"I'm still a patient; I won't be able to sleep. Can you bear to see me like this?" Alain whispered, leaning on Eden's shoulder.Eden turned to him, pursing her lips. After a moment, she crawled back onto the bed. "Then sleep."Alain smiled and said, "I want you to hold me."Eden lowered her eyes. "Don’t push it.""I'm cold!" Alain said, snuggling closer. "You're warm."Eden gave up. "Alright, sleep.""Thanks."Alain closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them. "I told my mom to throw a party once I've fully recovered from the toxin. I want to announce our relationship."Eden nodded. "She mentioned it to me.""So, are you going to acknowledge that you're my fiancée?" Alain sat up, still holding Eden in his arms.Eden was lost in her thoughts and didn’t realize she was still in his arms."Just to make her happy," Eden finally said after a long pause.Alain sighed. When would Eden open up to him?"My mom will be thrilled, no doubt. She wants you to marry me," Alain sai
Eden stayed in the hospital for the next few days.Sinead and Horace also avoided the hospital to give them some space.Eden didn’t go to school, which led to rumors spreading about her. Some said her involvement in the Aradia family's downfall was suspicious, while others claimed she was killed while dealing with the Aradias.The rumors were everywhere.Ten days later, Alain was discharged from the hospital, fully cured of the toxin.On the day of his discharge, Geoffrey and Sinead personally picked them up from a nearby hotel to celebrate.Sinead had also sent out invitations for a party to honor her future daughter-in-law, scheduled for the coming Saturday. Invitations went out to all the reputable families in Rielton and Estburg, including the Hunts.Originally, Sinead had no intention of inviting the Hunts. She detested them and had no desire to even acknowledge their presence.However, she decided they needed to be there. She wanted to show the Hunts just how splendid Ede
Eden was speechless.She folded her arms across her chest, raised an eyebrow, and let out a sneer as a smile slowly formed on her red lips. "Alain, we’re still in the trial period."Alain's smile vanished immediately. "I’m sorry, boss."Eden smiled and chose to ignore him.From then on, Alain behaved more normally and stopped trying to buy things for Eden against her will.Just as they reached the entrance of the shopping mall, Eden’s phone rang. It was Joy."Eden, tomorrow is the school’s cultural festival. Are you coming to watch our performance?"After a moment of thought, Eden nodded. "Sure."Since the party was the day after tomorrow, she had time for the festival."Really? That’s great!" Joy’s excitement was clear over the phone. "You have to come. We start at ten in the morning."Eden hummed in agreement and ended the call.Later, Alain took Eden out for dinner. With nothing else planned for the evening, they went to bed early.During the night, Alain didn’t make any
Eden shuddered, her heart racing as if she’d been jolted awake.Alain moved slowly but very gently.His slender fingers traced a path from the back of her head to her earlobes, then down her neck and along her collarbone.Her collarbones were pronounced, emphasizing how slender she was.The room’s temperature seemed to be rising.Alain continued exploring with his tongue, and Eden felt the warmth of his body increase.Just when they were on the brink of losing control, Alain suddenly stopped, breathing heavily. "Not now. You’re not ready yet."Eden’s eyes glinted as she cleared her throat. "Let me go wash up."Her face was flushed, and she looked extremely embarrassed.Having never kissed anyone before, Eden found this new sensation difficult to explain.Alain looked at her red face and smiled wider than before. He hadn’t expected her to be embarrassed too.How rare.Alain quickly prepared breakfast in the kitchen.It was a simple meal—just milk, bread, and some cold cuts.
Class 3-1 had scored 9.5 out of 10, the highest score so far.After Class 3-1 left the stage, it was Class 3-18's turn to perform.Eden moved to the audience seating.Joy, who was right behind Ewan, had trouble seeing in the dim backstage area. As she was about to get on stage, she accidentally stepped on something, lost her balance, and tumbled down the stairs.Ewan was shocked and quickly helped Joy up. "What happened?"Joy bit her lip, her foot throbbing with pain and tears welling in her eyes. "I can't move.""What are we going to do? We can't perform without you!" Ewan said anxiously.The Class 3-1 students, seeing what happened, walked away without a second glance, showing no concern for Joy’s injury.Joy lowered her head and suddenly remembered something. She shouted, "Jasmine!"Jasmine, who was leading the group, stopped in her tracks and looked at her in confusion. "What is it?""Why did you trip me?" Joy demanded angrily.Jasmine looked stunned before responding de
After Class 3-1 left, everyone in Class 3-18 wore dark expressions.Joy lowered her gaze and, after a long pause, glanced at Eden. "I think it's best if I dance. You haven’t practiced the routine, and Jasmine’s comment was just a joke. My foot is swollen, but I can handle it."Eden handed her mobile to Joy. "I'll do it.""But you don’t know the dance moves," Joy said, on the verge of tears.She regretted not paying more attention, falling for Jasmine’s trick. Now, Eden had to step in, and Joy felt sorry.Eden patted her shoulder reassuringly and then turned to Ewan and the others. "Keep up with the dance routine and just ignore me."Ewan thought for a moment before replying, "Sure. We can’t back out now. Stay in the back and try to stay out of the judges’ view. I know all of Joy's moves, so I’ll adjust my position as needed."They each had fixed positions, and usually practiced their own moves. Ewan knew Joy's choreography, but he had never danced with the music. But with no oth
After a while, Ewan looked at Eden with excitement. "Chief, is there anything you can't do?"Eden gave him a brief glance. "Oh, plenty."Ewan nodded eagerly. "If you can dance so well, why didn’t you join us? We could have had you perform solo. It would have been an easy win!""Not interested!"Eden had a lot on her plate these past few years. She had been trying to find a cure for her grandma's toxin, which took up a lot of her time with traditional medicine research. Plus, managing criminal operations from Audair City to Rielton was challenging and could take a whole month when things got busy. On top of that, she was dealing with the Jerred investigation and school, all while juggling immense pressure. She wasn’t in the mood for a cultural festival."Fine," Ewan said, understanding her attitude. "Anyway, Class 3-18's victory is all thanks to you."Eden glanced at the time. "I have other plans, so I’m heading out now."Alain wasn’t picking Eden up today. The Wards were hosting
Eden kept her eyes lowered, looking like she was in a bad mood.Peter watched her for a while, then patted her shoulder. "You don’t need to worry about what happened back then. No one could have predicted that. I was concerned you’d never be able to get past it."Peter's thoughts wandered, and he became somewhat agitated. He lit a cigarette and said, "I was partly responsible for what happened. If you keep blaming yourself, I’ll feel guilty."Eden looked up, pursing her lips. "You don’t need to feel guilty. I’ve come to terms with it a long time ago.""Really?" Peter looked at her. "Ever since you took control of Audair City's criminal underworld, you’ve made it your mission to find those people and avenge their parents. But it's not that simple. We’ve worked hard for seven years and still have very few leads."Eden turned to look at the streets outside, her voice soft. "I’ll find them. I need to do it for Mr. and Mrs. White.""Do you think Tyler and Talia want you to find them?"