Peony GardenAfter Edward dropped Clarice off at home, he left. Sensing his anger, she didn't know how to broach the subject of him and John working together to harm Nicholas. Edward only returned home in the evening after a whole afternoon of reflection. Determined to face the issue, Clarice decided to have a good conversation with him.The car pulled into the garage, and she waited for him to come upstairs. However, he didn't enter and went straight to the bedroom. Clarice asked Beatrice where he was, only to find out he had gone directly to the office.Since Beatrice was going to bring tea to him, Clarice took the initiative and went first. When she reached the door, she knocked twice. Edward looked up, eyebrows slightly furrowed. Seeing the tea cup in her hands, he looked again and revealed a gentle smile."Have you not rested yet?""No, actually, I was waiting for you!" Clarice walked to the table and placed the tea cup in front of him. "I made this for you now, and since I know
"Are you so afraid that he'll get hurt, but what about me? Can I screw myself over for you?" Edward looked at her as if he were hearing a joke, but Clarice didn't say anything. "In your heart, am I so inferior to him, Clarice?""Edward, I didn't mean that!" Clarice shook her head in panic; she never meant to imply that."If that's not what you mean, then what is it? It's my business who I want to cooperate with and what I want to do. Please respect my decision as much as I respect yours!" Edward spoke, turning away to the table. "It's getting late; you can go rest." When he asked her to leave, it meant he didn't want to hear anything more from Clarice.Clarice turned and left the room, a bit disappointed, but understanding that there was no way to stop Edward now.The sky gradually turned cold, and when the first snow fell, it had been five months since the child grew in Clarice's belly. Gretta was very nervous, calling a doctor to examine her thoroughly every week. Filippo's days at
Gretta quickly took the phone out of her purse and dialed 120. After calling for an ambulance, she immediately turned around and glared angrily at Samantha."Listen, if anything happens to Clarice's unborn child, I won't let you off the hook." At this moment, Filippo was also concerned about Clarice's baby. After all, she was his granddaughter, so how could he not be worried?Now that he saw Gretta threatening Samantha like this again and was worried that she would stay here, making the situation even more complicated, he turned to her and said."Samantha, go home first. I'll take Clarice to the hospital.""No, Lippo, I want you to stay with me." However, Samantha held his hand and refused to let go."Be good and listen to me!" Filippo patiently consoled her.To Gretta's ears, the interaction between the two was like setting a fire in her heart. However, she didn't have time to worry about these things now, as everything was focused on her son. In the end, Filippo still couldn't persu
"No... you... I... this matter is quite complicated to discuss. Your mother and I don't want to hide it from you, it's just that... we feel it would be better if you didn't know." Hearing that he wanted to look for someone, Clarice responded immediately. "So, it seems true that my father is with someone, and it has affected my mother!" Edward interrupted, surprising Clarice. "How do you know?" Hearing this, she suddenly raised her head and stared at him. "Who is this woman?" Edward didn't answer her question but instead countered with another question. Clarice lowered her head, not daring to say that name. "Okay, I'll get someone to investigate!" Edward spoke as he turned to leave, and seeing this, Clarice knew she could no longer hide this matter from him and shouted, "Wait a moment.... I... I'll tell you everything..." Only then did Edward stop walking, turned back to the side of the bed, and sat down, looking at her, waiting for her to tell him the truth. "Your father does have ano
After Fillipo left through the door, Samanta's smile vanished instantly, replaced by an extremely somber expression. She got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face, as if trying to cleanse herself of all traces he left behind. She then looked at herself in the mirror, recalling the three months before her pregnancy when her reactions were intense, and her appetite was poor. Thinking about Clarice's pregnancy and the care people around her received, Samanta felt even more jealous.Both were born into the Murray family, and while Clarice received attention during her pregnancy, Samanta felt neglected. It wasn't fair at all!However, before she could revel in her perceived superiority over Clarice, on the way to the hospital for her routine pregnancy check-up, she was hit by a car, causing her entire world to turn upside down.Upon reaching the hospital, she discovered that the child in her womb was gone, and she had lost a significant amount of blood, making her uterus unsafe. She
"Why are you so nervous?" Seeing her uneasy expression, Edward chuckled. "Don't worry, our children are naturally more fortunate than those unfair bastards, and with that, you don't need to worry." When Clarice heard his voice, she felt shivers run down her entire body.Edward now looked completely different from when he first met her."Tomorrow night, John Longhini is going to invite me to dinner, and I'll take you along. You should be willing to accompany me for dinner, right?" Edward suddenly said again, and hearing his tone, Clarice knew she couldn't refuse, so she nodded."Alright!""Good girl, and remember to dress well!" Edward spoke as he left, and Clarice watched him in silence, a bad feeling arising in her heart.The current Edward was far from the warm and generous man she initially knew. In fact, she was a bit uncertain if the Edward she first met was the real Edward or if this was his true face. The image of the warm and virile guy from before was just a disguise he had p
"I used to drink, but recently I can't drink anymore." Mary's face revealed a sweet smile as she looked at John."And why is that? May I know?" At that moment, Mary reached out and intimately wrapped her arm around Nicholas, pushing the wine glass in front of Nicholas."Nicholas and I are trying to get pregnant, so neither I nor Nicholas can drink."John Longhini knew she was intentionally teasing him, so the corner of his mouth twitched a few times, but he didn't explode and just continued to laugh."Oh, so it's really a pity. Two days ago, I was dining with the editor of a weekly newspaper, and he even told me that he knew Mrs. Murray had many famous wineries under her banner and wanted to invite her for an interview with him. It seems not very appropriate for Mrs. Murray not to drink and make this visit."Upon hearing him mention Markus, Mary immediately thought of the picture he had, and the story that John's assistant had made up. Her little heart tensed, using the fact that Nich
"Clarice, what are you thinking? Did you hear me?" Mary noticed that Clarice didn't respond, even after a long time, and panic started to grip her heart."I heard everything you said, and I understand what you mean. But I feel that what you just said is too... I need time to process this." Clarice didn't know how to describe her current feelings.If Mary's guess was true, that Edward had approached her and married her only to use her as retaliation against Nicholas, she didn't know how to react. She didn't mind being used by Edward, as she would simply see it as repaying the debt Nicholas owed to her life back then. However, she knew that this debt was not something she could use to repay. Edward's target was Nicholas, but she was just a tool he could use to attack Nicholas. So, what should she do?If Edward only wanted to destroy the Murray Group, then she wasn't worried; after all, with Nicholas's means, it would be difficult for Edward to achieve his goals.But what if his ultimate
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