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
On the day Taylor arrived, the doctor removed the stitches from my head wound and said I could be discharged, only needing to return for regular check-ups.Wendy helped me pack my things, and as we were about to leave, Taylor entered the room holding a bouquet of sunflowers and a briefcase. "Miss Middleton, are you being discharged?" she asked.I nodded. "If I stay any longer, I might start growing mold."Taylor handed me the sunflowers with a bright smile. "Perfect timing! Happy discharge day!"I accepted the flowers. "They'll look great in a vase at home. Thanks!"Wendy and Taylor accompanied me home, with Wendy arranging for an Uber to pick us up.In the car, Taylor handed me a file. I opened it to find Lucy's statement. As expected, Lucy took all the blame but did not admit to being instructed by anyone. She claimed it was a professional error and expressed willingness to compensate for the harm caused, accepting any necessary punishment.This outcome aligned with Steven's p
“Yes, she claimed that from the beginning she knew Max was married, but it was too late. Max assured her he would divorce soon, but after over a year, he still hadn’t followed through. Her family wouldn’t allow her to be the other woman, so she broke up with him,” Taylor explained. “However, Cindy said Max was very emotional at the time, insisting he would resolve things quickly. Cindy claims she had no idea Max would harm you.”Wendy fumed, “That woman is washing her hands clean of this!”Taylor added, “Since there’s no direct evidence linking Cindy to Max’s crimes, and she brought a lawyer, was very cooperative, and provided detailed records of her expenses with Max, the police have to proceed based on the facts. Cindy portrays herself as another victim, deceived by Max.”I pondered for a few seconds and then asked Taylor, “Taylor, I want to arrange a meeting with Cindy. Is there anything I should be aware of?”“What if she refuses to see you?” Taylor asked.I chuckled, confiden
As soon as the call connected, Cindy was the first to speak. "Jen, couldn't hold back, huh?"I sneered, "You've been waiting for my call, right?"Cindy chuckled, sounding smug. "Of course, I've been waiting for this call for a month. If you didn't call soon, I would've thought you were either really stupid or too scared to dig for the truth. I'm guessing you have a lot to ask me, right?"I cut straight to the point. "How about we meet?"Cindy casually replied, "Sure, you pick the place."I said, "Let's meet at the same restaurant as last time. You know where it is."Cindy paused for a second before responding with a cold laugh, "Fine. But Jen, if I see anyone else there, it will ruin my mood. I won't tell you a single thing.""Fine. I'll come alone," I said.I changed into a white dress, grabbed a cardigan, and slipped into comfortable flats before heading out.At the restaurant, I chose a seat by the window and ordered an iced Americano with lemon slices and an egg mayo sandw
We both knew how we felt about each other, but neither of us made the first move to confess.“I gave birth to him in circumstances I couldn’t control,” Molly said, her hands tightly clutching her cup, fingers unconsciously tracing its edge. “I used to think about fighting back against the people who hurt me, but reality forced me to wake up. I couldn’t afford to lose everything.”She hesitated, her gaze dropping. “There are things from back then that I just can’t bring myself to tell him.”When I arranged for Luke and Molly to spend some time alone, the two of them mostly sat in silence.“Mrs. Walker couldn’t have children for years after her marriage. Luke was just a tool to help her secure her place in the family,” Molly explained.Mr. Walker was handsome, wealthy, and from a good family. After getting married, women constantly threw themselves at him. According to the information Wendy had dug up, Landon didn’t exactly push them away.In such a situation, Mrs. Walker, Ashleigh
Molly poured four glasses of juice and sat across from Luke.She looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start.I gave Ian a quick look.Ian took a sip of his juice and said, “Miss, the juice is sweet and sour—it’s so good!”“Drink it up, and I’ll pour you some more,” Molly offered.Luke interjected, “It’s almost time to rest. Don’t drink too much juice.”“I’m sorry, I don’t have experience taking care of kids,” Molly said, lowering her head. After a pause, she quietly repeated, “I’m sorry.”She was probably thinking of Luke as a baby.I clutched my stomach, pretending to wince. “Excuse me, Molly. My stomach hurts; I need to head back to my room.”As I stood, I grabbed Ian’s wrist.Ian caught on quickly. “Jen is a girl. She’ll get scared going back alone—I have to go with her.”Not giving Luke a chance to respond, I opened the door and said, “Mr. Walker, you stay and chat with Molly. Ian and I will be back in a bit.”In the hallway, Ian looked thoug
Molly wasn’t the type to make things difficult for others. She didn’t give the hotel manager a hard time.After the staff left, Molly turned to thank Luke and me. “Thank you for staying with me and helping me handle this.”Luke glanced at her but didn’t say anything.The silence grew awkward, so I quickly broke it. “You don’t have to thank us. We didn’t really do much.”“Would you like to come in and sit for a while?” Molly invited us into her room.Before either of us could respond, Ian, who’d been holding back his excitement, eagerly chimed in, “Yes, yes! Let’s go!”I sighed internally.Molly finally noticed the little one in Luke’s arms. “And who’s this?”“I’m Ian Lloyd,” he introduced himself cheerfully.But the moment he got a good look at Molly’s face, he let out a small “Huh?” and then turned to look at Luke.Luke frowned slightly, and their eyes met—a silent understanding passing between them. Ian immediately shut his mouth and swallowed whatever he’d been about to sa
Five hours later, we arrived in Sharonville.Before the trip, Luke had everything arranged. After landing, we took a car to the hotel he’d booked in advance.In the hotel lobby, we ran into Molly. She was walking with two middle-aged men in sharp suits, smiling as she chatted with them.When her eyes met Luke’s, her smile froze for a moment, then slowly softened as she stared at him without blinking.Luke didn’t acknowledge her. He walked right past, brushing by her shoulder as though she wasn’t there. From the corner of my eye, I saw her eyes redden.The two men exchanged glances but didn’t say anything. That night, however, they sent two young, handsome men to Molly’s room.Our room was on the same floor as Molly’s. After dinner out, we returned to the hotel and saw her standing at her door with the two young men.Their faces were powdered with heavy makeup, and they looked eager to please, practically glued to her.My thoughts immediately took a less innocent turn.Luke co
Amy messaging me at this hour was probably another complaint about other agencies trying to poach her, or how stressed she was about it all.The underlying message? She wanted me to contact Mr. Lloyd to secure better resources for her—a thinly veiled threat, essentially.Since several popular artists left One Entertainment, the company’s resources had started to dwindle.Mr. Lloyd’s return wasn’t just because of his love for acting. He also wanted to support the company’s artists, giving them more opportunities to shine.Amy had already begun to stand out. If she simply focused on honing her craft and stayed patient, she’d get her share of the spotlight.When Mr. Lloyd founded the company, his goal was to grow it into a powerhouse that protected its artists. Now, he had adopted a more laid-back approach: if an artist wanted to leave, they just needed to pay the penalty fee.Amy’s tactics wouldn’t change anything.I went back to reading my book.My phone buzzed again, and I ass
Mr. Lloyd's words carried a hint of reassurance for me.“Jen, Uncle asked me to create a travel itinerary!”Luke had been telling Ian lots of stories about Sharonville, and Ian had also looked up a ton of information online. He now knew every street in the city and how many shops were on each one.Carefully folding his sweaters, Ian placed them neatly into his suitcase, which was decorated with a cheerful Doraemon sticker.“I’m really looking forward to your travel guide, Ian!”“I’ve already finished most of it!” Ian was a serious little worker who never did things half-heartedly. If he said it was nearly done, he was probably putting on the finishing touches.I praised him warmly.“Jen, since the three of us are traveling together, we need to consider everyone’s preferences and suggestions.”“So, you want to get my input to finalize it?”“Exactly.”“Well, wherever you want to go is where I want to go. This trip, I’ll leave the planning to you.”Luke had work to handle in Shar
For the past few days, Luke has been picking me up and dropping me off at work.Reporters often linger outside One Entertainment, and it took a lot of effort for rumors about me and Luke to die down. I didn’t want them to resurface.Luke understood my concerns, so he always parked his car a block away from the company. Once he sent me a message, I’d grab Ian and head over.That evening, Luke prepared another full table of dishes for dinner.Ever since things thawed between us, I hadn’t said much during meals, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed than before.“She’s already in Sharonville,” Luke said.“Hasn’t she been out of the country for years? Will she be safe there alone?”He was talking about Molly.The Walker family has been a prominent family in Sharonville for generations, with deep-rooted connections and influence. Mrs. Walker is a respected figure, and many people in Sharonville owe her favors. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone decided to teach Molly a lesson on
I watched the behind-the-scenes footage, and Mr. Lloyd looked great. After stepping out of the spotlight for a few years, his demeanor has become even more composed and sophisticated, perfectly matching the calm and collected surgeon he portrays in the show.“He’s as brilliant as ever,” Beatrice said, her eyes filled with admiration. “As long as the co-stars hold their ground, this show is bound to be a hit.”“He has an exceptional eye for picking scripts,” she added, her gaze glued to the screen.I didn’t interrupt her. Instead, I got up and went to the kitchen to check on Ian’s progress.For someone so young, Ian took everything seriously. Standing on a small stool to make up for his height, he carefully worked on brewing coffee, his movements precise and methodical.“Waiter Number One, Ian Lloyd, at your service. Your oat latte will be ready soon,” he announced cheekily.I laughed at his playful tone and played along. “Waiter Number Two will now deliver orange juice to Mr. Ian
While Beatrice chatted with Ian, I brought the gifts to the living room."You're too kind, Ms. Middleton.""Ian bought these with his pocket money."I winked at Ian.He caught on quickly, nodding.Beatrice warmly invited me to sit.Fresh fruit and two plates of nuts were on the coffee table.She placed a fruit bowl before me. "Yesterday's blueberries are fresh—crisp and sweet."The large blueberries were covered in bloom. I took one and made space for Beatrice."What would you like? Coffee or juice?""Fresh orange juice for me, and Jen likes oat milk latte," Ian said, playing with a doll, squishing its face into different shapes.Suddenly remembering our earlier conversation, he dropped the doll and ran to the kitchen. "I've learned lots from Jen. I can make juice and coffee!"Beatrice praised him: "How impressive!"She started toward the kitchen, concerned.I held her arm. "Ian's a quick learner. He does everything properly. We can trust him.""He gets along so well wit