LOGINThe thought of what was about to happen in that bed made Amelia's stomach churn, but she forced herself to stay calm.
She turned and walked into the closet to pack her things. In no time, she had a suitcase ready. "Adrian, that suitcase looks like a designer brand. Find her something else to pack her things," Misty's shrill voice rang out, dripping with contempt. Soon, Adrian brought over an old cardboard box and threw it at Amelia's feet. "Use this," he grumbled. Amelia squatted down to open her suitcase, but Misty's voice came again, "Check her luggage properly later. Some people have sticky fingers. We don't want her taking anything she's not supposed to." Hearing this, Amelia's mind flashed back to Maynard's cold, ruthless look. He was in the bathroom next door, and if he found the DNA test result, he'd probably humiliate her even more. Adrian and Misty were watching her closely outside the closet. Amelia glanced at the DNA test hidden deep in her suitcase and made a quick decision. She turned away and tore the paper into tiny pieces, then swallowed them one by one, forcing them down. She looked at Maynard's clothes in the closet, and the last spark of hope in her heart was extinguished. From now on, she would have nothing to do with him. Dragging the cardboard box, Amelia walked out of the closet and asked coldly, "Do you want to check it?" Misty clapped her hand over her mouth, her face twisted with disgust. "Get her out of here and check that box outside. It stinks!" She knew that if Maynard came out of the shower, she wouldn't be able to get rid of Amelia so easily. She couldn't leave this threat behind. Adrian pushed Amelia hard and growled, "Get out of here!" Amelia walked alone toward the villa's entrance. The short distance felt like an eternity. Adrian grabbed the cardboard box from her, dumped everything on the ground, and started searching, as if looking for something vital. But the DNA test was already inside Amelia. She squatted down and quietly picked up her scattered belongings when her phone rang. Tears streamed down her face as soon as she heard Rosemary's voice. She held back her tears when Misty humiliated her, and Maynard misunderstood her, but hearing Rosemary's voice finally broke her. Her voice was choked with sobs. "Rosemary." "Sweetheart, why are you crying?" "Rosemary, I broke up with Maynard. And I'm not Jackson's biological daughter. I don't have a family anymore." "I'm calling to tell you some good news. I heard that your family is looking for you." Amelia froze. "My family?" "Yes, don't cry. I heard you have parents and even a few brothers." Before Amelia could respond, her phone died. "Amelia, what are you up to now?" Maynard walked out of the hall in an oversized bathrobe. He had meant to let her stay for a few more days, but she packed and was about to leave while he took a shower. He looked at the scattered clothes on the ground—nothing but ordinary clothes, not a single luxury item. Hadn't she become his fiancée just to get these things while he was in a coma? Now, she was left with nothing? Maynard frowned at the old cardboard box. "Playing hard to get again? Trying to look pitiful? Grandma's not here!" After three years of dating, he had never been ungenerous with her financially. Was she really leaving, or was this just an act? Amelia clutched her dead phone tightly, still processing what Rosemary had said. To Maynard, her distraction seemed like an admission. Misty limped out, pretending to be hurt, with a fake smile on her face but a voice full of malice. "Maynard, she was packing to leave and insisted on using a dirty cardboard box from the kitchen. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen." Adrian quickly added, "Mr. Simmons, I tried to talk some sense into Amelia, but she wouldn't budge. She scattered her clothes everywhere. She had a designer suitcase but chose to look pitiful. If word gets out, people will think the Simons family is mistreating her." The air grew silent. Amelia stood there like a statue, listening to their lies. She looked at Maynard, wondering what he would say. His gaze was piercing. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Exactly. Amelia's eyes flashed with mockery. "They've said everything." 'What's the point of explaining when you won't believe me?' "Amelia, are you never satisfied? What more do you want?" In his eyes, she was just a gold-digger. Amelia shrugged. "I just wanted to be one of those rich wives who shop till they drop or enjoy beauty and afternoon tea. The most I got to do was cook in the kitchen and go to the supermarket. After three years, I'm kicked out, wasting three years of my life. Now, I don't want to serve you anymore. Is that so wrong?""That's right! What gives you the right?" the crowd jeered in chorus, their eyes full of contempt and provocation. In their view, the woman before them was nothing but a delicate outsider, yet she dared to be so arrogant—pure wishful thinking.Hearing that, Amelia suddenly let out a low laugh.At first the laughter was light, carrying a careless, teasing mockery. Then it gradually swelled, her clear, chilly laugh echoing beside the empty track, bearing a heart-stopping pressure.She slowly lifted her head; the smile in her eyes faded, leaving only a bottomless, icy abyss.She took one slow step forward, and her presence flared fully open in an instant. Although she released no Spiritual Power, the nobility and killing intent born from the depths of her soul still made the self-proclaimed powerful racers before her feel an inexplicable chill in their hearts."What gives me the right?" Amelia repeated, her tone terrifyingly calm. Her gaze swept
The race car that had been flying steadily down the track suddenly lost control, and its speed dropped sharply.He gritted through the heart-rending pain and instinctively slammed the brakes while wrenching the wheel; relying on years of hardened racing skill, he forced the car that was about to spin out to a dead stop in the middle of the track, only a dozen-odd meters from the finish line.The car stopped abruptly. The tires screeched against the ground, smoke billowed up again, and the stadium that had been deafening a heartbeat ago fell into sudden, total silence.Everyone froze. Shouts and cheers cut off midstream. The spectators in the stands stared, dumbfounded; staff, officials, and the drivers who still had not crossed the line all stood stunned, eyes locked on the silver-and-black car stopped short of the finish, bafflement written across their faces.Ralph slumped back in his seat, drenched in cold sweat. His racing suit clung to him, and his f
Ralph was standing in the center of his private lounge area, doing his pre-race warm-up. He wore a close-fitting black racing suit; the tight cut perfectly outlined his tall, lean build—broad shoulders, narrow waist, clean and powerful lines. The muscle definition in his arms and calves was smooth, carrying the explosive strength and sense of power forged by years on the track. His jet-black short hair was simply tied back, a few loose strands falling over his forehead, slightly damp with sweat and stuck to his smooth skin, making his deep-set eyes, high bridge, and sharply defined lips stand out all the more.Unlike the unruly, flamboyant arrogance and contempt for everything he used to show on the circuit, Ralph's presence had undergone a dramatic change.That earlier storm—when someone had maliciously set him up and smeared him as a murderer—had been like a bone-tempering hell, dragging him from the clouds into the mire. He had tasted the world's s
They asked no further questions, probed no deeper, only burying all their understanding, worry, and hope in their hearts, guarding the two younger ones who bore a heavy fate with the quietest kind of acceptance.The gates of the Cromwell manor slowly closed behind them, shutting out the gentle warmth of the sun in the courtyard and the hall full of sandalwood incense, and leaving—at least for the moment—the two elders' silent forbearance and concern behind.Carl lifted a hand to open the rear door, gently shielding Amelia's head as she got in; only after she was seated did he lean down to close the door softly for her, then he got into the car with practiced ease.The engine let out a low, steady purr as the black sedan slowly pulled away from the lane by the Cromwell manor, merged into the flow of traffic, and headed off into the distance.Inside the cabin, there was only silence—the faint rush of wind beyond the glass, the distant clam
Amelia slowly came back to herself. At his words, she gradually turned her head and looked at Carl behind her.Her movements were sluggish, as though a thousand-pound boulder hung from her neck; every slight motion carried boundless heaviness. In those cool, clear eyes, some of the grim finality at last ebbed away, revealing a vulnerability and pain she had long buried. The rims of her eyes reddened faintly. She looked at Carl—at the concern and worry in his gaze—and the line of defense she had held up for so long loosened a little, though an almost imperceptible tremor still ran through her.After a brief silence, she drew a deep breath, forcing down the emotions surging in her chest and trying to keep her voice steady. Yet the slight quiver in her tone still betrayed the turmoil inside. She lifted her eyes to Carl, her gaze resolute yet weighted beyond measure, and spoke slowly, word by word, each syllable seeming to be squeezed from the depths of her hea
"What is it, hearing the words 'Ethereal Lumin Hold' makes you anxious?" Mystic Vale spoke, his voice low and hoarse, carrying the chill of the abyss from the Nine Nether Hells. Each word struck the soul of the sect leader of Ethereal Lumin Hold: "A thousand years have passed, and you have played mute in this Soul-Binding Jade Cage for nearly a millennium. Now you finally move? What a pity, even if you shout yourself hoarse, she cannot hear you. Even if she does, she cannot save you. Instead, your broken soul will only hold her tightly in your grasp."The soul of the sect leader of Ethereal Lumin Hold trembled violently. The originally weak fluctuations of spiritual energy suddenly intensified, and more soul fibers drifted from the cracks. He stared fixedly at Mystic Vale, hatred nearly overflowing from his eyes. Using all the strength left in his body, he finally squeezed out a voice so faint it was almost inaudible, hoarse as a broken bell, filled with endless anger and pai







