The woman in his arms was not my mother. Naturally, I recognized my mother from her younger days.Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the woman's features bore a striking resemblance to Cindy. More accurately, Cindy resembled this woman from her younger days. The only noticeable difference was that Cindy had a small black mole on her nose, while the woman in the photo had a clear, unblemished face. Her eyes were not particularly large, but they were expressive, and her smiling gaze seemed to bring the entire photo to life.The woman was wearing jeans and a knit sweater, with a ribbon tied around her neck. Her delicate eyebrows and the way she leaned gently against my father's chest gave her a sweet, radiant look. They were standing against the backdrop of a sunrise over Eagleland Mountain, with golden clouds stretching as far as the eye could see.Who was she?A sudden realization struck me. She was Cindy's mother.I quickly turned the photo over and saw a line of delicate call
Clearly, the word "mistress" struck a nerve with Cindy. Her face twitched as she struggled to accept it, but the truth remained.Cindy clenched her fists, her eyes red with anger as she glared at me, trying to suppress her rage. "Jen, you know that's not the point.""The point you think you're making means nothing to me. I don't care about Susanne's relationship with my father, and you won't provoke me with it. But I warn you, my father's good name isn't yours to tarnish. If I hear even a whisper of you slandering him, I won't let you off easily!" I emphasized, "Do you understand?"Tears welled up in Cindy's eyes, and her voice grew hoarse. "Jen, are you threatening me?""You can take it that way," I replied coldly. "No one can clarify events from over twenty years ago. I'm not interested in how your mother disrupted my parents' relationship. If you're hung up on it, you won't find answers from me. From now on, stop bothering me with this! Or else—""Or else what?""Or else, I wo
Luckily I’m not fortunate enough to be future partner.As I tried to think of a way to decline Luke, he looked at his watch and urged, "Jen, I have a meeting this afternoon and can't waste time. I need to talk to you on the way back.""What is it? Tell me now.""Are you sure you want me to discuss private matters about Professor Middleton in public?""..."Alright, you win, Luke.Luke's car was still the same black luxury car, and this time he was driving himself. However, his driving seemed much smoother than before.Once the car merged into traffic, I couldn't wait any longer and asked, "What do you need to tell me?"Luke kept his eyes on the road, his lips barely moving. "What did Cindy say to you?""How did you know I met with Cindy?""I saw you."I wanted to ask Luke if he had nothing better to do than keep tabs on my meetings. Before I could, Luke glanced at me and said, "I don't have a habit of stalking people. I happened to be passing by and saw you with Cindy in the
I must look fierce right now, like a small, angry beast baring its teeth. My eyes are red and glaring at Luke, inexplicably directing all my anger towards him.Normally, Luke would chase me out of the car, give me a cold look, and say something icy to silence me. But to my surprise, he didn't do that.Instead, he pulled a checkered handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to me. Yes, another checkered handkerchief. I find it endearing that a grown man always carries a clean handkerchief with him.But I'm angry right now and don't want to use his handkerchief. Plus, the last time I borrowed his handkerchief to wipe my nose, I promised to wash it and return it, but I couldn't find it. How could I use his second one?Seeing that I didn't take it, Luke sighed impatiently, then leaned over and stuffed the handkerchief into my hand. "Don't get your snot on my car. I have OCD.""…Fine," I mumbled, wiping my tears and nose with his handkerchief. "This time, I'll remember to wash it an
As Luke continued speaking, a slight frown appeared on his face. "The novel tells the story of two protagonists who fall deeply in love," he explained. "When the female lead discovers that the male lead has a wife and daughter, she spends the entire night crying. They both struggle to suppress their feelings but are unable to resist the overwhelming passion, crossing moral boundaries. Eventually, they make the decision to end their lives together, in order to preserve their love at its most beautiful moment. They discuss various methods for their joint suicide and ultimately choose to jump from a great height. This way, they can hold hands as they fall, embracing tightly and reminiscing about every moment of their lives. Their suicide will be grand and intense, as they plunge from the sea of clouds into the deserted forest below."Suddenly, a photo of my father and Susanne on a trip to Eagleland Mountain came to mind.I was familiar with Eagleland Mountain, a popular tourist dest
"Susanne refused to reveal the father's identity and was pressured by the Lansworth family to have an abortion. She adamantly refused, and even threatened to die if they didn't accept the child or let her leave the family to live on her own.""At that time, Lucy Peterson, the matriarch of the Lansworth family and Paul's mother, couldn't accept Susanne's rebellious actions. She ordered Paul to take Susanne to the hospital for an abortion. However, before the procedure, the doctor told Paul that Susanne's health was poor, and if she had the abortion, she might never be able to have children again.""Paul, who always doted on his sister, was worried about her health. Seeing Susanne pleading, saying she would never marry and would only care for the child, he finally relented. Susanne was sent to Estaland to have the baby. Lucy, feeling humiliated, refused to forgive Susanne and banned her from returning home. Until the baby was born, Susanne stayed in Estaland, cared for only by a nanny.
"What do you mean?" I asked.Luke replied, "Six years ago, Justin was still in the U.S. Cindy went to visit him during summer vacation. While driving, they got into a car accident. Cindy broke two ribs and suffered some minor injuries, but Justin was trapped in the car. By the time the rescue team arrived, it was too late. Although Justin's life was saved, his legs were amputated below the knee, and he has been in a wheelchair ever since."I was shocked. Justin, the perfect golden boy with a bright future ahead of him, had experienced a tragedy. His parents must have been devastated."Lucy never liked Cindy. Even when Cindy visited Johnsonville, she rarely had the chance to visit the family estate. During holidays, she wasn't allowed to formally pay her respects to her Grandma Lucy like the other children. Lucy had high hopes for Justin, and this incident made her so angry that she fell ill and was hospitalized for over a month due to a stroke. She still requires special care."Luk
Luke glanced at me, as though he had something to say but hesitated.Suddenly, a more urgent question came to mind. "Luke, what compelled you to dig into Cindy's background?"This was a deeply hidden family secret. Even Steven, a renowned private investigator in Johnsonville's upper echelons, had only managed to uncover surface-level details. The explosive information Luke had discovered must have required substantial effort and resources.Luke responded calmly, "You mentioned that Cindy seemed to have a vendetta against you, but you didn't know why. Later, Stephen also found it peculiar. We analyzed Cindy and Max's actions and concluded that you were indeed Cindy's target. Stephen suggested I start by investigating Cindy's background. During my investigation, I discovered that Cindy's mother, Susanne, had a brief connection with the teacher."At this point, Luke pursed his lips and looked at me earnestly. "I apologize, Jen, for acting without your permission."In that moment, I s