you?” Nicholas asked when he saw this.“What’s going on? Wasn’t it your lovely fiancée who did this? I was in need of a cut for you this time. Think about how you’ll make it up to me when the time comes.” Edward crossed his legs and bit into an apple as he spoke.“President, why did you call us here so urgently? Is there something important?” Luna asked.“Yes.” Nicholas nodded. “Over the past two days, I’ve been thinking about Julie’s pregnancy. I now have an answer in my heart, and it’s far from the truth.”“What are you trying to say?” Edward asked.“I suspect that the father of Julie’s child is actually my father!” Nicholas fell silent for a moment before speaking in a deep voice.“What?” When Edward heard this, he was so shocked that he didn’t even have time to swallow the apple crumbs in his mouth. He