In Qicheng, at the Lexington Crown Hotel.
The union of the Konstantine family and the Gold family had sent shockwaves throughout New York. As the most prominent family in New York, the Konstantine family attracted countless people eager to get close to them. Dominic Gold, dressed in a sharp suit, stood in the banquet hall, basking in the compliments and flattery from the crowd. He chuckled continuously, his aged face lighting up with smiles. “Thank you, thank you all for coming to my daughter's engagement ceremony.” “The ceremony will begin shortly, please take your seats.”In high society, the Gold family held a lowly status. But so what!? His daughter was marrying Maxim Constantine, and those who had never even glanced at him before were now scrambling to curry favor with him. Thinking this, Dominic's smirk grew even more pronounced. ... In the banquet hall, as a soothing piano melody filled the air, all eyes were fixed on the large, closed doors at the far end. The auspicious moment had arrived. With a loud crash, the doors were pushed open forcefully. But stepping out was not Anna Gold and Maxim Constantine Instead, it was... A girl. Dressed in a knee-length white gown, she looked even more radiant, her flawless skin glowing like a celestial being who had wandered into the mortal realm, captivating everyone’s gaze. However, the beautiful eyes of hers held a chilling frost that seemed to pierce through the air. Upon seeing her, Dominic's smile vanished instantly. He stared indisbelief, his eyes wide as he staggered backward. “Y-You… Tatiana!?” At his words, the entire room erupted in shock. The eldest daughter of the Gold family? Wasn't she supposed to have died two years ago? Everyone present knew that Dominic was the son-in-law of the Blackwell family, who had climbed to his current position by leveraging the Blackwell family's reputation and status in New York. After Isabelle Knight passed away from illness, Ralph's career took off, and he no longer regarded the Blackwell familywith any respect. Within a month, he married his mistress, Camile Hale, and his illegitimate daughter, Wendy Hold, quickly became the legitimate heiress of the Price family. But what about the original heiress, Tatiana Gold? She had perished in a kidnapping incident two years ago! Since then, Dominic had officially taken over the Knight family's assets, rebranding the Knight company as the Gold family Group, which led to the current success of the Gold family. To everyone's shock, Tatiana was still alive! As she walked step by step toward Dominic, meeting the astonished gazes of the guests, a cold smile crept onto her lips. "Father, I see you still remember me." After escaping her perilous situation, she initially planned to return to this family to seek revenge on the previous owner. However, the previous Tatiana was frail and lacked any powerful backing, making it difficult to carry out her plans for revenge. So, she quietly spent two years strategizing. Now, upon hearing that the Gold family was set to arrange a marriage with a prominent family, she decided it was time to stir the pot! Everything they had done to the original owner was about to be repaid, and she was ready to make things right! At that moment, Camile's face was as pale as a sheet of paper. Damn it! That little brat, Malcom Hale, what on earth was he doing? Didn't he say that Tatiana had already been fed to the sharks? But soon, she regained her composure. Before Dominic could say a word, Camille rushed onto the stage, eager to take the lead. "Tatiana, it's so good to see you alive! Do you know how much your father has missed you? Why didn't you come back sooner so we could all be together?” Dominic missed her? He probably just wanted her to die sooner! Tatiana later discovered that the day after her kidnapping, Dominic had announced her death, conveniently taking control of the entire Knight Family fortune. If anyone believed that Dominic had nothing to do with her kidnapping, Tatiana certainly didn't! "The reason I didn't come back immediately was to find out the whereabouts of my kidnappers," she replied coldly, her voice as sharp as ice. Searching for the kidnappers? “What do you mean kidnappers? I was told you had an accident”. Dominic said nervously. Having an accident without investigating? What a joke!. Fortunately, when the previous owner was kidnapped, she had been clever enough to seize the opportunity amidst the chaos to rip a chain off the kidnapper's neck and hide it on her person. Now, she pulled out a silver chain, about the thickness of her pinky finger, adorned with six sparkling diamonds. Raising it high for everyone to see, her gaze was firmly locked on Dominc and Camile as she spoke slowly and deliberately, "This is something Itore off the kidnapper back then! With this, we can definitely find them!" At the sight of the necklace, Camile's face instantly paled several shades. She recognized the necklace immediately. She personally bought the necklace for Malcom in an auction. How did Tatiana get it?. If this got out, not only would Malcom be in trouble, but so would she and the entire Gold family! "Tatiana, give me the chain! I promise I'll help you find the kidnapper!" Camille reached out, trying to snatch the chain from Tatiana's hands. Was she trying to destroy the evidence? "Dream on!" Tatiana raised an eyebrow and took two steps back, causing Camille to lunge forward and nearly crash into the table. "No thanks, I'm planning to hand the necklace over to the police. I'm sure they can bring the kidnappers to justice!" She stared at Camille with a half-smile, a clear threat in her eyes. Hand it over to the police!?Hand it over to the police!? No way! Absolutely not! Camille gritted her teeth. Camille tried snatching the necklace but Tatiana moved back immediately causing her to hit the table. At that moment, Dominic also realized the seriousness of the situation. Without hesitation, he rushed in front of Tatiana and whispered fiercely, "Give me the necklace! Hurry up!” "Dad, if you value this necklace so much, anyone would think it's yours!" Tatiana said, bending slightly and smirking. "You... what are you talking about? I'm just trying to help you!" Dominic was furious, his teeth grinding in frustration. Suddenly, a cold voice echoed from a distance. "Causing a scene at my engagement ceremony? Do you want to get yourself killed?”As his words fell, everyone in the room turned to look at the entrance.There stood Maxim Konstantine, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit that accentuated his perfect physique. His chiseled face featured exquisite features, with a high nose and thin lips, radiating an air of coldness and indifference that seemed to warn others to keep their distance.Beside him was Anna Gold, elegantly dressed in a gown, her sweet smile lighting up the room.She hurried forward, practically skipping, and affectionately linked her arm with Tatiana's. "Sister, I can't believe you're alive! That's wonderful! I've missed you so much!"Anna quickly masked the flash of jealousy in her eyes. Not only had Tatiana returned, but she had also become even more beautiful!But so what? She was about to marry Maxim Konstantine. No matter how much Tatiana had changed, she couldn't take away what was rightfully hers!Tatiana silently pulled her arm away. "Are we really that close?"Anna's face turned red with em
Dominic wanted to say more, but when he met with Maxim's icy gaze, he found himself unable to utter a single word.It was well known that Maxim was a man of his word.Once he made a decision, no one could change it!He had recognized Tatiana right away, but by then, she was already dead. So, he had meticulously groomed Anna to take her place!But who could have predicted that Tatiana would suddenly return, and even be recognized by Maxim?Tatiana raised an eyebrow, surprised to find out that the person Maxim was set to marry was actually her. Under his intense gaze, her cheeks flushed slightly."Maxim, today is our engagement party. You wouldn’t want to abandon me, would you?" Anna asked cautiously, realizing the gravity of the situation.Although it was Anna's first meeting with Maxim today, she had already fallen head over heels for him."Now that the truth is out, let's call off the engagement," he said lightly.With that, Maxim turned to leave, but paused as he walked past them an
Dad, what are you two arguing about?"Tatiana walked in just then, interrupting Dominic before he could finish his sentence.She wore a calm smile, as if none of the unpleasantness from the engagement party just hours ago had ever happened.Seeing her like this only fueled Dominic's anger even more."You still have the nerve to—"His words were cut off abruptly.Tatiana was the bride that Maxim had specifically chosen to marry into the family. As long as she was around, the connection between the Gold family and the Konstantine familywouldn’t be nullified. He would still be the father-in-law of Maxim Konstantine, the most powerful man in the country!Even if Malcom exposed them, the Konstantine family wouldn't just sit back and watch the Gold family fall!So, all what he needed to do was to win over Tatiana, and all the crises would be easily resolved!With this thought in mind, the anger on his face was quickly replaced by a warm smile.He pulled Tatiana close, chuckling softly, "
It seemed things were about to get even more interesting.Returning to her room, Tatiana retrieved a rope she had prepared earlier. She secured one end around herself and the other to the window, then climbed down the wall, swiftly landing in the villa's back garden. She untied the rope, dashed to the fence, and with a powerful leap, she climbed to the top of it. With a gentle push, she jumped over the fence and out of the Gold family villa. As she turned back to glance at the villa, her eyes met those of the black-clad men who had just arrived in the garden.Tatiana smiled slyly, her lips moving as she said, "Bye-bye, losers." With that, she turned and quickly left.The men in black saw their target escaping and shouted, "Quick, chase her!”Gold family mansion."You... you are Tatiana?"Stefan's finger trembled as he pointed at the girl in front of him, his voice choked with emotion.Tatiana stepped forward quickly, grasping his hand. Her heart swelled with emotion as she replied,
Stefan smiled gently, patting her back as if comforting a lost cat that had finally found its way home. His sharp eyes sparkled with an unreadable light, which ultimately turned into a cold sword aimed at those who had harmed his precious granddaughter.After chatting a bit longer, he returned to his study to arrange the details for the upcoming banquet. Before he left, he instructed the butler to take Tatiana upstairs to rest."Miss, your room hasn't changed at all. It's still right next to the old man's, and he has someone clean it every day, just in case you suddenly come back and need a place to stay," the butler explained softly as he guided her up to the third floor.Tatiana smiled, feeling a jolt of surprise in her heart. She never expected that after all these years, while everyone believed shehad perished at sea, her grandfather still held firm in his belief that she was alive. She felt even more grateful for his love and care.As she pushed open the door to her room, she
Standing on the stage, Tatiana met the curious and scrutinizing gazes of the crowd without flinching. She gently lifted a smile and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you all."The eyes of the crowd never left Tatiana. With her calm demeanor and graceful movements, she resembled a true princess,sparking even more curiosity about her.After all, everyone knew that when Isabelle passed away, the news of the Gold family's eldest daughter’s death spread throughout the circle. Not long after, Dominic married Camille and recognized her daughter, Anna, as the new lady of the family. Now, with the real eldest daughter suddenly back, Stefan's obvious favoritism towards Tatiana raised questions about Anna and Camille's positions.Camille stood below the stage, watching as Tatiana shone brightly, her teeth clenched in frustration. Feeling the weight of the crowd's probing eyes, she tugged at Dominic's sleeve and whispered, "With how much your father is favouring Tatiana now, there's no way he'l
Her willingness to marry Maxim wasn't driven by love; rather, it was because of his status. Marrying him would help conceal her own identity and make her life easier.Stefan gently patted her head, taking her hand and placing it in Maxim's palm. His expression turned serious and authoritative as he looked at Maxim and said, "Right now, the power and prestige of the Gold family can't compare to that of the Konstantine family. By all accounts, this marriage is a stretch for us. But Tatiana is my precious girl. If you marry her and don't treat her well, I will make sure you pay the price, no matter what it takes!"Both Tatiana and Maxim were taken abackby his gesture. As their hands touched, their bodies instinctively stiffened, and the smiles on their faces turned awkward.Maxim quickly regained his composure, gripping Tatiana's hand firmly. He looked back at Stefan with a serious expression, his voice deep and magnetic. “Grandfather, you can rest assured. I will take good care of y
The crowd looked back at the screen, and indeed, the woman who had been hiding her face revealed her true identity: it was Anna.."It really is Anna! Oh my gosh, she was pretending to be a pure, innocent flower, but behind the scenes, she's wilder than anyone else.""Haha, look, there's even a date on it! This was just a week ago, right when she announced her engagement to the Konstantine family. How could Anna dare to sleep with someone else…""Does that mean Maxim has been cheated on?""Shh! Are you trying to get us killed? That's not something we can just say out loud!"In an instant, the crowd buzzed with gossip, mocking Camile and Dominic while cautiously glancing at Maxim's expression.Meanwhile, backstage, Anna had realized she had played the wrong video, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't turn it off.Listening to the unbearable sounds, her face turned bright red with anger. What on earth was happening?!She had clearly stored a video of Tatiana as a child on her U
Three days later—The first thing Tatiana saw when she opened her eyes was a blanket of white. After a few moments of confusion, she blinked and slowly turned her head to look around, realizing she was in a hospital.Before she could take in her surroundings, she heard the sound of a door opening. Turning toward the noise, she saw Maxim walking in.When Maxim saw Tatiana awake and looking at him, he felt a rush of excitement. He quickly approached her and asked,"You’re finally awake! How do you feel? Is there anywhere that still hurts?"Tatiana slowly shook her head, wanting to speak, but her throat was dry and raspy. Instead, she looked at Maxim, hoping he would understand that she needed water.Fortunately, Maxim got the hint. He smiled at her and hurried over to pour a glass of warm water. After helping her drink, Tatiana felt a wave of relief wash over her. "I’m fine. How long was I out?""Three days," Maxim replied, his eyes filled with an emotion she couldn't quite place.Emo
With that thought, Riley quickly left those people behind.Tatiana, on the other hand, was unaware of Riley's situation. She stood facing the assassin in front of her, her expression icy."Miss, we hope you can leave this place. We don't want to harm you; we just need you to leave that man behind. We assure you, you can leave here safely."These people had been here for a long time, trying to persuade Tatiana to leave. Their boss had ordered that she couldn't be harmed, but they couldn't understand why this woman refused to budge. They had been standing there for what felt like ages.Realizing that convincing Tatiana was futile, the leader turned his attention to Mazim. "Maxim, are you still a man? Hiding behind a woman?”Maxim pressed his hand against his shoulder, his face pale from blood loss. He managed a weak smile and replied, "Better than being unprotected like you."Though he said that, deep down, he hoped Tatiana would leave soon. He didn't know how long they could mainta
Crushing the herbs and applying them to the wound, then bandaging it up was all she could do for now. After tending to his injury, he looked at Tatiana and said, "You need to get out of here quickly. They’re not after you, and they won’t chase you. Find a way back and get someone to rescue me."Tatiana replied, "By then, it won’t be about saving you; it’ll just be about collecting your body."Seeing Maxim’s pale face, Tatiana insisted, "I’m not leaving. It was my idea to come here, and I won’t just abandon you.""Why are you being so foolish?" Maxim's lips curled into a slight smile. In such a dire situation, all he wanted was for Tatiana to leave.She was the girl he liked, and he wanted her to be safe, away from this suffering. But why, upon realizing she wouldn’t leave, did he feel even more touched and reluctant to let her go?"I’m not foolish. I’m with you, and we’re married—even if it’s just pretend. We’re friends, right?" Tatiana said, helping Maxim to his feet as they slowly
The man didn’t even have time to react before he collapsed unconscious.The commotion drew attention, and all eyes turned toward Tatiana.“Run!” Tatiana shouted, grabbing Maxim’s hand and sprinting toward the nearby trees.Her shout jolted everyone awake, and the leader yelled for the others to pursue both of them.As Tatiana saw that they were about to disappear from sight, the leader at the front suddenly darkened his expression. He quickly pulled out something and fired a shot toward Maxim.Tatiana turned around just in time to witness this scene, and immediately grabbed Maxim, trying to switch places with him. But little did she know, Maxim had also spotted the bullet heading his way.The leader initially thought the bullet might miss Maxim since the woman beside him was ready to take the hit, but to his surprise, her didn’t let her take the bullet for him.“Bang—”The sound of the gunshot echoed, startling the birds perched in the trees, sending them flying off into the distance
Moreover, John had sent someone to wait for them so early. If they hadn't arrived earlier, and had waited until later to come, things would have been even more complicated.With these thoughts in mind, Maxim felt even more determined. Once they were out of here, he would make sure to pull John down from his position as soon as possible. Someone like him didn’t deserve to be in the company.He believed that his grandfather would never allow such a person to be part of the company either.The next morning, sunlight streamed through the leaves, casting bright rays that pierced Tatiana's eyes. She blinked a few times, slowly waking up.As she looked around, her mind began to piece together the events of the previous day. At that moment, Maxim also stirred awake as Tatiana shifted away from his shoulder.He had barely slept at all last night, finally drifting off only as morning approached.Tatiana stood up and checked her phone, only to find there was still no signal. She turned to Max
"The place ahead is Sylvia's home. Do you think they might not be looking for us and instead have gone to kill them?""No way, these assassins are all managed by someone. They only target their assignments and won't harm anyone else, so we need to protect ourselves first." Tatiana said this without a hint of hesitation, but then she realized that as a young lady, she probably shouldn't know about such things.Thinking this, Tatiana cautiously glanced at Maxim. His expression didn’t seem strange, so he likely hadn’t caught on to what she was implying. With that thought, she quietly sighed in relief; otherwise, she would have to find a way to explain everything, which would only complicate matters. She didn’t want Maxim to get dragged into this mess.With that in mind, Tatiana said, "Let’s stop talking about this and get out of here. We can’t stay for long, and we can’t be sure they won’t come back.”As she spoke, she tugged on Maxim's shirt and led him toward the exit. However, as she
As he spoke, Maxim glanced outside at the darkening sky. They had already wasted too much time, and they couldn't afford to linger any longer. They weren't familiar with the area, and it was best to get back to their car before it was completely dark. Otherwise, they might find it impossible to return.Tatiana understood his concerns and frowned as she looked at the weather outside. "Let's go talk to the old lady about this. If all goes well, we can leave right away. We can bring Sylvia and Marianna back with us when we return the notebook. Right now, going back is too risky."Sylvia and Marianna had only gone out a few years ago. Tatiana thought that it wouldn’t be right to leave them behind while taking Grandma alone, so her initial plan was to bring all three of them back together. However, it was clear that they couldn’t take Grandma on such a journey now. At her age, it wouldn’t be good for her to travel those long distances. They decided that once they returned the book, they
“She left when she was very young, and I don’t know much about it,” the old woman said, shaking her head as she looked at Tatiana. “But I haven’t dared to go into her room all these years, so I don’t know what’s inside. There might be something valuable in there. I have the key; you can go take a look.”Sitting on the stool, the old woman had thought it through. These two didn’t seem like bad people, and sharing this information with them wouldn’t hurt. Maybe they could even find the killer of Cordelia. After all, so many years had passed,and she had come to terms with it. The most important thing for her now was Sylvia and Marianna. So, for their sake, she decided to open the room today.Tatiana was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected the old woman to be so accommodating, but this could indeed lead to more information. Feeling grateful, Tatiana smiled at the old woman and said, “If you don’t want to go in, you don’t have to. We won’t disturb anything inside.”The old woman stood
The elderly woman knew she was putting them in a tough spot, but she felt she had no choice. This was her only hope after all these years. She couldn’t afford to send her children to school herself, so she had to push for this arrangement. For her kids, she was willing to take the risk.The old man's request was something Tatiana hadn't expected. She thoughthe would ask for wealth or something similar, but it was just about reading books? Was that all?Tatiana appeared somewhat dazed, which seemed to signal to the old man that she was reluctant to give up this opportunity. So she quickly added, "You don't have to feel hesitant. Just take her out. All you need to do is cover some necessary expenses, and consider it a loan. Once they have the ability to earn money, they will definitely come back to repay you. I promise."This time, even though Tatiana hadn't fully processed the situation, Maxim had. He looked at the old man and calmly said,"No need.""What?" The old woman was momentar