The first day of the trip passed in a blur of exhaustion and long hours on the road.It was exactly what one would expect from a budget tour.They had only visited the Colosseum, and the rest of the afternoon was spent shuffling between various shopping stops. The people on the tour were less than pleased, but there was little Mr. Anderson could do—it was the company’s itinerary. At this price, visiting too many tourist spots would have put the travel agency out of business.By the time they returned to the hotel, it was already past 11 p.m. Mr. Anderson, after seeing all the elderly tourists safely to their rooms, collapsed onto a sofa in the lobby, thoroughly exhausted.As Emily passed by the front desk, the receptionist called out to her. “Miss Carter, there’s a package here for you.”“A package?”“Yes,” the receptionist replied, handing over a slim envelope. “It was delivered this afternoon. Since you weren’t here, we signed for it. Please check for any damage.”The packaging was
In the following days, Emily stayed in Rome, accompanying her Uncle Bert as they explored the city. Although Bert enjoyed visiting some of the historical sites, he struggled with the local cuisine. Being in his middle years, he found it difficult to adapt to the food in a foreign country. While the sights brought him joy, the meals left him uncomfortable. In fact, after a few attempts to avoid troubling Emily to fetch him food, he forced himself to eat local dishes, only to end up with a bad case of food poisoning, leaving him feeling weak and drained.Emily grew increasingly concerned. “Uncle, let me take you to the hospital. You’re not looking well.”But Bert firmly refused. “If I can’t handle the food here, what makes you think I’ll do better in one of their hospitals? I’ll be fine. I just need a few days of rest. When we get home, the first thing I’ll do is have a proper meal.”No matter how hard Emily tried to convince him, Bert adamantly avoided anything related to Rome. Instead
“That’s different,” Dylan responded smoothly. “Our CEO isn’t very experienced in negotiations, but almost every deal The Great Wall Group has made was handled by me. I believe I have better negotiation skills than him.”Emily remained noncommittal. “I won’t deny that, Dylan, but I’ve already accepted the offer from Stardream Group. I’m not the kind of person who backs out at the last minute.”“In business, just like in war, there’s nothing you can’t do if you set your mind to it. If you agree, The Great Wall Group will take care of everything, and you won’t have to worry about a thing.”Dylan’s relentless pressure made Emily frown slightly. “This isn’t about worry, Dylan. I’m genuinely happy with Stardream. I want to work with them. It’s not about salary or benefits.”“So, Miss Carter, it sounds like your mind is made up?”“That’s right,” Emily nodded. “I’ve made my decision.”Dylan gave a disappointed but resigned smile. “Well, in that case, I won’t push any further. Just know that t
"Madam, please don't be too discouraged. Your situation is not too serious. The ability to conceive is closely related to one's emotional state. Please keep a positive attitude and cooperate with the treatment. I believe you will have a healthy baby."It was the hottest season in LA, but Emily Carter, just out of the hospital, felt like she was enveloped in a chill as if a cold breeze had swept over her, causing her body to uncontrollably shiver.Her Mother-in-law, Carol, stood at the hospital entrance, grabbed Emily's hand as soon as she saw her, and snatched the health report from her, murmuring incessantly, "Let me see. How can someone be married for so many years without having a child?"Emily instinctively tried to snatch the report back.But Carol pushed her away, disregarding Emily's pale face, and opened the report right there on the street.Emily staggered back, almost falling. The recent stress had taken a toll on her, and she realized that she hadn't drunk water for a long
An hour later, Emily returned to the Reed family's villa.As soon as she entered, Emily saw Carol peeling an apple for Sophia.Nathan, on the other hand, sat by, his gaze fixed on Sophia's slightly swollen belly. His face bore a tenderness she had never seen before.They appeared to be a harmonious family.Emily pushed the door open and Carol's smile faded. "I thought you had left... Sophia, don't mind her, have an apple."Sophia looked uneasy as she tried to stand, clutching her waist.Nathan squeezed her hand. "Sit down, don't worry about anything else."Nathan stood up, his imposing figure dominating the room. "Emily, let's talk."Upstairs was her and Nathan's bedroom.Unfortunately, in the four years since, Nathan's visits home could be counted on one hand, mostly confined to the study.Entering the room, he approached the bed, lit a cigar, his voice icy. "Speak, what are your conditions?"Emily was puzzled. "What?""How much money will it take for you to agree to a divorce?" Nath
Nathan immediately dialed for an ambulance.The sound of the ambulance echoed downstairs. Each sound seemed to pierce Emily's ears.Nathan carried Sophia into the car, rushing down the stairs without looking back at Emily even once.Carol stood at the door, hands on hips, chest heaving with anger. She instructed the maid to throw all of Emily's belongings out and then pushed her out of the gate."You wretched woman, how dare you attempt to murder the future heir of our Reed family. Get out, don't ever stay in our house again!"With a loud bang, the villa's gate slowly closed before Emily's eyes.Emily looked at the scattered clothes on the ground, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails almost pierced into her flesh.In truth, she didn't have much belongings. When she married Nathan, besides some basic necessities, she brought nothing else into this villa except for a pair of earrings left by her mother and some basic living supplies. The earrings were her mother's legacy, which
A man's voice blasted through the phone, dripping with frustration: "We've been holed up in room 2302 all night, a dozen of us. Not a single woman showed up! You're sending us here to take nude pictures of some chick, but my boys wasted a whole night waiting. Sophia, you better not be playing games with us."Sophia's brow furrowed. "That woman didn't go to 2302? That doesn't make any sense..."Knowing that Olivia frequented the bar, Sophia had bribed the security beforehand. Once Olivia entered room 2302, the security would bring in a few guys to strip her down, and then Sophia would use those nude photos to pressure Emily into divorcing Nathan.Emily only had Olivia as a friend, and she couldn't afford to have those compromising photos leaked. So, she'd surely opt for a divorce with Nathan.But fate had a different plan in store. Just hours ago, Sophia received a call from the bar's security. They had spotted Emily entering the bar!It seemed like luck was on Sophia's side. She decid
Emily slammed the phone down, her screen almost shattered by her furious press.Emily was trembling with anger. That was her cousin, whom she treated like family, acting like a devil!"Miss, Miss?" The nurse on the other end kept urging, "Is your father going to have the surgery or not..."Beep beep beep... A message came in."Have you decided? ——Satan"Emily's hand pressed on a pocket, where there lay a bank card.Without hesitation, she took out the card and handed it to the nurse, "Where do I pay?"The nurse led her to pay the fee and complete the procedures. The door of the operating room closed again, the bright red "In Surgery" sign glaring.She withdrew three hundred thousand from Satan's card.Emily sighed bitterly. She had finally sold herself for a price."I agree with you."When these words were sent out, she felt lost.Soon, Satan replied."Okay, tonight, same place, Hilton Hotel, Room 2307, nine o'clock, I'll be waiting for you."Emily put her phone away, not wanting to l