The name Luke crossed my mind, and I felt a surge of gratitude.Max didn't seem suspicious. He assumed it was one of my dad's former students paying their respects. After all, my dad had a wide circle of influence from his teaching days.At my parents' graves, Max knelt down first, tearfully apologizing and admitting his mistakes. He even turned to me while on his knees."Honey, in front of your parents today, I beg for your forgiveness... I swear, I'll never betray you again in my life!"Tears streamed down my face as I choked out, "Really?"Max earnestly replied, "Yes, honey, I swear. If I ever betray you again, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"I wanted to laugh. Max, this scumbag, actually dared to say that.Wasn't he afraid that my parents in heaven would be displeased and send a bolt of lightning to strike him dead?But I had to keep up the act, crying as if heartbroken, pleading, "Max, I've lost my mom and dad. You're the only family I have left in
When someone makes a mistake, how can there be no evidence left behind?Steven expressed his determination to work hard on his part. He said, "People will perish for the sake of wealth, birds will die for the sake of food. Even the closest relationships can experience moments of estrangement. The human heart is inherently impure and selfish."At that moment, Steven suddenly realized something and offered a light apology.I smiled, understanding his point. "It's okay, you're not wrong. I used to believe that my relationship with Max was the closest and most unbreakable in the world. But in the end? The person you sleep next to is the one who betrays you. If I still can't comprehend that now, then I deserve it."Steven reminded me, "Miss Middleton, the next step is to find a professional lawyer and start preparing for divorce proceedings."Just then, my phone rang. It was a message from Wendy.I glanced at it and then beamed at Steven. "There you go, Teacher Wendy has arranged ever
Stephen's voice had the air of a prominent lawyer, reminiscent of a character fresh off a TV drama: formal, authoritative, with a hint of aloofness.I assumed that Wendy must have briefed him beforehand. Lawyers like him value their time and prefer to get straight to the point. After all, elites in society generally despise wasting time, and top lawyers bill their consultation fees by the minute.Without hesitation, I eagerly replied, "I'm available now, Mr. York."Almost immediately, Stephen called.I answered and politely introduced myself, "Hello, Mr. York, I'm Jen Middleton, and I-""Miss Middleton, I am well aware of your situation," Stephen interrupted before I could finish, asking, "What are your divorce demands?"Getting straight to the point, I said, "I want Max to leave with nothing."Stephen promptly dashed my hopes, "Miss Middleton, there is no such thing as leaving with nothing."I stood my ground, "But he cannot have a penny of the inheritance my parents left me."
I am determined to prosecute them for killing my baby," I declared. "Mr. York, please wait for my news," I added."Alright," Stephen replied in his usual professional tone. "Do you have any other questions?"Since he was being direct, I decided not to waste time. "Mr. York, may I ask about your commission? How should I pay you? Do we need to sign a contract?""You can decide on the commission, and my assistant will contact you to arrange the contract signing," Stephen explained calmly."Decide on the commission?" I repeated, surprised."Yes, Miss Middleton. I am here on behalf of someone else, so you can pay me according to the market rate," Stephen replied.With that, Stephen abruptly ended the call.Holding the phone, I felt bewildered. It wasn't that I was being petty, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Stephen wasn't enthusiastic about taking my case. He seemed indifferent to the commission I offered. It felt as though he was fulfilling a friend's request, something he co
Early the next morning, Max prepared breakfast for me and called me into the room. My head felt a bit heavy, likely because I had slept with the air conditioning on all night.Max gently touched my forehead and then brought me a cup of hot milk, placing it on the bedside table for me to drink. In that moment, I caught a fleeting glimpse of malice in his eyes.Suddenly, Steven's warning came rushing back to me: I should be wary of casually accepting anything from Max, particularly nutritional supplements or medications.As I stared at the milk in Max's hand, my mind couldn't help but think of how villains in soap operas often tamper with protagonists' drinks, using poison or drugs, especially in milk or juice.Although I didn't believe Max would actually try to poison me, I couldn't entirely dismiss the possibility of him adding something else. After all, cunning and ruthless criminals are often more intelligent.Putting on a coquettish act, I said, "I'm not hungry at the moment, a
Afterwards, Max arranged for me to register at that hospital and insisted that I should give birth there as well. He even planned for a top surgeon to perform the delivery ahead of schedule to make the whole pregnancy less taxing on me. The entire process costs hundreds of thousands.It was only after the four-dimensional ultrasound that Annie's attitude towards me completely changed.The real reason behind this sudden shift was because they had discovered that I was carrying a baby girl.Did Max and his mother, who didn't want a girl, put my unborn child in harm's way?So today, I brought along the discharge summary from the private hospital where I gave birth, the infant death report, and the data from my prenatal check-ups at the same private hospital, and went to consult an expert at the Johnsonville Health Hospital where I had my first prenatal exams. I paid 500 dollars for the expert consultation.Unsurprisingly, the specialist's conclusion aligned with what I had suspected.
At that moment, I stood at the nurse's station in the ultrasound waiting area. Max's question filled me with unease.How did he know I was at the hospital? Was he following me?I told myself to stay calm and avoid panicking. So, I casually replied, "Yes, honey. How did you find out?""When you answered the phone, I overheard an announcement for number 39 going to consultation room 4.""You have good ears. I didn't even notice," I said, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.For a fleeting moment, I suspected Max of following me or having someone spy on me at the hospital. But it was just my paranoia.Max sounded concerned, "What did the doctor say? Did they prescribe any medication?"Suppressing my anger and resentment, I responded calmly, "Nothing serious, just a minor cold.""That's good," Max said. "Which hospital are you at? Do you want me to pick you up? I have a meeting, but it should be over in about an hour."I couldn't bring myself to respond to Max's false conce
Steven reassured me, saying, "Take a deep breath. I'll investigate Lucy Lansworth's identity, her possible connections to Cindy or Max, and find out where she is currently. You've paid us, so let us handle the investigation while you focus on keeping yourself safe."I felt grateful for Steven's understanding and reassurance."By the way, Max has a finance background, so why did he start a construction materials company? It seems unrelated to his field. Is there any particular reason?" Steven asked.As I left the hospital, I answered his question. "About a year ago, shortly after we got married, Max was working as an investor at a venture capital firm, specializing in the new consumer sector. At a notable forum, he happened to meet an old friend from his hometown, Eric Portman.""We had a few encounters with Eric. He was involved in the construction materials business and was handling a project in the Seaside Ville District. He was seeking investors at the forum due to some cash flo
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