"Life and death?" Tara perked up when she heard this and frowned. "What happened? Is your wife threatening suicide because she thinks you cheated on her?"Joshua rolled his eyes at this. Could she be any more childish?He paused, then continued in a low voice, "I need you to send your men out to rescue someone. An old man."Tara was silent for a moment before realizing what was going on. "You want me to save Gwen's father, don't you? Alright, then. I'll send my men out."With that, she hesitated for a moment, then asked, "That's all I need to do, right? Do I need to be there myself?""No need," Joshua replied."Thank heavens!" With that, Tara hung up and dialed the number of the manager of Moore Group's Sharnwick City branch.After passing on Joshua's message, Tara raised her brow, glancing at the man sitting next to her at the bar, and smiled. "Sorry, I must've missed this while I was on the phone, but what's your name again?"The man glanced at her, frowning. "John Young.""
Tara raised her brow when she heard John's response.She knew who John was, hence why she invited him for a drink to mess around with him. After all, she had to act her role to convince him. If she was to work with him the moment he asked, John would suspect that something was up."So you have a child at home and someone gravely ill?" asked Tara. She questioningly stared at John with her eyebrows raised. "Who is it? Is she your wife?"She remembered from her hours of researching John that his wife had passed away. Not only that, but it was Anne's death that led Luna to commit manslaughter, which landed her in prison.Therefore, John would probably have only one person to care for, which was he and Anne's infant daughter.Who else was he caring for? Was Anne still alive?John did not expect Tara to be so interested in his life. He sipped his drink slowly to stall time, then answered hesitantly, "No, it isn't. It's… It's my sister.""Your sister?" Tara's eyebrows raised at his res
John turned pale at this.A split second later, he regained his composure and glanced at Tara, smiling. "Well, her condition is a little too complicated to explain right now."I already have a doctor looking after her, which is why I'm struggling financially and have to resort to such desperate measures, so I don't need your help as of now, President Moore. Still, I appreciate your kindness."Don't worry. I'll get in touch if there's anything you can help with in the future."Tara knew there was no point pursuing this matter anymore, so she smiled and clinked her glass against John's, toasting him. "Alright, then. Feel free to contact me, night or day, I'll be here to help."John paused, then downed the entire glass of wine. "I have to go now, President Moore. I'll see you at the bid!"With that, he put down his glass and left.Tara watched him leave with a smile, then finally turned around and dialed Joshua's number.At this moment, Joshua was in the middle of sketching out a
John's expression darkened at the mention of the surgery.He stilled for a moment. Then, he took out the piece of paper Tara had given him and said, "President Moore didn't try to help me out at all. All she did was offer me a chance to compete fairly against the other competitors."He sighed and added, "She told me that the person in charge of making the decision wasn't from Scarnfield City and guaranteed that it would be a fair bid. As long as I can present the company and showcase my sincerity, she thinks I might stand a good chance. Of course, I'm not too sure about it."He sighed once again and stared at the woman before him. "Robyn, I'm afraid that I need to spend more time and effort on the company, and you…""Don't worry!" Robyn grinned. "I'll help you take care of Anne and Sammie! Hey, I'm not as useless as you think. I graduated from nursing school, after all, so don't you worry!"With that, she sighed. "Please do the best you can with what you have, John. I know you can
"We just need to be patient." John sighed and patted Robyn's shoulder reassuringly. "Healing is a long process, and we shouldn't rush things."Robyn smiled. "I'm glad you're so optimistic, John. Anne is so lucky to have you."John chuckled when he heard this. "I don't agree with that."Sometimes, he would wonder if it was he who dragged Anne down.After getting to know Anne's social circle, John realized that she should never have settled down with someone as mundane as him.All of Anne's friends were members of the social elite. Luna, for instance, hailed from a powerful family even though she had, at one point, been adopted by the Gibsons.Bonnie, on the other hand, was the heiress to a massive fortune.Anne herself was a prestigious plastic surgeon and had accumulated a great reputation in this field. It would be easy for her to settle down with a rich, powerful man who could afford to hire bodyguards for her safety.John, on the other hand, was just a regular man. Although
"I had to attend to a social obligation, and I drank a little." John smiled when he met Anne's gaze. He sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her shoulder.She had lost so much weight that all he could feel were her bones poking through her skin. Although she had always been a slender woman in the past, she was at least healthy. Alas, that was no longer the case.John sighed. "Robyn told me you'd slept. Why aren't you asleep, then?"Anne pursed her lips and began typing on her phone feebly. [I heard everything you said to Robyn.]John was silent for a moment before he kissed her forehead. "Anne, I truly think that…you wouldn't have ended up this way if it weren't for me."I always blamed you for getting mixed up with the wrong crowd and even turned down Joshua's help, but the truth is, I can't help blaming myself for everything. If you hadn't chosen to be with me and had settled down with someone from Joshua, Luna, or Bonnie's social circle, you wouldn't have ended up
Anne sighed and gently wiped John's tears away. She then squeezed out a smile."Can you say something, Anne?" John's voice trembled. "The doctor said that your vocal cords are fine, and nothing went wrong with your ears or mouth. Nothing's stopping you from speaking. It's just a mental block…"Tell me what's on your mind, Anne. Tell me, and we can get through it together."John's tears ran along Anne's neckline and into her shirt. "Anne, I really want to hear your voice. I can't wait to talk to you again."He had been under immense pressure since leaving Banyan City and especially after their arrival in Scarnfield City.He chose to come here because he was under the impression that Robyn was doing well for herself, but it turned out that was not the case.She was already struggling herself, and their arrival only made her situation worse.John had always been a hardworking person, and he never intended to trouble his sister.However, since they made such a trip and Robyn insist
John hugged Anne longly before finally regaining his composure. He kissed her forehead and held her face in his hands tenderly. "Shall we go to bed together? I'll make you a nice cup of warm milk if you can't sleep."Anne nodded.With that, John smiled and kissed her again before finally leaving the room.The living room was dark, which meant Robyn had gone to sleep.John switched on the lights, then walked into the kitchen to grab the milk carton and heated it in a cup.He returned to the bedroom with Anne's cup, only to find her staring out the window at the apartment building across from theirs.At this moment, the entire building was ablaze with light and activity. Cars were parked outside the building with countless men dressed in black rushing into the building as though they were in search of someone.John furrowed his brows. "Is that the police?"Those men did not appear to be policemen, but if not, who else would they be? Why would they be searching for someone in the
At that, he looked at Gwen. "Actually…"Steven found himself unable to finish his sentence. After a long while, he shook his head and smiled. "Forget about it.""Steven…" Gwen looked at him, and her tears fell.Her heart was not made of stone. How could she not know Steven's feelings toward her?She was silent for a long while. In the end, she stood up and slowly walked over to Steven with arms opened wide. "Give me a hug."Steven hesitated for a while, but he still stood up.They hugged."Gwen." Steven hugged her thin figure. "I have to meet you earlier in the next life so I can compete fairly with my brother."Gwen nodded with tears streaming down her face. "Okay."They thus hugged once more. Minutes later…"He's gone," said Stefan.Tears kept falling.They hugged for a while longer before pulling apart. Gwen looked at Stefan with her tear-stricken face. He had tears on his face as well.She bit her lips and reached out to wipe his tears. "A—Are these tears…yours or his?
The next day, Rachel flew from Merchant City to Sharnwick City to diagnose Anne's condition. Theo tagged along as well because he had another identity, Rachel's boyfriend."According to the report, Anne's condition is slowly recuperating." Rachel was relieved after assessing the report. "Although she is very weak, she is going to get better with lots of rest."There is nothing wrong with her vocal cords too. It could be a psychological thing that makes her lose her voice. A knot in her heart that causes it." She looked at Luna, then at John. "Considering all factors, I think that knot is Luna."Rachel continued, "John, I know Luna is the root cause of all these bad things. Being away from Luna, Joshua, and other people is going to guarantee a safer life for you and your family. But have you thought about it from Anne's point of view? Other than you and Sammie, she has her own life and her circle of friends. Never has she blamed Luna for what happened, yet you forced her to leave Lun
It was almost a miracle for Anne to willingly leave the house just to visit him!Robyn, meanwhile, sobbed at the sight.The nurse who accompanied Anne to the ward was puzzled. What was going on with these people?She snuck her phone out of her pocket and took a photo of this surreptitiously. Then, she sent it into the nurse's group chat with the caption, [What a strange family I met today.]The nurses in the group chat began gossiping about this. One of them tagged a fellow nurse named Daisy and said, [Hey, isn't this the guy who saved the old man you're looking after? What a hero!]Daisy was, at this moment, walking into Andy's room to help him change his wound dressing. She saw the message but was not able to type on her keyboard to respond, so she recorded a voice message instead. "Yes, that's the man. What's wrong with his family? What are you guys talking about?"As soon as she finished her sentence, she lifted her head and finally realized that Andy was not there.Instead,
Anne stared at John for a long time before forcibly smiling and told him in sign language, "Robyn didn't return after so long, so I got worried and came by to check on her.""Daddy, Aunt Robyn, are you two hugging?" Sammie asked, blinking innocently as she raised her head in curiosity.John and Robyn turned pale at this.It was understandable for such a young child like Sammie to misinterpret them as hugging, but what would Anne think of this?John leaped off the bed and staggered toward Anne. "Anne, it's just a misunderstanding…"However, he was still so weak that his legs could not hold up the full weight of his body at all, and he almost crumpled to the ground.Quick-witted Robyn managed to catch him before he could fall, but this gesture appeared once again rather intimate to both Anne and Sammie. Sammie furrowed her brow and asked rather indignantly, "Are you hugging again? Daddy, how can you hug Aunt Robyn like this when you've never even hugged Mommy and me like this befor
When the nurse pushed Anne to John's ward, she overheard John and Robyn fighting from the door. The fight was about how John was anxious to return home because he was worried about Anne and Sammie.However, as someone who used to work as a nurse, Robyn knew John should not leave the hospital after being shot by a gun. At least, he needed to stay in the hospital and be observed for 24 hours to make sure that he was fine before leaving the hospital. If an infection happened, John's body would crash easily and he would become weak just like Anne.In the ward, John frowned and talked with a serious tone, "I'm really fine. Get me my clothes so I can go upstairs to thank Miss Andie and go back home immediately. If Anne knows that I'm hurt, she is going to worry. She will easily be suspicious since you haven't gone back home for a long time. What if she worries about me and brings Sammie to the hospital to look for me? Can you bear yourself even just thinking about it? She's weak and Sammie
Sammie's soft and cute babyish voice melted Stefan's heart immediately. It had been quite some time since he actually put a smile on his face. "Hi, there. What's your name and how old are you?"Sammie tilted her head to look at Stefan's handsome face and smiled sweetly, "I'm Samantha but everyone calls me Sammie."Then she did not forget to introduce Anne to Stefan too. "This is my Mommy. Her name is Anne."At this point, Stefan had given all of his attention to Sammie and did not notice Sammie mentioned that her mother's name was Anne. He pinched Sammie's cheek and said, "Your Mommy is not feeling well. You have to be a good girl and take care of her, do you understand?"Sammie nodded seriously and said, "I will.""Alright, sir. I will bring them to where they want to go," the nurse saw Anne signing to her anxiously. She smiled and said, "Don't worry. I will take good care of them."The promise from the nurse gave an assurance to Stefan that they would be well taken off. He smil
This was the first time Anne brought Sammie out. Ever since she escaped from death, she became a different person—a recluse and was afraid of the sun. This situation became even worse after she became mute.The last time she left the house was two weeks ago when she had to go for surgery.However, she worried about John. In the morning, Robyn told her John was hurt and needed to stay in the hospital to rest. However, she had a hard time believing what Robyn said.After spending so many years together with John, Anne reckoned she was the one who knew John the most. If it was a minor injury, John would never want to stay in the hospital. He cared too much about her and Sammie, so he never dared to let her worry about him. Therefore, it just did not sound reasonable if John would stay in the hospital because of a small injury.Furthermore, Robyn had not returned home since the morning, which was nearly three hours since she left the house. After much consideration, she decided to call
Tara fell silent upon hearing this. She bit her lip nervously and shot Gwen a tentative glance. "I didn't mean to offend you, Gwen…" "I know." Gwen let out an exhale and interrupted Tara before she could finish, "I know you meant no harm, but I can't deny that this is something I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around. In the future, neither of you—even you, Luna—should bring this up again." Her love life was such a mess that not even she could unravel the ties, much less expect other people to understand. Tara pursed her lips and did not reply. Luna stared at Gwen in silence for a while before finally saying, "But you have to face this eventually, Gwennie. After all that you've been through with Luke, all of us hope for nothing but the best for the two of you. Even if you avoid it now, you'll have to face the truth eventually. Otherwise, are you planning on spending the rest of your life in this complicated relationship with Luke? Can you bear the thought of not being
Stefan was mildly amused by the look on her face. He extended his arms out in a gesture of defeat and said, "I never intended on ratting you out to Joshua. You three spoke about these secrets in my presence." With that, he shot Andy a rather helpless look. "Don't you agree, sir?" Andy was surprised to be called out all of a sudden. "Of course!" Although Gwen and Luke had been together for a long time, Luke had never much cared for maintaining good relations with his future father-in-law. He always thought his relationship with Gwen did not concern anyone else outside of the two of them. Combined with the fact that Andy had done some hurtful things to Gwen in the past, Luke grew even more disdainful of his future father-in-law. Because of this, he had never given Andy as much as a second glance throughout their relationship and rarely ever addressed him directly like this. The truth was, Stefan had already called out to Andy once before, during their rescue mission the day befor