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
Feeling the sting, Tatiana finally snapped back to reality. She rubbed her forehead and looked at Maxim, saying, “Why did you flick me?”“Who told you to zone out? Do you remember what I just said to you?” Maxim didn’t need to guess that she hadn’t been paying attention, so he reluctantly repeated himself.To his surprise, Tatiana replied, “I was talking to you, but you didn’t hear me. You were busy chopping vegetables, and I was worried you’d cut yourself, so I didn’t want to distract you. I just wanted to help, but I didn’t realize the water was hot and ended up burning myself.”After saying that, she felt like she had only added to Maxim’s troubles. With a pout, she said, “Fine, I’ll just leave you to it. Take your time.”With that, Tatum waved her little hand and walked away.Watching her retreating figure, Maxim couldn’t help but feel helpless. He lowered his head and continued chopping vegetables, but the love in his eyes and the smile at the corners of his mouth were almost o
While Tatiana was absorbed in the movie, she didn’t notice that Maxim, who had previously worn a serious expression, broke into a smile the moment he felt her lean closer.The film was a classic, and as it wrapped up, Tatiana finished the last of the fruit on the platter.The softness of the couch made Tatiana reluctant to move, so she just stayed seated."Are you not getting up? Do you plan to skip dinner tonight?" Maxim asked, looking at the person still lounging on the couch with irritation."Um..." Tatiana's originally cool tone took on a sweet, childlike quality due to her lazy demeanor, and Maxim found himself surrendering.With no other choice, Maxim said, "Alright, if you want to keep sitting, then go ahead. Do you need any fruit?""Yes, please." Handing the fruit platter to Maxim, Tatiana looked up and smiled at him.After Tatiana finished a small plate of fruit, Maxim insisted on taking her to the supermarket.The two of them pushed a shopping cart together. Looking at the
While Tatiana was absorbed in the movie, she didn’t notice that Maxim, who had previously worn a serious expression, broke into a smile the moment he felt her lean closer.The film was a classic, and as it wrapped up, Tatiana finished the last of the fruit on the platter.The softness of the couch made Tatiana reluctant to move, so she just stayed seated."Are you not getting up? Do you plan to skip dinner tonight?" Maxim asked, looking at the person still lounging on the couch with irritation."Um..." Tatiana's originally cool tone took on a sweet, childlike quality due to her lazy demeanor, and Maxim found himself surrendering.With no other choice, Maxim said, "Alright, if you want to keep sitting, then go ahead. Do you need any fruit?""Yes, please." Handing the fruit platter to Maxim, Tatiana looked up and smiled at him.After Tatiana finished a small plate of fruit, Maxim insisted on taking her to the supermarket.The two of them pushed a shopping cart together. Looking at the
"I have a high tolerance for you, but I also hope you won't keep showcasing your limited intelligence in front of me. It only makes me look down on you more, and it’s utterly pointless."With that, Tatiana turned on her heel and walked away, not bothering to glance back at Delany. There was really nothing more to say to someone like her.As Tatiana walked down the street, she initially planned to head home. However, she remembered Tara and realized she hadn’t seen her in the hospital earlier. She took out her phone and sent Tara a message. It didn’t take long for Tara to reply, confirming that she was back at school and not in class. Tatiana decided she would go visit her. Tara was happy to hear that.Putting her phone away, Tatiana hailed a taxi and headed over.Meanwhile, Tara had just finished her meal and put down her empty plate. She left the cafeteria, planning to wait in a small garden behind the school for the hot pot delivery to arrive.Just before Tatiana arrived, Tara s
Vance was taken aback by Tatiana's words. The Tatiana he knew always seemed aloof, quiet, and regal, but hearing her comfort Emily made him realize she wasn't the person he had imagined.Tatiana, however, was too focused on the girl in front of her to notice Vance's daze. As Emily began to lower her guard, Tatiana smiled warmly."What's your name?" she asked kindly.Emily looked at Tatiana's face, shyly smiled,and replied, "I'm Emily, just an ordinary sophomore here. I know the girl who saved me; her name is Tara. She just came to our school not long ago. Funny enough, we're from the same city. I went to high school there too, but I ended up here for college after the entrance exams."Emily had initially thought Tara had always studied in that city, not realizing she had moved there for college. But she felt there was no need to explain that. Instead, she asked, "So, your parents don’t know about what happened? I haven’t seen them come to check on you."When the topic of parents cam
As Tatiana read about his background, she learned that he had a very reclusive and troubled adolescence, suffering from various illnesses and often being abused by his mother. Even after marrying and having children, he was plagued by depression, which eventually led him to commit his first murder.From there, the list of victims continued to grow. As Tatiana read through the details of how the killer had murdered these individuals, she looked down at the case file in her hands. She was now certain that this murderer was mimicking Luca's methods—specifically, the pattern of rape andmurder.However, Luca had truly developed a mental illness due to his sickness. As Tatiana looked at the photos related to the case, she couldn't determine if this murderer was indeed him. It seemed like a highly skilled impersonator; so far, there had been no details discovered about the actual person involved—everything pointed to Andre. At this rate, it felt utterly useless.Putting down the case in
As she pondered this, Tatiana thought about what it would mean if she chose to help them. She would be working alongside Vance. However, it was clear that the higher-ups wanted Delany to stick with Mason too. Tatiana didn’t like the idea of having someone she didn’t get along with hovering around her. With that thought in mind, she decided to call someone on her phone, hoping to have Delany reassigned to another location for a while. It wouldn’t hurt to make that change.Once she settled her thoughts, Tatiana finally focused on the heavy case file in her hands.The next day, Tatiana called Vance to let him know she would be stopping by in the afternoon. The reason for the afternoon visit was simple: she had a meeting with Maxim in the morning to sign contracts with a company. It seemed everything was progressing smoothly.However, when she saw John walk in, her brows furrowed in confusion. She couldn't understand why he was here at this time.Maxim was clearly a bit surprised,
Tatiana listened to him while glancing at the well-dressed Delany beside her. She smiled and shook her head. "It's fine. Just show me the case files, all of them, including the information on the previous victims. I need everything, but I don't have much time to go through it here. I’ll need to take the files with me to reviewat my own pace. Is that okay? Please let the higher-ups know about this.""They mentioned from the start that they were aware of your preferences, so they just asked me to cooperate with you. If there are any other issues or needs, just let me know directly. You don’t have to worry about anything else," Vance replied.After saying this, he observed Tatiana's expression, unsure why she had agreed this time. The higher-ups were anxious that she might suddenly withdraw her help, which would make the case much harder to crack.Rebecca was well aware of the internal dynamics but felt it was unnecessary. She had always been someone who kept her word. Mason's behavio
"Developing games? I remember someone from our company was quite interested in that area. As for the film side, isn’t Jayden the only one under your wing? If you want to avoid losses, you’ll need to bring in more people later on."Maxim looked a bit confused by Tatiana's comment. He didn’t quite understand why she suddenly mentioned her company alongside his.Seeing his puzzled expression, Tatiana smiled and clarified, "I mean, we shouldcollaborate again on our projects.”"We're collaborating again. By signing the contract with the company you need now, it's like signing with two companies at once, right? This way, the money we make will surpass what John can offer all at once. It’s a win-win for us, while John will only end up losing both money and resources."After hearing Tatiana's words, Maxim finally understood. This approach was something he hadn't encountered before, so whether it would work was uncertain. However, given the current situation, it seemed like the only option. If