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
Luke furrowed his brow.“She believes that my father abandoning her mother led to her own miserable and painful life. That's why she always told Max how much she envied everything I had.”And now, she wants to destroy everything I have.At that moment, I finally understood that she never loved Max. Her so-called love at first sight was merely the beginning of her calculated revenge. Max was nothing more than a tool—a knife she used and then discarded.I couldn't help but laugh coldly. “Luke, you know what? I suddenly feel sorry for Max. He probably still doesn't realize that he was just a disposable tool for Cindy, used to fulfill her revenge. Max likely thought he was incredibly lucky, believing that Cindy, a wealthy heiress, had fallen madly in love with him. He was willing to be manipulated, thinking that getting rid of me would secure him a place in the Lansworth family. Little did he know, Cindy was merely using him to get back at my father.”Suddenly, a thought struck me. I
When Luke dropped me off at the entrance to my complex, it suddenly started pouring rain. I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car, thanking him politely."There's no need," Luke replied flatly.His handsome face showed no emotion as he looked out at the heavy rain. He took out an umbrella and handed it to me. Instinctively, I declined, saying, "No need, I'll just run inside. You keep it."I thought he might need the umbrella himself, but Luke insisted, pushing it into my hand. "Take it. I don't need it.""But—" I began."Aren't you going to see Max? Stephen has already arranged the meeting time. If you get sick from the rain and delay things, what will we do? The detention center doesn't allow visits whenever we want." Luke's tone left no room for argument. "Take it."It would have been rude to refuse again, so I accepted the umbrella. "Thank you, Luke."Luke frowned slightly.I hesitated, "What's wrong?""Jen," he called me by my name."Yes?" I responded.Luke sighed
That time, Max's mother Annie, his three sisters and their husbands, and their five children came to visit.Before their arrival, Annie called Max and suggested that we prepare gift cards for the children since it was their first meeting. So I prepared gift cards with two thousand each.When Annie found out, she scolded Max, asking about the red envelopes for his three sisters. She reminded him that his three sisters had worked and married early to help support Max's education, as their family had no man to provide for them. She emphasized that he shouldn't forget their contributions now that he was living a good life and should show gratitude.Max had no choice but to discuss it with me. We decided to give each of his three sisters two thousand as well. At the time, I didn't think much of it. Two thousand each wasn't a large amount, and although Annie's words were harsh, I believed in expressing gratitude for the support Max had received. I supported his decision to give.But who