"Can't you give me a chance to start over?" Ned sounded choked up as his eyes turned red. He sat down beside Angeline again. "Everything we had before I lost my memories… Doesn't that mean anything to you? You refused to give up on me when I forgot about you, right?"You said you were worried I would be sad when I woke up and found you gone. I'm back now, and I'm miserable. You understand that the guy who lost his memories wasn't me, right? Please, don't push the blame for what he did onto me. You have no idea how aggrieved it makes me.""Fancy running into you here, Ms. Lawson!" someone called from behind.Ned turned around. Then, his eyes widened in shock. "Uncle Sean?"Sean smiled faintly at Ned before joining him and Angeline at the table. "'Uncle Sean?' Are you referring to the late Mr. Sean Lawson of Lawson Global? Do we really look that alike, Ms. Lawson?"If we do, I'm sure you're aware of how he died. If that's the case… Why did you give up on working with me and
Angeline was indeed disappointed and hurt by Sean getting Melissa pregnant, but she hadn't forgotten that he'd helped her in the past. If not for him, she probably would've died while still in a coma.And so, she wouldn't stand in his way and make things hard for him when it came to important matters. In fact, she was more than willing to help him.Ned saw how "Shane" was completely different from Sean in terms of his actions and demeanor despite their identical faces. He looked at Angeline with concern. "Will you be in danger, Angie?""It's none of your business." She glanced at her phone and signaled for Jamie, who'd been waiting for her cue, that they could get going."Angie!" Ned wanted to hold her, but she stopped him with a look. He clenched his fists, looking like he was about to cry. "What do I have to do to get you back?"She smiled and moved her coat to her other arm. "Perhaps you could try experiencing everything that I went through. Experience the humiliation
"What about Melissa Lane?" Thomas gnashed his teeth at the mention of her. "She's the one who picked Tina! She's using Tina's heart! I abducted the person who treated Tina like she was a product. He told me Melissa picked Tina because she thought her heart would be as pretty as she was."She said no one else's heart deserved to have a place in her body. She's the one who killed Tina!" Thomas became choked up at this point."Do you have proof?" Angeline asked."No!" He gripped the wheel tightly. "I already had the guy—he told me he was willing to testify, but then he was murdered! If I hadn't run out of options, I wouldn't have asked Eric for help in shaking those assassins off.""What if the guy only told you Melissa picked Tina because he wanted to get off scot-free? He could've done it because he was sure you wouldn't be able to reach Melissa!"Her bodyguards would've stopped you even if you'd gone after her. They would've captured you!" Angeline said seriously. "He
Silence descended upon the car as Thomas continued driving. He said despondently, "You're too naive, Angeline. You managed to avenge Henrietta because you're the founder of Vitality Biotech and a Lawson. Do you think Tommy would've gotten what he deserved if you were still Angeline Emmerson?""You're not wrong. I'm the founder of Vitality Biotech and a Lawson, so there's no 'ifs' there." Angeline held Thomas' shoulder. "That's why I can help you avenge Tina once we get evidence!"He pulled over at her destination. "I've never owed anyone anything in my life, Angeline, but you're the exception. You pulled me out of darkness, so I owe you. I'll listen to you."Back in the day, Thomas had run amok while searching for Tina's murderer. The head of a gang had captured him, and Angeline had paid the guy 3.5 million dollars to get him back. If not for her, he would've already died, let alone be able to avenge Tina."I'm helping you because we've both lost our sisters, Tom. And it's
"I did find out a few other things, actually…" Danny pursed his lips. "I just don't want Tom to take the risk because it involves powerful people in other regions.""I understand you couldn't tell him about this, but couldn't you have told me? Would you have kept this from me forever if I hadn't asked?" Angeline questioned, trying to keep her anger under control. "Send me whatever you have."She hung up, feeling irritated beyond belief. She massaged her throbbing temples and commanded, "Pull over."When she got out of the car, the first thing she felt was the sea breeze. She leaned against the car and looked through the information Danny had sent. Jamie gestured for the bodyguards to back up a little as he hovered around the car's trunk so he wasn't too far away.Danny had followed a clue Thomas had given up on and investigated upward. He discovered a few human trafficking syndicates in the black market that had perfected their modus operandi. He'd also found that the syndi
When Rafael saw Angeline head toward the elevators, he ran over to his suitcase and grabbed it before following her. "Are you sure you're okay? A head injury can be pretty serious, you know."The elevator arrived at the first floor. Before Angeline could enter, a drunken man staggered out and tripped on his own feet. He caught himself on the elevator's door and puked."Watch out!" Rafael pulled Angeline to him and swiveled to shield her in his arms.The drunken man's vomit splashed over Rafael's leg. When the hotel's staff saw this, they quickly informed their colleagues about it and ran to the elevator.At that moment, the opposite elevator opened with a ding to reveal Sean leaning lazily against the railing while loosening his tie. He saw Angeline and Rafael surrounded by a group of bodyguards. Rafael even had his arms around Angeline. His gaze landed on Angeline, who was holding onto Rafael's arm.Rafael looked down at her. "Are you okay, ma'am?"She frowned. The hotel's
"Do you think I'll allow any man near you, Angie?" Sean stood behind Angeline, his voice hoarse from the cigarette. His tone was somewhat menacing. "That hug at the elevators was already crossing the line.""What right do you have to scold me for crossing the line?" She turned to stare him in the eye. "You didn't think about crossing the line when you showed up before the media with your arms around Melissa. Heck, you didn't even think about crossing the line when you got her pregnant!"Now, you're calling me out for having a young man shield me from something? Who are you to me? What right do you have to get mad at me for crossing a stupid line?""I'm your husband! Why do you refuse to believe Melissa's child isn't mine?" Sean snapped."You're her husband! I'm not blind, Sean. She loves you! Besides, I was there when you told her about your child with her!" Angeline raised her voice."Are you telling me not to believe myself when I heard you telling her you would have m
Jamie knocked on the bedroom door. "Ms. Lawson?"Sean looked down at Angeline, whom he had pinned against the wall. He signaled for her to respond."I'm taking a bath. What's up?" She placed a hand on his chest, trying to sound as natural as possible.Sean didn't wait for Jamie to answer. His Adam's apple bobbed at the flustered look on Angeline's face, and he leaned down to kiss her. Their breaths mingled, but she turned away before he could press his lips to hers.He was sure she wouldn't dare let Jamie find out he was here, so he allowed his lips to roam over the side of her face.Jamie stepped closer when he heard Angeline's answer. "Mr. Millstone couldn't reach you on your phone. He's been trying for the past 30 minutes, so he asked me to check on you. I'll call him and let him know you're taking a bath, but remember to call him when you're done."Angeline clamped a hand over Sean's mouth. "Alright."Sean gazed at her. He held her wrist and pressed his lips to her s
As soon as the words were out of Angeline's mouth, the sound of lounge slippers padding across the floor rang out. Yasmine ignored the shock on Ned's face and turned to reach for Sean. "Hold me, Daddy!"Sean smiled and lifted her into his arms. Then, he stood beside Angeline and looked at Ned imperiously. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Fletcher. I'm Shane Kingston. Thank you for pushing Angie away in the past—it led to my relationship with her."Ned knew precisely who "Shane" was. Just a few days ago, he'd seen the news about Melissa's press conference explaining her relationship with "Shane".His mind buzzed. He knew Sean and Shane looked similar enough for Dexter's men to have gotten the wrong person. However, he hadn't expected "Shane" to have anything to do with Angeline!"You… Are you the kids' father?" Ned's voice was incredibly shaky."Yes, and again, thank you for that!" Sean smiled. "We've never told anyone about this because I didn't want to endanger Angie and the kids.
Sean didn't give Angeline the chance to finish. "You were right to bring this up to me!"He wrapped his arms around her from behind and continued, "You and the kids will always be my main priority. I know I said I want Melissa to remain safe and happy under my watch, but my feelings for her are purely familial love."She's family to me, and I must care for her. But you and the kids mean more to me than anything else in the world, including her."His honesty made Angeline feel slightly more at ease. She said, "Those are your words, not mine…""I swear on my life that I mean every word." He pressed a kiss to her head. "Can I stay here tonight? I want to sleep with you and the kids. Also, I came from Brayden's place upstairs, so no one will know I'm here.""Granddad made it clear that if anyone finds out about this, he won't allow the kids to see you anymore.""Got it. Don't worry about a thing. Mr. Lawson Senior raised me, and I owe him for that. I won't put him in a tough
Angeline nodded without saying anything. Once Nathaniel was gone, she received a call from Sean."Now that everything has been taken care of, I want to give you a gift," he said, the smile in his tone evident. "Can you have the kids spend Friday night at Grand Court Residences? I want to show all three of you my gift on Saturday."He missed Yasmine and Xavier terribly. Before resolving the issue with Melissa, he hadn't dared to say he wanted to see them. Even if Angeline were okay with it, Robert probably would've objected to his wishes. Now that the dust had settled, he couldn't wait to see them."I don't call the shots regarding the kids now. I'll have to ask Granddad," Angeline said."I'll talk to him about it." Sean was worried Robert would take his anger out on her. "This all started because I insisted on being with you, so I'll handle it. I'll visit Mr. Lawson Senior later today."Angeline didn't know how Sean's conversation with Robert went, but Robert had Asher drop
That night, Melissa called Sean. "Shane, let's publicly announce our divorce. We can tell everyone that we only got married on paper so the Lane family could offer you its protection."Tell them that Dexter repeatedly tried to harm you so he could take the Kingston family fortune, and tell them how he tried to snatch you from the Lane family so he could secretly deal with you."She paused, then continued, "Now that Dexter's in prison, we can get a divorce, and Lori can adopt me as her daughter. We'll become cousins, and we'll still be a family.""Melissa…"Sean was surprised. He didn't expect her to see the light in such a short time."Since you don't have any feelings for me and won't ever make me your wife, I'll settle to be Lori's daughter. That way, you'll always be my family!" Tears streamed down Melissa's face as she spoke. "I adore Lori and want to be her daughter.""Alright," Sean said."Can you head to Keman with me, then? We can visit Dad together before getting
Melissa stared at Lori, who chuckled gently. "It's alright. There's no need to rush into anything. Take your time to think about it. Get good rest for a few days, then go shopping with me. We can buy some clothes to keep up with the changing seasons."I heard from Brayden and Sean that you're the expert in fashion and dressing up. I've always wanted a daughter who could shop, exercise, travel, café hop, and go on spa days with me."She paused and continued, "I didn't get to do any of this with you because you weren't in the best state before this. Now, though, you're all better. You're back to normal, and you've regained your memories!""I'd love that!" Melissa said without hesitation. She'd only done these things with her mother and Emelia in her dreams, but that was all they were—dreams. She was delighted now that Lori was back and willing to make her dreams come true.Sean sat on the couch and sipped his coffee. He knew Lori was doing everything she could to make his life ea
Melissa nodded. Sean said, "I know you have no company management experience. Mr. Lane might have entrusted Trustworth Group to me, but it's still yours. Before you find someone to take over, my plan for the company is still to move its focus back to Lonla."The global situation isn't the best now, and Lonla is the safest place for expansion. That's why the company's focus has to return to Lonla—""You can hand the company over to Brayden," Melissa interrupted. "The only people in this world I trust are you, Dad, and Brayden. Now that Dad's in prison and you don't want me anymore, Brayden is all I have left.""I'm still your kin, Melissa. I won't kick you to the curb and leave you to die. Nevertheless, Trustworth Group is yours. You can have whoever you want to manage it. Brayden is capable of that." Sean looked at Brayden. "What do you think? Are you willing to take over Trustworth Group?""I'll do it as long as Melissa is okay with it!" Brayden nodded. He turned to look
"That's not it! I've always been willing to care for you, and I'm more than willing to care for you in the future! It's not something that I'm forced to do…" Brayden feared his words would inadvertently hurt Melissa, so he decided not to continue in that vein.He said, "C'mon, you should head downstairs to eat something. You've already slept the day away.""I don't want to eat!" Melissa lay down again and pulled the sheets around herself. She said dully, "I want to sleep for a bit longer. Shut the door on your way out."Seeing that she'd already shut her eyes and started weeping, Brayden said softly, "I'll have the kitchen keep the food warm for you. Remember to call me when you wake up, okay? I'll be right downstairs!""Okay." Brayden left the room after hearing Melissa's muffled reply. He shut the door behind him.Melissa remained upstairs. She didn't head downstairs, even when Sean returned. Sean had already spoken to Angeline on the phone and told her he wouldn't meet
Melissa slept in her room and only woke up at night. She removed her headphones and opened her red, swollen eyes. She stared dazedly at the night sky, only returning to her senses when her headphones fell out of her hands.Brayden, who'd been waiting outside this whole time, heard them fall to the floor and hurried into the room. He saw Melissa sitting cross-legged on the bed. She propped herself on one arm while leaning down to pick up the headphones.He hurried forward and picked them up for her, then remained on one knee by the bed. He looked up at her and said, "You slept for ages, Melissa. Do you want to have anything to eat? I got all your favorites, and there are different cuisines. I also got your favorite fruits and snacks!"He'd already had the maids throw out the food he'd bought at noon. Then, he'd had his subordinate buy a fresh batch.Melissa turned to look at him dazedly. She said hoarsely, "Brayden…""I'm here," he said. "C'mon, should we get something to eat
Melissa knew Sean well. So, it was impossible for her not to know if he was being serious. Sean was indeed threatening her, and he was using his life to do it. That way, she wouldn't dare to harm Angeline for fear of hurting him.She loved Sean so much that she could give up her life for him. She wondered why he was treating her that way. He knew she wouldn't allow even the slightest possibility of her threatening his safety.Just then, Sean received a call from Brayden. He said, "...Yeah, I've already picked Melissa up. We're heading to Southstream Manor now… Yeah, you can head over there. Buy some food on your way—Melissa probably hasn't eaten anything yet. She should be hungry."At his words, Melissa couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She covered her face and started sobbing. She'd spent her whole life dreaming of becoming Sean's wife, but he was now in love with someone else and no longer wanted her.Yet, she couldn't do anything about the situation, or she'd be hurting