Inside the room, Emily sat on the balcony, tightly clutching a diamond ring. It was the same ring Derek had placed on her finger on their wedding day, and fortunately, she hadn't impulsively discarded it.
This sea-blue ring had become the sole reminder of Derek, and she couldn't help but wonder about the ring she had given him—where could it be now?Emily's face was streaked with tears. For the first time in her life, she felt lost and uncertain about what to do next.If not for their four children, she would kill Gimson without no hesitation at the price of her life. However, the thought of her children was her vulnerable spot, forcing her to compromise.Whenever she thought about the children, her heart ached like a knife cutting through her. They loved Derek dearly, but he was gone.Was Derek truly dead? Why couldn't she bring herself to believe that he had left this world?Emily bit her lip until it broke the skin.Her eyes, filled with tSoon, Emily found herself in Friedel's presence.As she prepared to articulate her purpose, the man abruptly raised his head. In a cold voice, Friedel suggested, "Come on, let's go into the study first." He turned and ascended the stairs.Positioned behind him, Emily tilted her head slightly to observe his complete figure, the cadence of his walk, the sweep of his hand movements... It all felt so familiar.Emily's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to Derek, and she let out a small sigh.Was it merely the yearning for him that made any semblance seem like him?Suppressing her emotions, Emily followed him up the stairs. The study was spacious, and Friedel settled on the balcony. It was about ten meters from where Emily stood by the door."I've agreed to the collaboration you proposed earlier," Friedel declared, sitting on an office chair, his dark eyes sweeping over her blandly. "However, I need to assess your capabilities first."Emily responded w
It was already past eleven o'clock at night, and the entire villa had fallen into silence, except for Nick, who was still playing games in his room.Emily went back to her room to freshen up. As she pushed open the door, she noticed that the lights had been turned off at some point. She frowned and reached for the switch on the wall.Suddenly, a powerful force clamped onto her wrist...The bedroom plunged into darkness, and Emily detected a strong scent. Her initial thought was that it was Derek, but the grip on her wrist was so forceful that it almost felt like it would break.Derek, whether before or after his amnesia, would never have been this rough with her.Emily raised her foot and kicked a chair, but the man skillfully avoided it. In the darkness, he yanked her by the wrist and threw her onto the bed. His tall figure pressed down on her."Emily, it seems that you're living a carefree life. Did you already forget who I am?" a cold, low voice rang
After Emily, Derek, and the four kids finished their cozy dinner, Derek went to do the dishes, while the kids went to the yard to play.Suddenly, a sharp and abrupt ring echoed through the house. Derek walked from the kitchen to the living room and picked up the phone.Emily sat on the sofa with her hand on her chin, silently gazing at the handsome Derek. However, her thoughts drifted, contemplating the possibility that even if Gimson were arrested again and placed in a dungeon with reinforced defenses, he would still manage to escape.Gimson was too tricky, and Derek, a decent man, was no match for him at all. Unless Gimson was killed...As soon as this thought surfaced in Emily's mind, she was shocked. When had she become so cruel and cold-blooded as to consider killing someone to get rid of Gimson? Shaking her head, she banished this bizarre thought from her mind.At that moment, Derek's face had darkened."What do you mean... that it was
Emma let out a silent sigh and turned to ascend the stairs. Emily's hands were tucked into her coat pockets as she took a step upstairs. The bedroom door pushed open, and Emily caught the heavy odor of smoke."You need to leave," Gimson's eyes landed on Emma's face, and he coldly spat out these words.All of Emma's words were stifled; she didn't dare to confront her son. She took three steps out of the room and closed the door behind her.Emily stood in the room, her voice cold, "What do you want?"Gimson's eyes fell on her hands. He coldly said, "Hands out."Emily obediently withdrew her hands."Take off your jacket and throw it at the floor," Gimson ordered coldly.Emily complied without hesitation, tossing the jacket to the ground, a crisp sound emanating from it."Hiding knives in your pockets again, Emily?"Emily sneered defiantly, "Against you, a knife is sufficient."Gimson fumbled in his pocket and pul
In the villa, four children snuggled up to Emily. Beyond this cozy scene, Emma stood silently, her eyes red. She had witnessed Gimson taking Emily away, but now it was Derek who brought her back.What about Gimson? Where did he go?She wanted to ask but didn't dare.Derek soon entered from outside, his face cold, and his gaze fell indifferently on Emma's face.Emma avoided his eyes and, with trembling lips, said, "I'm a bit uncomfortable; I'll go back first.""Don't you want to know where Gimson is?" Derek halted Emma with one word. He spoke in a cold voice, "Chris, take your siblings upstairs."Chris understood that this was an adult conversation and obediently led the siblings upstairs by their hands.Emma covered her chest and slowly asked, "Derek, what did you do to your brother...""It wasn't me who did anything to him; it was him who chose a path of death," Derek said in a cold voice. "He's dead; I killed him myse
After Gimson died, Emily was finally able to work at the office alone.Derek managed the company's documents during this period, making decisions on major matters, while Emily's assistant handled some minor tasks. A pile of documents accumulated on the desk over the past two weeks.In the morning, Emily reviewed the project documents that hadn't been filed yet. It must be acknowledged that Derek's approach was truly wise, and many complex cases seemed straightforward through his methods. After perusing a dozen or so project cases, Emily felt that her business acumen had elevated to another level."Ms. Hopkins, everyone is here. It's time for the meeting," Emily's assistant softly announced, knocking on the door. Emily nodded, closed the file, and stood up, heading to the conference room.Absent from the company for over half a month, she needed the meeting to catch up on the recent company developments."Ms. Hopkins, the company's financial state
The night was slowly descending.Emily leaned against the balcony with her laptop on her lap, engrossed in coding for the company's new project. Each time she delved into her work, it became the most relaxing time for her.Suddenly, a barking sound echoed outside the window, and a chorus of dogs in the neighborhood joined in.Opening the window, Emily frowned as she observed a few additional stray dogs in the vicinity. The barking intensified, fueling her irritation.Spotting a fruit knife on the coffee table, she walked over to pick it up, ready to throw it at the noisy dogs.However, her fingers froze, questioning the darkness of her thoughts. How could she entertain such a violent idea?"Get rid of the wild dogs, you guys!" commanded the butler, instructing the servants to deal with the four or five strays.Finally, the dogs ran away, and Emily felt relieved.Derek entered, witnessing Emily's furrowed brow and
Emily slept until after eleven o'clock at night. When she woke up, the entire family villa had succumbed to a deep slumber, with both the children and servants sound asleep."Awake?" a crisp voice echoed in her ears.She squinted open her eyes and mumbled, "Derek, I'm hungry."Derek chuckled softly, "Rest a little more; I'll go downstairs and cook for you. It'll take about half an hour."Emily nodded with her eyes closed, finding solace in the prospect of a little more sleep.As she drifted in and out of consciousness, her cerebral cortex unusually active, she surprisingly began to dream.She found herself traversing a white valley with mountains and layers of green trees, directionless and weak.With each step, her legs gave out, and she felt the desperation of trying to break free from the dream. Finally standing up, she struggled across a swamp, and as the path leveled, she attempted to open her eyes without success.Sudde