When did I come up with the live streaming plan? One sleepless night, I was tossing and turning, thinking about how Steven said he couldn’t track down Max’s whereabouts or find any useful information. It became clear that the current methods were not enough to deal with Max. Max’s high intelligence meant he had some counter-surveillance abilities. So, after much deliberation, I decided to let him think he had the upper hand: investigating Lucy at the hospital, hiring a private investigator to follow Cindy and him, deliberately transferring the financial management, and rejecting his travel suggestions.In short, I let Max believe that I was wary of him while he smugly thought I couldn’t escape his grasp.It was a risky move, banking on Max’s arrogance. He thought that after my parents died, I was just a helpless girl with only my friend Wendy for support, and that I couldn’t possibly pose any threat to him. Had Max not been so overconfident, this wouldn't have been so easy.I al
He glared at me with a terrifyingly twisted face, his anger bubbling up from his chest. "Jen, if you’re so desperate to die, I have no choice but to kill you!"His trembling rage made my head spin.Max dragged me by my hair toward the edge of the pool. My scalp felt like it was being torn off—waves of pain coursed through my body. It hurt so much, but I clenched my teeth, refusing to scream.Even if I died, I wouldn't beg for mercy!At the poolside, Max threw me down, and my head hit the edge of the tiles. The dull pain was overwhelming. I looked at Max through a haze; his distorted face was now a blur, shadows dancing before my eyes.He squatted, grabbing my hair again. "You want to kill me? Then you can die with me!"The next second, he pushed my head into the pool.I had no strength to resist. Bubbles gurgled around me.Dad, Mom, I'm sorry.Baby, I'm sorry.But I'm coming to join you now.---When I woke up in the hospital, the first person I saw was Luke.I thought I
Due to the live stream causing such a huge sensation, almost everyone in the country knew about Max's crimes. The police arrested Max and his mother, Annie, according to the law.Before this, Steven had already executed the initial plan. After Max's crimes were exposed, Steven tricked Annie into getting into a car. She was smug until Steven showed her the viral video from the live stream. Only then did she realize her son was finished.Terrified, she almost fainted, but Steven was prepared with ice water, which he dumped over her head. He told her that if she confessed to Max's crimes and her involvement, he might let her go.Annie, too scared to think straight, spilled everything. Fearing she might change her story at the police station, Steven recorded her confession in advance.Finally, he handed Annie over to the police.At the station, Annie was dumbfounded and asked Steven, "Didn't you say you'd let me go?"Following my instructions, Steven had contacted the security at Cin
My father had a habit of hiding his medication in the drawer of his study—but then it struck me, who else would know about this habit besides me? Could it be Luke?Just as I was pondering this, Stephen's words brought me back to reality. "Miss Middleton, putting yourself at such risk to gather evidence is incredibly unwise. You knew Max was a deranged killer, yet you acted so recklessly."I shook my head. "Mr. York, it was precisely because I realized the danger that I couldn't wait any longer. Max's intelligence and ruthlessness wouldn't give me much time to gather evidence or fight back. I had to take a risk to win. Admittedly, I was ready to die with him when I went to Cintail Mountain."Stephen looked at me like I was a fool."I deliberately let him find out I was gathering evidence at the hospital, knowing he would set a trap, and I planned to turn it against him..."If it weren’t for Wendy’s ex-boyfriend helping me, I wouldn’t have managed to hide the live-streaming phone
Seeing my confused expression, Taylor approached me and handed over a cup of water with a straw. He gently asked, "Miss Middleton, did you not know that it was Mr. Walker who asked my mentor to handle your divorce case?"I nodded and drank the entire cup of water through the straw. Talking to the police and Stephen had left me quite thirsty."I never expected Mr. Walker, who usually seems so distant, to be so considerate," Taylor said, puzzled. "But why would Mr. Walker help you without informing you? It's strange."I couldn't understand why Luke hadn't told me either. I thought back to the numerous occasions where he had come to my aid like a savior. His aloof attitude made me think that he was reluctant to deal with my problems and only helped because he had a connection to my father.But now, it seemed Luke had been helping me all along."Mr. Walker must have thought it through. My mentor is one of the best lawyers in the country, never losing a case he takes on. He wouldn't ta
"Mr. York told me that you asked him to handle my case. Thank you," I said, struggling to find the right words. I wanted to ask Luke why he was helping me, but I didn't dare."No need," Luke replied in his usual detached tone. "I'm not doing this for you.""?""I promised Mr. and Mrs. Middleton that I'd take care of you."Now that the conversation had started, I couldn't help but inquire further. "Is that all?"Luke frowned slightly, looking puzzled. "What else do you think there is?"Realizing that my question may have sounded like I was expecting something more, something ambiguous, I hesitated. It reminded me of the time when he had mocked me for needing to look at my own reflection at his house.Hoping to clarify, I quickly explained myself, "I didn't mean it like that. I wasn't implying anything. It's just that you've helped me so much, and it's surprising. If it's purely because of my parents, I really appreciate it."Luke's frown gradually eased. "I didn't misunderstand.
Taking a seat on the edge of my bed, she tightly held my hand. "Jen, I was wrong. I admit it."Observing her swollen eyes, I pretended to be angry. "Tell me the truth! Come clean!”"I will, I will!" Wendy huffed. "It's all Luke's fault! He made me promise not to tell you!"“What?”"You asked me to transfer the money to him, right? So, I called first to explain the situation. I thought someone like Luke, who values his privacy, wouldn't appreciate random people asking for his number. Therefore, I asked his assistant to contact me and provide his banking details," Wendy began."Guess what? Luke said it wasn't necessary and that he would contact me himself."I was surprised to hear that. Based on my limited interactions with Luke, he seemed like a solitary person who wouldn't readily add people to his life. Or perhaps he appeared aloof but was actually quite sociable.Wendy continued, "After the call, Luke immediately added me. I was stunned. Luke, the campus legend! In the past, h
I leaned back against the bed and said firmly, "Wendy, we need to be realistic about our limits. Some people are simply out of our league. Let's not daydream. I still have unresolved issues to deal with. How can I even consider whether a man has feelings for me when I'm already wary of relationships after what happened with Max? From now on, I'm practically immune to men."To be honest, after narrowly escaping death this time, I have no illusions left about marriage and love. I'm too scared to even think about it.What has marriage brought me as a woman?Wendy didn't respond.Suddenly, I remembered something important and looked at Wendy seriously. "Wendy, there's something I need your help in investigating.""What is it?""Max said he never touched me."Wendy, who had watched the live stream, remembered this. She asked, "Do you want to check the surveillance footage?"I nodded. "Yes, it was Valentine's Day, and it should be easy to find out who booked the executive suite. Ther