Initially, Eden hadn't planned to prepare the infused bath for Alain to neutralize the toxin in him. It was something extra she was doing for him.Alain's internal organs had suffered varying degrees of injury due to being poisoned for half a year. Although she had managed to heal part of it and he was slowly recovering, his injuries had become permanent. Full recovery was no longer possible.All Alain could be now was the scion of the Ward family, living in wealth and nothing more.The infusion bath had the effect of significantly transforming one's body, forging and tempering Alain's flesh and bones to make them even stronger.As for removing the toxin, Eden had made that up on the spot. She didn't want Alain to feel indebted to her. She knew her boundaries very well.Alain was someone Jerred had entrusted his life to, so she had to help him. Not to mention, Alain had been helping her since her arrival in Estburg. She had to help him, even for that reason alone.Alain stood t
Alain was at a loss for words.His head was pounding.On Friday, when Eden arrived at school, the campus message board was ablaze with debate over who should be crowned campus belle.Most students were backing Eden. They argued she was the natural choice—beautiful, fearless in the face of authority, and unafraid to challenge even Simon.However, others supported Jasmine, citing her family background, conventional beauty, and poised demeanor. They argued that Eden, while beautiful, had poor academic performance and a penchant for conflict. They felt the title of campus belle didn't suit her.Joy, after reading the heated discussions on her phone, switched it off in frustration. Eden was the only one she believed deserved the title of campus belle.When Eden entered the classroom, she noticed Joy sitting there, visibly upset.Eden hung her sling bag on her chair and glanced over at Joy. "What's wrong?""It's nothing. Everyone's arguing about who should be campus belle. Most think
It was almost time for the first class of the day.A short-haired young woman approached Eden, whispering as she lowered her head, "Eden, I'm here to collect the physics homework."It was Natasha Smith, the student representative for their physics class.She had hesitated to approach Eden earlier, fearing her reputation."Alright," Eden replied casually, pulling out a stack of booklets. She quickly found the physics one and handed it over to Natasha.Natasha flipped open the booklet and raised her head in surprise. "You didn't complete a single question?"Eden yawned, reclining in her chair. "I didn't know how to."Natasha frowned. She had expected at least one answer.But not even one…She sighed. Class 3-18 would be the laughingstock again in front of the intensive classes.After a moment's hesitation, Natasha offered, "Well... If you need help with any, you can ask me or Joy. We can explain them to you."Natasha couldn't bear to see her classmates ridiculed by students fr
Eden pushed Ewan's face away, wanting to maintain some distance from him."Go away," she said curtly, not willing to waste her breath on him.Joy remained silent for a moment before pocketing her phone and looking at Eden. "Let's go eat."Raising an eyebrow, Eden asked, "Don't you want to go to the concert?"Joy smiled bitterly. "I do, but I can't.""Why?" Eden walked out of the classroom with Joy, her hands in her pockets.Ewan quickly followed suit when he saw them leaving."I can't afford it," Joy admitted with a self-defeating smile.She hailed from the countryside, where her parents worked tirelessly to pay for her education. She didn't want to burden them with expenses for a concert.Eden pursed her lips, glancing at her before deciding not to comment.At the cafeteria, Eden and the others were eating when Simon approached with his meal.He stood beside Eden respectfully and said, "May I sit with you, Ms. Griffith?"All eyes in the cafeteria turned toward them as Simo
Estburg Central Hospital.Catherine led the rest of the Hunt family to a VIP ward.Upon reaching the door, they were stopped by two men in black suits standing guard."Who are you?" one of the bodyguards asked coldly.Catherine frowned, her displeasure evident. "This is ridiculous. Since when do I need permission to visit a patient in the hospital?"The bodyguard gave her a dismissive look and replied, "No one enters the ward without Mr. Ward's authorization."Catherine's expression darkened.Alain…He had only been living at Skygarden for a few days, yet he was already enforcing his authority over everyone, even arranging security details for Sofia.It was infuriating."Can you please let us in? The patient inside is our relative, and we're here to see her. Alain is my grandson-in-law. I'll inform him about this," Catherine said calmly, though her frustration simmered underneath."No!" The bodyguard responded icily, his demeanor unwavering.Catherine narrowed her eyes and
Sofia did not care about Melinda, but she cared about Eden.She did not want Eden to do something illegal for this heartless mother of hers.After a moment of hesitation, Sofia got out of bed and opened the door.She looked at the people outside and said to the bodyguard, "I'm sorry, but let them in. I know them."The bodyguards exchanged glances and allowed Catherine and the others to enter.Once inside the ward, Sofia returned to her bed and gestured toward a nearby sofa, saying, "Please, have a seat."Catherine didn't sit. Instead, she walked over to Sofia's bedside and held her hand, asking with a concerned look, "I'm so sorry we haven't come to see you sooner. How are you feeling?"Sofia withdrew her hand and replied, "Don't worry. This is how my body is. I might pass away at any time.""Don't say that. You're still young. If there's anything you need, just tell me, and I'll do my best to provide it," Catherine said gently, her concern seeming genuine to those who didn't k
Sofia chuckled softly."Catherine... I may be old, but I have a good memory. Eden's the one who paid all my medical bills. It has nothing to do with the Hunts."Catherine was taken aback and turned to Melinda. "What's going on here?"Melinda trembled. "It's the card Alain gave Eden."She didn't believe Eden actually had four million dollars and assumed Alain provided the funds, which was why she hadn't mentioned it to the Hunts."Why didn't you tell me something so important?" Catherine demanded, glaring at Melinda.Melinda lowered her head in silence.Ignoring her, Catherine turned back to Sofia. "Now that everything's out in the open, there's no point in keeping up pretenses... We allowed Eden to marry Alain because we felt that Jasmine was too young. But now that Jasmine has made her decision, we no longer need Eden to marry Alain."She paused briefly before continuing, "You know Alain originally wanted to marry Jasmine. His current interest in Eden probably isn't out of lov
"It's true that Edison is better than me, so why don't you marry his children off to the Ward family instead?" Edmund finally had enough and roared at Catherine. "Your son, your grandson, your granddaughter... Are they all just pawns for you to sacrifice? If that's the case, why did you even give birth to me?"Edmund stormed off, still furious.Melinda watched Edmund leave, anger flashing in her eyes as she clenched her fists.She knew Catherine didn't favor them, but she hadn't realized just how little Edmund meant to her compared to his older brother, Edison.She scoffed.She wanted to know just how capable Edison’s family was.-Riverside Senior High.The last two classes of the afternoon were self-study. Eden, not wanting to stay in the classroom, planned to find a place to nap on the sports field. As she reached the stairwell leading to the first floor, she spotted Daliah and several other students from Class 3-1 surrounding Natasha and Joy."You want to attend Leo's conc