"Did Kai forget to mention it?" Ella muttered to herself, staring at her phone in disbelief. It was hard to believe that such an important detail had been overlooked, but somehow, she could almost understand how it happened. For someone as sharp as Kai, though, this felt... off. Something didn’t sit right. "Ella, are you there?" Leo’s voice on the other end of the phone snapped her out of her thoughts. "Ah, Leo, what did you just say? I didn’t hear you clearly because of the signal," Ella quickly replied, trying to refocus. "It’s fine," Leo said, a smile in his voice. "I’ll repeat it. I suspected Lucas would have Aaron help with this investigation. Even though Apex Hospital is a private institution, Aaron’s colleague, Lane, is my senior. I helped him a bit when he was overseas." ELLA’s heart skipped a beat. "So, what’s going on? What did they find?" "Aaron used the pretense of a routine physical examination to perform paternity tests for the two children," Leo continued, his
The more Matt thought about it, the more he regretted everything. If only he hadn’t asked Lucas to let Ella take that flight the day he returned to Fairfield, none of this mess would have happened. No awkward encounters, no lingering drama. But then again, if Ella hadn’t been on Lucas plane, she might still be stranded in Westvale, and who knows what could’ve happened to her. Life’s full of twists, isn’t it? And so, after a sleepless night, Ella made her choice. “Matt, I’ll take the job at Lucas's company.” Her voice was steady, though a bit drained. Matt looked at her, almost hurt. He assumed she was doing it out of pity or to spare him from feeling responsible. His heart ached at the thought, but he just patted her shoulder awkwardly. “If that guy Lucas gives you any trouble, just let me know. I’ve got a few lawyer buddies up my sleeve.” He gave her a wink, trying to sound casual. Ella couldn't help sighing in her heart after hearing this. If Lucas really wanted t
When Amy walked into the office, she was already bubbling with anger. Seeing Matt standing there, calm and collected, only made things worse. “People say that Mr. Matt here has a thing for protecting his subordinates, and it’s nice to finally see it in action. I just wonder what Mrs. Matt would say about her husband defending a woman so fiercely.” Her words were as sharp as a blade. Matt merely chuckled, crossing his arms as he leaned back against his desk. “Miss Amy, you’re getting all worked up over nothing. For the record, my wife and I split nearly ten years ago. Even if she knew about this, she wouldn’t bat an eyelash.” Amy’s eyes narrowed as she processed this. “So, you’re divorced?” She paused, eyeing him. “Come to think of it, Lila is also divorced…with kids. I suppose it makes sense. You two seem…compatible.” Her words dripped with sarcasm, but there was a bite to them, as if she was almost daring him to defend Lila. “Miss Amy,” Matt said, his voice low but firm,
Lucas's eyes were glued to Ella’s face, almost greedily. In the six long years without her, he’d dreamed of her countless times, imagining she’d come back to his side. But each time he woke up, reality was the same—he was alone. And even after he’d figured out that Lila was indeed Ella, he could hardly believe it. He’d worried it was just a trick of his mind, afraid that if he blinked, she might vanish again. But now, here she was, standing in front of him, telling him she’d be with him for the next month. For the first time in ages, he felt a sense of calm. He ached to reach out, pull her close, and make sure she was real. But he held back. The image of her passing out the night before was still vivid in his mind, reminding him of the cost of losing her again. "I'm so thrilled that Reporter Lila has joined the Apex Corp," he said, his face perfectly composed. Ella was all business, though. “No need to be thrilled. Just make sure to pay me another secretary’s sal
Ella didn't really need Mia’s advice—she knew that. If there was an issue with the documents, it would be on her, not Mia. But Mia’s little "heads-up" felt almost like an olive branch, and hey, Ella wasn’t one to bite the hand that fed her. She smiled and nodded, playing along like she’d appreciate the help. Casually, she then asked Mia a few questions about Lucas’s preferences. As his secretary, it was crucial to get to know the boss’s temperament, right? Sure, she’d lived with Lucas for over half a year once upon a time, but that didn’t mean she had him all figured out. There were still so many things she’d rather ask than assume. Mia’s face lit up at the chance to share some "insider knowledge." “Mr. Lucas likes peace and quiet, so only Zane, the head secretary, can go in and out of his office freely. Everyone else? Gotta knock and wait for the green light,” Mia explained with a conspiratorial wink. Ella raised an eyebrow, amused. So Lucas was one of those bosse
“Just look it over; I trust you.” Lucas’ words hung in the air, cool and unbothered.Ella stood there, her expression a mix of disbelief and a touch of annoyance. Trust? Now? If he’d said those words to her six years ago, she might’ve been moved. Now, she just found it ridiculous.“Oh, really?” She arched an eyebrow. “You trust me? Isn’t that a bit… naïve?”Lucas’ gaze softened ever so slightly. “Because I know you’re still the Ella I knew,” he thought to himself, but he wasn’t going to say it out loud. Instead, he smoothly changed the subject.“Are you free on Saturday?” he asked, his tone almost casual.“No.”Lucas barely missed a beat. “Well, I’ll pick you up downstairs at ten.”Ella could practically feel her blood pressure rising. “Since you’ve apparently planned out my Saturday for me, why even bother asking?”He leaned back, his face growing more serious. “Saturday is the anniversary of my father-in-law’s passing. It’s… important. If possible, I’d like you to accompany me.”
"Scalp check?" Ella’s eyebrow arched in mild shock as she caught onto the key phrase. "How exactly do they check your scalp?""They just take a strand of hair," Kai replied with a straight face. "Then they say they'll take it back for a 'skin test' to see if our scalps are healthy."Ella’s mind spun. Just as she thought! Her heart gave a little skip, though she wasn’t exactly nervous—she already knew last night’s paternity test result. What really piqued her curiosity was how Lucas had managed to mix up the hair samples. What could’ve gone wrong?"So, did you give your hair to the doctor?" she asked, leaning in.Kai’s face was as calm as ever. "Nope."Ella blinked in surprise. "Wait, you didn’t?"Kai nodded, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "When Grandma took us to the testing center, I got bored and found this science book at the entrance. It talks about what can happen when our hair falls into the wrong hands."Ella could hardly believe her ears. Her little boy, already
Kai's mind flickered back to that one statement his grandmother once threw at him, "You used to be such a well-behaved child, but now you even talk back to me just to go online. Do you think going online won’t make you bad?" He had felt helpless then, caught in the crossfire between his own understanding and his grandparents’ worries. How could he even start to explain himself?That moment was a turning point, though. Kai had come to realize that adults could accept kids being smart – as long as they weren’t smarter than the adults themselves. Adults liked things they could understand and control. And so, he learned to keep parts of himself hidden. But now, with his mom standing in front of him, he wondered if things might be different with her. She had always been the one to have his back; even when his grandma confiscated his phone, it was Mom who returned it to him and even bought him a kids' computer, saying she trusted him to tell right from wrong.Kai took a deep breath, try
"Leo shouted, 'Ella!' instead of 'Lila' at that moment."As expected, the woman couldn’t keep up the act anymore. Even when pretending to be unconscious with her eyes closed, her eyeballs couldn’t help but move around. So, Leo immediately gave her a sedative injection and had the driver take her to his own home. He would naturally go back and meet her properly when he had time in the evening.However, after confirming that the woman was a fake, Leo’s nervousness actually increased because he wasn’t sure if his Ella was okay.Leo looked around the room and didn’t find anything unusual. He was about to take out his phone and call the people waiting at the entrance of the alley to catch the man who had just left.But at this moment, a faint sound came from under the broken bed of the small room:“Mmm...”Leo’s body shook, and he turned and walked into the bedroom.“Ella?”He lifted the bedsheet and saw a girl under the bed holding her chest in pain. Who else could it be if not his Ella
Leo couldn’t help but think of the words he heard outside the ward last night, and his eyes softened.He gently tucked her hair behind her ear, but his finger paused for a moment.Amy didn’t notice anything wrong and said, “Since you see that I’m fine, why don’t you go out and wait for me? I still have to talk to my friend for a bit.”Amy didn’t want to spend too much time with Leo. Although she was now wearing Lila’s face and had a similar demeanor to Lila, she didn’t have Lila’s memories.Originally, Amy had planned to cause a car accident on the road after replacing Lila, and then pretend to be unconscious and have amnesia. But she never expected Leo to arrive so quickly.With Leo’s intelligence, she could fool him for a few minutes, but if they spent more time together, he would definitely notice something was off. So, she had to get rid of Leo first.Fortunately, Leo didn’t hesitate this time and said, “Okay, I’ll wait for you downstairs.”After Leo left, Amy patted her chest, fe
Amy didn’t notice the shock in Gordon's eyes.Although she was a host, she had also taken a course in dubbing during college, so it wasn’t difficult for her to change her voice to imitate Lila’s.Sure enough, Leo on the other end of the phone didn’t notice anything wrong. His voice was gentle, with a hint of temptation, “Lila, where are you going?”“I’m going out to see a friend,” Amy replied, keeping up the pretense.“A friend?” Leo’s voice raised slightly. “Which friend? Why didn’t you tell me?”Amy, perfectly imitating Lila’s tone, said lightly, “Aren’t you at work? Do I have to report to you every time I step out for a little while?”Leo on the other end of the phone was stunned.Lila… is she angry with me?This was somewhat new to him.After all, he had known Lila for so many years, and she had always been respectful toward him. Even if he sometimes interfered too much in her life and made her feel uncomfortable, she would at most distance herself slightly.But this… this was som
Amy saw a few figures walking outside the door.Through the limited field of vision provided by the cat’s eyes in the door, she couldn’t see their faces clearly. However, judging by their attire, it was evident that these weren’t people sent by Leo. Instead, they seemed more like officials inspecting something.Sure enough, she overheard their conversation outside the door.“Have all the residents of this building moved out?”“They’ve been completely relocated.”“That’s good. When can we start the demolition?”“Tomorrow should be fine.”“The demolition must proceed quickly, but make sure to avoid disturbing the nearby residents.”The group ascended a few steps, but perhaps due to the instability of the stairs, they decided to turn back before reaching the third floor.Only then did Amy let out a sigh of relief.Even though these people came to inspect, if they had gone upstairs and discovered someone still inside, she wouldn’t have been able to explain herself.Amy turned back to the
Meanwhile, at the entrance of a lane on the second ring road in the north of the city, Ella hung up the phone after transferring money to the shop owner. Just as she did, her phone rang again. The shop owner looked at her in shock and confusion, wondering why she would use a commercial phone when she had a perfectly good mobile phone. Ella ignored him and checked the caller ID before walking out of the shop. She walked to a quiet street corner before answering the call. "Hello?""Lila! Where are you?!" A voice that sounded like it was on the verge of madness came from the phone. "You better not play any tricks on me, or you'll never find out the truth about the fire six years ago!"Ella sneered at the threat. "Don't worry, Miss Amy. I was just stuck in traffic for a bit."Amy coldly snorted. "So how much longer do I have to wait?""About ten minutes."Ella wasn't sure what Amy wanted from her. She probably didn't know that she was actually Ella. With her current hysterical state,
If by the end of tomorrow's trial, Kings Lopez still insists that he acted alone and has nothing to do with Leo, things will become complicated.Because Kings Lopez is still in custody and Philip can still have access to him, but once the trial is over, according to the speed of this case, the judgment will come immediately, and Kings Lopez will be sent to prison. It will be difficult to see him again once he is in prison. It will be even harder to reopen the case. After all, this is already a retrial of an old case. If it is retried again, it will probably shake the public's confidence. The higher-ups will not make such a decision easily."I’ll go see Kings Lopez tonight and try to make a breakthrough from him," Philip said, thinking about how to break through Kings Lopez's defenses and make him confess Leo's involvement.Unexpectedly, Ella shook her head. "No need.""Hmm?" Philip looked up and saw Ella's firm and resolute eyes. He seemed to understand what she meant. "What's you
Leo couldn't remember how many red lights he had run through.All he knew was that when he parked his car on the side of the road, several cars that had been following him couldn't help but drive up to him and curse."Couldn't you just go home and drink poison or cut your wrists if you want to commit suicide? Why do you have to cause trouble for others on the road?"Leo glanced at the man calmly without saying anything. Although he hadn't said anything yet, the man inexplicably became timid and snorted, "What are you looking at? You were the one speeding!" Then he quickly rolled up his car window and stepped on the gas to leave.Leo collected his gaze expressionlessly, got out of the car, and walked straight toward the alley where Ella had disappeared.The alley was very deep, crossing two main streets, and there were many small side roads inside. There were also scattered small vendors on the roadside and small low-rise buildings that seemed to have no end.Moreover, because the ro
Kai's face turned slightly pale."Not only." He clenched the mouse in his hand, and his voice forced to be calm: "We were discovered."Leo was taken aback for a moment: "It was discovered? What do you mean?"Kai took a deep breath: "My mother’s phone is not turned off, but controlled. The other party traced us back through my locator. The garbled characters on the screen should be a message from them."Leo’s pupils shrank uncontrollably.Ella's mobile phone is not turned off, but controlled? Isn’t her current situation more dangerous than she imagined?No, I don’t care about that much.Finding Ella is the most important thing.Thinking of this, he asked Kai again: "Then what do they want to say?"Kai shook his head while typing on the keyboard quickly: "I don’t know, the one they sent is a code, and it needs to be run through the program before it can be displayed."Leo took a deep breath and suppressed the anxiety in his heart."Okay, then try to run it first. Uncle, go make a call a
"Good morning, Dr. Leo." "Are you here to see Miss Lila again?" "Dr. Leo, you seem to be in a good mood. Is something good happening lately?" Leo didn't respond to their questions, only smiling gently and nodding in acknowledgment. It wasn't until the doctors and nurses had passed by that he couldn't help but turn and head toward the restroom to check himself in the mirror. After so many years, he had grown accustomed to wearing a mask of warmth and kindness. As for his true emotions, he had almost forgotten what they felt like. But now even passing doctors and nurses could sense his joy... Was it really that obvious? Leo couldn't help but shake his head and smile, washing his hands before turning to leave the restroom. However, just as he reached the door of Ella's hospital room, a nurse rushed out in a panic and collided with him. Seeing the nurse's panicked expression, Leo immediately had a bad feeling. "What happened?" The nurse, recognizing Leo, couldn't hi