Heather closed her luggage bag and placed it by the door. Luna followed her and gave her a curious look. "Remember Anne Sinclair?"Heather paused. Anne?It had been some time since she last heard that name. As far as she remembered, Anne had returned to Mericia with her ex-husband, Jacob Horton.She never bothered asking what happened to her after that.Luna tapped on her phone and pulled up some entertainment news from Mericia. "She miscarried."Heather widened her eyes. After scanning the article, she found out that Anne hadn't had a great time with her ex-husband in Mericia.Even though Jacob had tried his best to protect her, the Horton family was still upset with her past behavior. Under their relentless criticism, Anne ended up falling down the stairs. At the same time, a scandal had erupted between Jacob and another woman.With all these factors, another argument exploded between them again.No one knew what happened next.Luna put away her phone. The Horton family an
Without bothering to wait for Charles' reaction, Heather continued, "If I hadn't decided to pay back my debts in such a way, we would never have even met. I would've had my own life."Charles stared at her in a daze as she said all that. Bile rose up in his throat. He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, no words came out.All he could do was watch her get out of the car.Just as Heather was about to enter the house, a sudden bright light illuminated her. Instinctively, she raised her hand to shield her eyes.The next thing she heard was the sharp screech of car brakes and Charles' panicked cry. "Heather!"Yvonne was driving the car that was speeding toward Heather. She was blinded by resentment, her anger making her do rash things. She had broken free of her bodyguards and attempted to drive a car straight into Heather.However, Charles was faster. He got out of the car and pushed Heather away just in time. She sustained only minor scrapes. Charles, on the other
Panic had overwhelmed Charles at the time. He had considered, briefly, to jump in after her, but before he could do anything, Heather had surfaced, clutching the ring in her hands.Later, Charles had held her in his arms tightly, still filled with terror and an unidentified emotion.He'd been afraid that she would disappear into the sea, never to be found again.Now, he realized that that unidentifiable emotion had been love.He had fallen for her the moment she had dove into the sea for that ring.Overwhelmed by remorse, he covered his face and sobbed bitterly.Ryan returned to the Fullman residence late at night. He brought a bunch of gifts with him.Heather looked at the gifts in confusion. Ryan quickly explained that this was all from Charles—after seeing the ring, he had burst into tears and cried for a long time. Then, he'd called to have an entire car filled with gifts for her as compensation.Heather stared at the gifts for a long time before resigning herself to open t
In the hall, Heather saw Albert, his hair now completely gray, and Charles, who was seated numbly in his wheelchair.She placed the bouquet of flowers she had brought on Laura's coffin and stared at her peaceful visage through the window for a long time.She didn't know how she felt about Laura.She should be grateful, but Laura had ruined five years of her youth.Then again, she couldn't resent her, as she had supported her financially and allowed her to continue her studies.In any case, Laura was dead.The past was truly in the past now.After a final look, Heather went up to Albert and nodded respectfully to him. "I am sorry for your loss, Mr. Pennington."Albert nodded back without saying anything.Then, she turned to Charles. After a pause, she said, "My condolences."Charles gave her a bitter smile and said nothing.Since Laura's death involved an immediate family member, Yvonne was temporarily released from prison under supervision.Yvonne's arrogant demeanor had co
"System, I would like to request to be released from this world," Fiona Randell said, summoning the system.A golden object appeared in mid-air and said robotically, "Host No. 371 has requested to be released from the world. The system is attending to the request…"Three minutes later, a golden light flashed again. "Request approved! You completed your mission five years ago but delayed your return to reality. Now, you have a month to bid farewell to everything in this world."Fiona nodded. The golden light disappeared, and darkness descended upon the palace. It was large and spacious but empty save for a table full of dishes to celebrate her birthday. They still smelled good despite having already gone cold.She summoned some maids and had them clear the table. Just then, there was a noise outside. Michael Pearson entered the palace.He saw that the candles were still lit, and Fiona was seated alone before the window. The flickering candlelight made it hard to discern her express
The following day, Fiona woke up a little later than usual because she'd fallen asleep in the wee hours. When she woke up, she was told that Michael hadn't gone to court. Instead, he was preparing breakfast for her.She sat there dazedly, suddenly thinking about the past. Since marrying Michael and becoming the lady of the Eastern Hall, she'd been determined to become a graceful and virtuous crown princess. So, she'd wanted to learn how to cook.However, she'd accidentally scalded herself. Michael's eyes had reddened at the sight, and his heart had ached when applying ointment to her hand. From then on, he'd banned her from entering the kitchen."From now on, the royal chefs will prepare the food. If you can't get used to the taste, I'll learn how to cook so that I can cook for you. You're not allowed to step foot in there anymore, do you hear me?"He was so considerate of her that he was willing to learn how to cook for her sake. He could also wipe out Darkwind Lair when they'd ab
Fiona went to an apricot tree in the palace. It was one that Michael had planted many years ago upon learning that she liked apricot blossoms. It was fully grown and towered over her.She immediately saw the words carved on it. "Fiona Randell is Michael Pearson's."At the time, he'd been so outspoken and proud of their relationship. He'd wanted the world to know he loved her.Fiona traced the words, feeling a little dazed. She felt like she could see the young man in white who only had eyes for her again.In the end, she picked up the spade and dug the soil at the base of the tree until she found a letter buried there. Michael had planted the tree on one of her birthdays as a surprise. At the same time, he'd buried a letter with it.He'd been so mysterious about it that her curiosity had been piqued. She'd pestered him about it, wanting to know what was written in the letter.Yet all he'd done was smile and tell her the letter was meant for himself. He was supposed to read it ten
Fiona returned to the Eastern Hall alone. Michael was still out. It was only when it was late at night that he sent someone back to tell her that he couldn't be with her because he was busy with work."Be good, Fi. I'll bring you a gift when I return." That was his message.Fiona sat in the empty palace, her face devoid of emotion. She nodded without asking any questions.Michael only returned to the palace several days later. He looked windswept, almost as if he'd truly been busy with work. He reached out to hold Fiona and leaned down to kiss her as he'd always done, but she dodged him.This took him aback. He sensed something was wrong with her. "What's wrong? Are you upset? Are you mad at me because I haven't spent the past few days with you?"The old Fiona had been cheerful and light-hearted. She loved clinging to him and being coquettish with him. However, she'd stopped doing that in the past two years. He'd almost forgotten that she used to act differently.For some reason,
"I'm at Ebony Beach right now," Fiona said as she buried her face behind the high collar of her windbreaker. Her voice was glum as she continued, "When are you coming?"Wilson checked his flight ticket before replying with a smile, "Well, it can't be helped. I need to focus on the renovation work for your house, you know. I don't want to be paid for doing nothing. I might only be able to join you when you move to the next country. Don't be too reliant on me. Enjoy yourself—"Fiona ended the call in a huff.She and Wilson had traveled to about four or five countries together before a problem came up with her house. Wilson had no choice but to fly back, making two transfers before he finally got back to the country.Meanwhile, apart from hiding the plane ticket he already got from Fiona, Wilson was also hiding a ring in his pocket. He had only bought one because he was going to propose to Fiona, and he would be fine no matter what her response was. Either way, this ring was for him.
"After saying that, he said a lot of other things I didn't understand," Fiona said exasperatedly. "It'll be good if he never shows up in front of me again."She had finally freed herself from all those messy things. She didn't want to have to be reminded of them anymore.Wilson knew that Michael was going to die, but he selfishly didn't want to tell Fiona that.His mission wasn't to marry Fiona or anything. There was only one goal he had to complete, and that was to make her happy.Happiness could be achieved in many ways. In the beginning, Wilson wanted to get Fiona to accept his love so that he could shower her with care and affection to keep her happy. But over time, he slowly realized just how wonderful she was. It was from then that he couldn't bear to trick her into feeling happy because of his pretense. He didn't want it to just be a part of a mission.Therefore, he didn't want to force Fiona into anything. He genuinely wanted to treat her well."Now that you've resigned,
Looking rather conflicted, Wilson opened his mouth to speak, but at the very next second, he trembled violently and fell to the floor. He winced in pain as his body kept spasming.Alarmed, Fiona reached out to help him up, but he swiftly rolled away from her. Gasping as if he had been through a great deal of pain, he said with a rueful smile, "Don't touch me. You'll get electrocuted."Instantly, Fiona figured out what was happening, and she was filled with remorse.The system wouldn't allow its operative to mention anything related to its programming. It would electrocute the operative to stop it from happening. Fiona had nearly blurted something out in the past, only to end up getting zapped with electricity. The pain had been unbearable.It took some time before Wilson finally recovered. Once he felt better, he sat on the floor and looked up at Fiona, saying, "I'm sorry."He was sorry he couldn't tell her and for lying to her at the start. Although he couldn't say that aloud, hi
Fiona's mind was all fuzzy and jumbled up. She knew it was possible for someone to fall in love with their mission target. She had done it herself after all, so why couldn't she believe Wilson?Perhaps Michael was to blame for that.Still, Wilson looked serious. He confessed his love for her as solemnly as if he were proposing to her or declaring his marriage vows to her."Fiona," Wilson said before pressing his cool lips against the back of her hand. "Don't reject me."Cheeks flushed, Fiona looked away and pulled her hand back, saying, "Give me some time to think. Don't force me."Wilson obligingly stood up, his tall figure looking meek and obedient. He had brought medicine for her and even gave her candy to bribe her with, as if she were a child.Once Fiona took the medication, her head didn't seem to hurt as much. She looked at Wilson and asked, "How did you know I was sick?"Wilson knew where she was staying because he had dropped her off on the motorbike the other night, bu
The rational side of Fiona was telling her that Michael was capable of coming up with any kind of story he wanted, but the emotional side of her couldn't help but recall all the details of her every encounter with Wilson.Had all those coincidental meetings and sweet moments been created on purpose, just like she had once done?Still, regardless of what Wilson was, Fiona wouldn't forgive Michael anyway. She pushed his hands off her and shook her head, saying, "I don't know if you're telling the truth. I'll ask him about it myself. But even so, why should I leave with you? Am I supposed to give you another chance to hurt me, Michael?""Fi, I've really learned from my mistakes," Michael hastily declared. "You're still so young. Just give me another chance, please? I really miss you so much.""What does my youth have to do with you?" Fiona shot back, feeling rather mystified by his behavior. "Was I not young enough back in the world where I met you? Didn't I end up wasting all of my t
No matter how great the weekend was, Fiona still had to head to work and deal with the mess at the office. She knew that she might be subjected to her housemates' inquisitive looks if she went back to the house, so she stayed at a hotel instead.She could hazard a guess as to who had sent that email, but without any evidence to back her up, she had to set her suspicions aside for now.Fiona headed to the office as usual. When she arrived, her colleagues all fell silent mid-conversation. Several probing gazes landed on her, and Eunice quickly ran over, asking, "Where have you been staying the last two days, Fi?""I got myself a hotel room," Fiona replied with a pleasant smile. "Is that answer to your satisfaction?""Why would you say that?" Eunice asked awkwardly.Fiona didn't reply. She wasn't the kind of person who would stir up drama for no reason, but that didn't mean she would take things lying down either. If the matter couldn't be settled properly, she would just see it to t
Fiona was taken aback.The fire was reflected in Wilson's eyes, making them flicker with light. After a while, he chuckled and said, "The experts say there might be a meteor shower tonight, but it's not a guarantee. Will you be mad if it doesn't happen after all?"Fiona shook her head. A warm, fuzzy feeling filled her heart. Wilson was acting like a child who wanted to share everything of interest he could find with her. It made her feel important to him.Wilson didn't need money, so it wasn't as though the sales she brought in for the bar were much of a motivator for him. Why was he treating her so well then?The answer that seemed the most obvious made Fiona's heart pound. She recalled the terrible blunder she had made with her last relationship. There was still a mess at the office that she needed to deal with, but as if eloping, she came running out to the middle of nowhere to see a meteor shower that may not even happen.It was ludicrous yet exciting all the same.Fiona's ph
No matter how cool a motorbike was, there was a limit to its speed. Wilson and Fiona were on the road for half an hour before they arrived at their destination.Fiona was rather stunned by the location they were in.Wilson had taken her to the edge of the city. It was possible that having lived the first two decades of her life in severe hardship led to her never realizing that a concrete city could still be home to a forest.The leaves rustled as the evening breeze caressed the trees. The moonlight lit up the ground, basking everything in a glow of faint light.Wilson looked to the side, his gaze falling on Fiona's gaping mouth. Smiling, he asked, "Do you like it here?"Fiona couldn't speak. All she could do was nod earnestly."There's even more fun to come," he said before taking her hand.While it was beautiful out here, it was still in the middle of nowhere. Fiona fidgeted nervously, to which Wilson responded by tightening his grip on her hand and asking softly, "Do you know
After talking to Geraldine, Fiona found out that the entire company had received that email, and it couldn't be traced back to its sender. Thus, the company management had no choice but to quickly try and resolve the matter instead.Geraldine had been the one who confirmed Fiona's permanent position with the company, so she knew there was little veracity to the claims in that email. Nevertheless, she had to ask, "Those things said in the email are all untrue, right?"Exhaling softly, Fiona said glumly, "Not all. I did go drinking at the bar."She did buy a house too, but she chose not to bring that up. At the end of the day, she believed in not flaunting one's wealth.Geraldine looked a little helpless. "That's your personal life. The company has no say in that. All that matters is the rest are all untrue. You can go back to work now. This isn't a big deal. We'll do our best to get to the bottom of things."Fiona nodded and went back to her desk. She figured the sender of the emai