Steven unconsciously took a step back unconsciously as he hoarsely reasoned, "I didn't ask you to give it back to me."He knew Gwen's current heart was his, but it never unsettled him from the start. On the contrary, he felt guilty because he had stolen Luke's body, and he would feel better if Gwen treated the heart as compensation. He never thought…Gwen would want to return his heart instead."But I want to." Gwen curled her lips into a smile. "It disgusts me so badly every time I think the heart beating in my chest was yours."Yes, she was disgusted. If it was not because of this heart, Luke's body would never be stolen. She did not have to see the person she was most familiar with turn into this person. If it was not for her, Luke would still be alive. Thus, she felt disgusted with this current heart and herself.After she had sought revenge for Luke, she would give the heart back to Steven once and for all.She did not want to owe him anything. She would remove the heart away
The door swung open at the same time Luna put down her phone.A few bodyguards entered the room, and the leader shot Luna a respectful glance. "Yes, Ma'am."Then, he glanced coldly at Steven and said, "Let's go, Mr. Hughes."Steven furrowed his brow upon hearing this. "Is there no room for further discussion, Mrs. Lynch?"He knew how much his parents adored Denise. If he were to go home without her, they would grow concerned and would not cease to find her. This was why he had rushed over as soon as he received Joshua's call without a single regard for his injury.Despite this, he knew he could not simply agree to help Luna and Gwen plot against the Hughes and Miller families.He did not want to choose any of the options Luna gave him. He did not want to leave without Denise, but neither was he willing to betray his family."No," Luna said curtly as she handed Gwen a glass of water. "You've used up all your chances."She glanced at the guards and ordered, "Send Mr. Hughes out!"
Luna paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Send me an email with the audio recordings, and I'll listen to them right now."She then hung up the phone. As she did this, Luna glanced out the window and realized that the sun had already set.She and Gwen had been sitting there for more than five hours."Did they find out anything through the recording device?" Gwen asked, frowning.Luna nodded. "When did you even place it on Steven, anyway?"Gwen sniffed, picked up a tissue from the table, and wiped her tear-stained face. "I planted it there when I was hugging him."Even though Gwen had temporarily lost all her rationality that moment, she still remembered her task, so she slipped the recording device into Steven's back pocket while embracing him.Even though she was unsure of Steven's habits, she still remembered that Luke never used to check his back pockets. Therefore, she gambled her chances and assumed that Steven was the same.It seemed that she had guessed correctly.
Luna and Gwen fell silent upon hearing this. The entire room was quiet except for the sound of Denise's slow breathing.Luna was a little caught off guard by this.The audio clip continued to play out an argument between Steven and his parents."How can you say this, Father? She's my sister!""Steven, you know very well that your mother and I had adopted Denise. If it weren't for us, she would've been in a far worse place than she is now. The only reason we had adopted her—provided her with a comfortable life and took care of her like she was our own—was that we wanted her to contribute to this family."The only thing we asked of her in return was to marry Thomas so our family can become even more powerful and aid your career in the future."However, after so many years, not only did she fail in this, but she even allowed Thomas to bring home another woman and even a baby…"She's lost all her value to our family, whereas we've done all we can to help her. If Joshua wants her to
Luna instinctively glanced at Gwen after the recording ended.Gwen, too, turned to stare at her.Both their faces were etched with utter disbelief.How…could this be?Did the Hughes family not adore Denise beyond anyone else? Did Steven not say that Mr. and Mrs. Hughes practically treated Denise like their own?How could they have chosen to give up on Denise so easily after knowing she had offended Thomas?"Although I must say, this seems pretty consistent with their style." Gwen was the first one to break out of her stupor. She curled her lips into a smirk and added, "More than two decades ago, they had abandoned a one-year-old baby just because of their superstitious beliefs, so we shouldn't be surprised that they'd choose to give up on their daughter just to get on Thomas and Joshua's good sides. Regardless…"Gwen sneered and turned to glance at Denise. "I can't help feeling bad for her. According to Steven, Denise hadn't truly loved Thomas at all—she just chose to because sh
Denise's eyes were glossed with tears as she stared at them.Gwen froze for a moment, then immediately glanced at Luna. "She…"Luna rubbed her brow in exasperation. "I thought she was sleeping, so I removed the towel from her mouth so she wouldn't choke."Neither of them had expected Denise to wake up in the middle of their conversation."I heard everything." Denise sighed when she noticed Luna's confusion and said solemnly, "I never…thought things would turn out this way."Denise had always been a good actress.Ever since she was a child, she had to learn ways of feigning obedience to steer attention away from her brother, so she picked up the skill of pretending to fall asleep whenever the adults wanted her to. Not only that, but she was even able to wake up 'on demand' to appease the adults.Even though the adults gradually saw through her as she grew older, she could still fool unsuspecting people, including Luna and Gwen.She had not been asleep this whole time at all. Ins
Upon hearing this, Luna first glanced at Gwen, frowning, then turned to gaze at Denise. "Ms. Hughes, when you say show your brother mercy, you mean…"Denise closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Finally, she opened her eyes and fixated her gaze on Gwen. "I just hope that if I can help you avenge your boyfriend's death and punish those who fooled and disrespected him, Ms. Larson…you'll forgive my brother for his wrongdoings."I've always thought that my brother is just a victim in this. He had no idea what was going on and had done nothing wrong, but he still occupied your boyfriend's body, after all, so I hope that if I manage to help you get what you want, you'll choose to leave my brother alone. I don't even need you to help me beg for Thomas and Yannie's mercy; all I want is for my brother to be okay. He…"Denise's breath caught in her throat. "He's the best brother anyone can ever have."From the conversation between Steven, Gwen, and Luna, Denise realized that despite knowing si
Luna's eyebrows furrowed as she glanced at Denise, then grabbed her phone and walked out of the room.Gwen and Denise were the only people who remained in the room.The air seemed to fall silent."Can you help me with something?" Denise was the first to break the silence.Gwen immediately broke out of her stupor.Denise raised her hands, which were still tied together, and smiled at Gwen. "My hands are beginning to grow numb from the ropes."After contemplating for a moment, Gwen finally sighed and released Denise's bonds."Thank you." Denise rubbed her arms, which sported burns from the rope, and let out a sigh."Did…did you and Steven used to be close?" Gwen asked tentatively as she watched the color return to Denise's face.Denise was silent for a moment before finally nodding. "We…used to be inseparable."She gazed out the window as her thoughts began to drift away. "Steven used to treat me like a princess. Since he had never dated anyone, all his love and affection were