Rachel couldn't help but give a wry smile. "Back to the top? That seems unlikely. Who knows if I'll even be able to earn back the penalty money you're paying for me.""I've always viewed you as a confident person, Rachel. Have you lost that confidence now? If you can't trust yourself, why not try trusting me for once?" Leonard stood with his arms crossed, his expression filled with unwavering certainty and confidence.Rachel appeared visibly moved, and her face showed signs of hesitation."I don't make promises lightly, but once I do, I spare no effort to fulfill them," Leonard stated with unprecedented seriousness.At that moment, as Rachel locked eyes with Leonard, a wave of emotions surged within her."You must have seen the news. So, why… Why don't you keep your distance from me, like everyone else?" Rachel asked, her voice tinged with discomfort.Ever since the news spread, Rachel noticed a change in the way people looked at her.Although some people tried to comfort her wi
Rachel didn't know how to reply to that. So, she couldn't help but quicken her pace as she made for the parking lot.After dropping Rachel off at her place, Leonard decided to go and handle some of her matters.Firstly, he had to sort out the brands she'd endorsed.He had contacted Henry in advance and told him that he had something important to discuss with him.Henry then said that he could drop by any time.When Leonard arrived, Henry was reading through some documents in his office.When Henry saw him, he asked, "What is it that you want to discuss?""It's about Rachel's endorsement—"But before Leonard could finish his sentence, Henry stopped skimming the documents and interrupted him, saying, "You're here for that?""Of course! Rachel's lost most of her endorsements! So, I have to help her retain some of them, at the least. And no doubt, you're the easiest for me to talk to." Leonard put on a wide grin.Then, he asked meekly, "Given our friendship, it should be okay for
Lyla nodded confidently. "Of course! I saw a photo album in Sheldon's office once. It contained photos of him when he was younger."Then, she lowered her voice and continued awkwardly, "I even took two of the photos without him knowing. I'm sure I won't be mistaken."Amy's eyes reddened, and she felt a swirl of emotions within herself.She lowered her eyes and mumbled, "Oh… Thank goodness!"Sheldon was probably her son!All this while, she had been resentful at her fate. But now, she was grateful that Fate had led her to her son in this way.Although their reunion came a bit later than expected, she still got to meet him nonetheless.Thank goodness her son was alive…It was the best surprise she'd ever received!"What did you say, Mrs. Lancaster? Why are you acting so weirdly today?" Lyla asked, confused.Amy reached up and rubbed her teary eyes. Then, she shook her head. "It's nothing. I just remembered something."Then, Amy changed the topic and said, "Right. How are you p
Sheldon's eyes were bloodshot from staying up the whole night, but now, they suddenly lit up with hope.Oh, how he hoped that this phone call would bring him good news.It was from Henry. "The police have news on Lyla," he said."Really? They found her?" Sheldon asked urgently."They did." Henry's tone sounded odd."Then where is she? Is she at the police station or somewhere else?" Sheldon asked again."She's at the hospital." There was a subtle gravity in Henry's tone."Why would she be at the hospital? She…" All Sheldon wanted to do now was to meet Lyla. So, he stopped asking any further and instead, he asked, "Which hospital? I'll head over now."He'd save his questions for when he met Lyla."Charity Hospital. You should come. I'll be waiting in the lobby.""Okay." As soon as Sheldon ended the call, he rose to his feet.His lips were finally not as taut, and his creased brows had relaxed. He said, "They found Lyla. I'll head over and meet her now."Amy was relieved up
When Sheldon saw the watch and the written message, he couldn't hold back his tears any longer.His tears suddenly spilled out of his eyes like water escaping a broken dam.Lyla once said she'd wanted to keep hovering around him like a hummingbird, and she did.She had always racked her brains and tried to help him in some way. She even told him she held no other motives besides wanting to cheer him up. She wanted him to know that he was also irreplaceable to someone else in this world.Yet now, that hummingbird was gone. There would never be anyone else who would hover around him, saying they wished they could cheer him up a little.Sheldon, too, had thought of doing something for her.However, Fate had taken away that chance before he could even start."Since it's her gift for you, you should keep it. Consider it… her last gift to you." As Henry spoke, he choked up slightly.That cousin of his had never really experienced happiness. Yet, her short life had ended in this c
Amy saw Sheldon just as she neared the viewing room.He seemed so helpless and at a loss.This mishap must've caught him off guard.Amy entered the room and said softly, "Sheldon, come and have some food first."It was only then that Sheldon noticed Amy's presence. He slowly turned toward her and shook his head. "I don't feel like eating now. Maybe later.""You haven't eaten anything since last night. How can you hold up like this?"You still have to watch over Lyla, no? You won't be able to take it if you keep this up." Amy tried persuading Sheldon, her eyes full of concern.Fate had been cruel to her son. Why couldn't it have allowed him to have more pleasant memories?"I really don't have an appetite… Or maybe you can just leave it here." Sheldon looked as though all life was sucked out of him.Amy was heartbroken, but she knew that he would probably prefer to be alone now.Therefore, she said nothing else. She simply left the food there and walked away for the time bein
Shirley shook her head in resignation. "You were forced to commit evil deeds because of Harry's ruthless ways, and that's why I can forgive you."The real lunatic here is Harry. He locked you up because he feared his crimes would come to light. To achieve his agenda, he'd even constrained his father."She continued, "I don't know how many more people he'll harm if this goes on. I can't do much, but the least I can do is save those he has driven into a corner."No one else should pay the price for his ambition."Evelyn remained silent as she studied Shirley. She seemed to be judging whether or not she could believe her.After a while, Evelyn said, "But aren't you afraid that he'll take revenge against you if you do this? He won't let you go if you go against him.""Even if I obeyed him, my freedom will still be restricted. I would rather break free of my confinements, even if there were a price to pay."Otherwise, Harry would think he'd be free to do as he pleases," Shirley said
Sheldon had taken that photo for Lyla himself.At that time, he had been working continuously for several days without allowing himself to rest. Upon seeing that, Lyla had dragged him out into the park, and they'd spent the entire day there.The snowscape on that day was beautiful, so Lyla had asked for his help to take several photos of her.But after forwarding the photos to her, Sheldon didn't tell her that he'd secretly kept them. And sometimes, he'd even take a look at them.There was once when he grinned like an idiot while gazing at her photos, and his assistant saw him.His assistant teased him and said that he looked exactly like someone who had fallen in love because his eyes lit up when he gazed at Lyla's photos.His assistant said that it was only when one was in love with another that there would be a light in their eyes.Sheldon thought it was probably true.However, he didn't get the chance to confess his feelings to Lyla.He thought of giving himself more tim