At 1 pm, Erin received a call from Ian when she was in the living room of the villa. He said that his uncle who lived abroad was critically ill, so he and his mother were visiting him. As a result, he wouldn't be able to attend Tracy's funeral. The funeral of a woman he slept with several years ago was naturally less important than his uncle.Ian informed Erin of the time when the funeral would be held. Tracy's body had already been transported back to her hometown, it would be officially buried the next day after funeral proceedings were held according to the rural customs of her hometown.Erin needed to set off that day if she wanted to make it in time for the funeral. If she took the bullet train, it would only take five hours. After that, she could take a bus to Tracy's hometown. Ian was thoughtful enough to have already reserved a train seat online for her in advance, and he let Erin decide whether she would go or not.After hanging up, Erin went upstairs to pack her luggage ri
In the end, Calla and Candra didn't show up even when Erin was about to board the train. Erin assumed they might have been delayed due to traffic.Therefore, she boarded the train alone. Ian had reserved a business class seat for her, which was good because she could get away from the noisier section of the train. If she'd made the booking herself, she would have done the same.Before she came to the train station, she handed some money to Yandel. He insisted on not accepting it, saying it was Ian's instructions to not accept payment. Nonetheless, Erin verbally thanked him and left the money on the coffee table before leaving.Erin didn't want to owe Ian a single penny, even though he was rich and didn't lack money. He wasn't the only one, as she coincidentally wasn't short of funds as well.She was grateful to Ian for helping her to investigate Gavin's accident. If they could prove that Gavin was indeed set up by someone else, the nature of the matter would be different. Once they
Sean sprung the question on Erin suddenly. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yes, I did miss you."There was a hint of joy in his eyes. "Really?"She nodded earnestly and said, "Of course, it's true. You're my friend, and we haven't seen each other for some time, so naturally I would think of you. But I also think of Paulo and the others. You're all my friends who made efforts to find me during those seven years when I went missing. I'll always remember that in my heart."Her answer made him understand that he wasn't the only one. Sean smiled helplessly and said, "The way you miss me is so cheap. I don't want it.""You're really ridiculous. Take it or leave it." Erin wouldn't let Sean have his way. He wasn't her son or her husband. Why should she indulge in him?Sean made a pitiful expression by covering his face and pretending to cry, but he still failed to catch Erin's attention.He gave up in disappointment and said, "Erin, you're not playing along. I know you have a
After hearing Sean describe his marriage as a business transaction, Erin felt a sense of resistance in her heart. But as a friend, what could she say? Could she tell him to hold on for love and maybe he would meet true love around the corner?Erin couldn't bring herself to speak such insincere words of encouragement. Sean probably had a better understanding of many things compared to her. If he knew what he wanted and chose that kind of life, then so be it.When Erin looked up again, she'd concealed her true thoughts. She smiled faintly and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Dunn. Don't forget to send me the wedding invitation by then."Erin's congratulatory words felt grating in his ears and threw his mind into chaos. However, his eyes didn't reveal much emotion. Facing a woman with whom he could no longer have any romantic involvement, what else could he say?In the end, he smiled brightly and said, "Thank you. But we don't plan to have a wedding ceremony, though we won't refuse monetar
Erin was being escorted downstairs by the bodyguards; they formed a small circle around her. The situation was urgent, and she couldn't afford to linger in the hallway, as the continuous flow of guests coming down from upstairs could cause a stampede.When Sean and the Lehman sisters were still within her line of sight, Erin shouted loudly, "Be careful, all of you!""Go quickly! We'll meet outside later!" Sean shouted back.He followed the crowd in an orderly manner and descended the stairs. The hotel staff temporarily acted as security personnel, directing the hotel guests to evacuate in an orderly manner. In the event of a fire, taking the elevator was not allowed as it was too dangerous.Under the protection of the bodyguards, Erin successfully exited the hotel building.Outside the hotel, in the open parking lot, many hotel guests had already gathered there. Most of them were still wearing pajamas, and a few even had bathrobes on. Some children were crying, as they were most l
Fortunately, Erin had bodyguards protecting her, so Wyatt and his gang dared not do anything.After attending the funeral, she and Sean went their separate ways. He continued to stay in the tourist county to scope out the location, while she chose to return to the city.On the way back to the city, Erin got her phone from Calla; it was fully charged now. Candra was driving, and the three women were in a bodyguard car, with the other bodyguard cars in front and behind, escorting and protecting them on the highway.Throughout the journey, they didn't make any additional stops besides bathroom breaks.With nothing else to do, Erin took out her phone and checked her Twitter. Her previous Twitter account was already flooded with insults. It was evident that someone had hired a large number of internet trolls to smear her. However, this time, she was openly condemned for being the daughter of a murderer. Everyone had a free pass to insult her as they wished.May kept tagging Erin on her
After returning to the city, within five minutes after Erin met up with Chandler, she informed him about what Ian had discovered regarding Gavin. Chandler wasn't particularly surprised upon hearing the news. He assured her that he would also have his people look into the matter.During this period, Gavin had been assisting Louis in his company, doing odd jobs like pouring coffee and delivering takeout. He didn't complain much as long as he didn't have to go to prison. Helping Louis eased his guilty conscience too.What Erin didn't know was that Chandler was able to negotiate with Louis to keep Gavin as a mere errand boy. The main reason behind this was that Chandler and Louis agreed to collaborate on a business project costing five billion dollars.Businessmen talked about business. Since the dead couldn't be revived, it was only practical to discuss money and deals. Besides, the twins who were killed in the accident weren't really Louis' biological children, so he didn't have much
Three days later at 3 pm, the first floor of the International Mall was packed with people. Erin was halfway through the book signing event for her comic.Chandler initially wanted to accompany her, but she refused, insisting that work should remain work and that they shouldn't show affection in public. He understood her principles and temperament, so he didn't insist to avoid making her unhappy. However, he'd assigned fifty special forces bodyguards to surround the signing table in a circle.Erin rested her cheek on her hand as she watched the fans being searched and scanned with electronic devices by the bodyguards. She felt somewhat guilty about subjecting them to such a tedious procedure. But when she thought about what Chandler said, she felt it was necessary. What if someone with malicious intent tried to attack her?After all, her father and brother had both been set up to commit serious crimes. The enemy was doing all these while remaining hidden, and it was difficult to exp