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
Lila Mom, paused, holding a glass of warm milk. The news had startled her at first, but now she was calm, thinking it through. Even if Ella's kids had another dad, this "Lucas" guy Ella had never talked about, it didn’t matter. Ella was fully capable of raising Kai and Kaia on her own, and with Lila parent's support, they'd be well looked after.If Ella wanted to be with Dr. Leo, who could help ease her burdens, then Mrs. Kane would be happy for her. If Ella chose to stay single, that was fine too. After all, she'd managed just fine up to this point. Mrs. Kane felt like a weight had lifted from her mind as she walked into Kai’s room, milk in hand.Inside, mother and son had already shared a lot of truths. It took Ella a few minutes to process Kai’s confession that he was a little hacker. Naturally, this opened up a whole host of questions, like why Ella and Lucas had separated, why she was pretending to be “Lila,” and what happened to the real Lila.Ella thought for a moment, then
Probably feeling Ella's frustration, the young male voice on the other end of the phone sounded slightly apologetic, “We were too careless last time, and Luke managed to slip through our fingers. But don’t worry, Ms. Ella. I have people keeping an eye on his family. The moment he dares to show up again, I’ll make sure he’s caught and that justice is served.”Ella sighed and nodded slightly. This private investigator, among the many she'd hired, was the most reliable she'd found. She had no other choice but to trust him. After all, she had two children to care for and couldn’t just camp out in Luke’s hometown herself, hoping for a glimpse of him.As she hung up, Ella's thoughts drifted back to what the investigator had mentioned: someone was looking into the fire at her family’s pharmaceutical factory. For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept over her—could it be Zane?But she couldn't figure it out. The fire six years ago was obviously led by Lucas, so why did he ask Zane to investi
"Are you Lila?"Leah’s voice sliced through the air, sharp as a blade. She held herself like royalty, a practiced sneer on her face. The years had been kind to her—smooth skin, an immaculate outfit. But there was something else, a kind of haughty confidence that had grown even stronger over the past six years.Ella looked up and gave her a small nod, choosing politeness over the urge to roll her eyes. “Ms. Leah,” she replied, her voice calm, unfazed.Leah’s response? She raised a hand, poised to slap Ella. But Ella was faster, stepping back just in time. Leah's hand swooped down in an empty arc, her whole body pitching forward. It would have been comical—had it not been for the fact that Leah’s expression was anything but amused.Amy, who’d been watching with keen interest, lunged forward to steady Leah, her face twisted in a barely-concealed grin. Leah, now back upright, fixed Ella with an even colder stare.“Should’ve been a security guard instead of a secretary, with reflexes l
Ella watched as Lucas turned his head, and there was Leah, looking like she’d just seen a ghost. Leah’s mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. Then, she narrowed her eyes at Ella, Ella already anticipating her reaction, took a couple of cautious steps back. Her eyes were calm, even smug, as if to say, Try it. I dare you. Leah’s hand clenched by her side, and a glare settled on her face before she turned to Lucas, exasperated.“You’ve really lost it, haven’t you, Lucas?” Leah’s tone was as sharp as ever. “What? Did this fox whisper in your ear, don't you remember that the woman standing next to me is your son’s ‘real’ mother?”Amy was red with embarrassment, her gaze flicking to the floor, the ceiling—anywhere but Lucas’s face. Ella tried to stifle a grin as she watched him, practically daring Leah to keep going. She did.“If you’re so against her, why let Amy get pregnant in the first place?” Leah demanded. “The boy’s five years old
Lucas took two steps back and watched Ella leave before sitting on the chair Ella had just vacated, lost in thought until Mia knocked on the door."Mr. Lucas, do you have any other orders?If not, I'll leave first."Lucas came back to his senses and waved his hand to indicate that he was fine.After Mia left, he suddenly thought of something and took out his phone to make a call. "Dave, I need you to bring a few people over to secretly protect someone for me, without letting her find out."Meanwhile, Ella was completely unaware of the silent preparations happening around her. All she knew was that she was on a tight schedule tonight—she’d promised her kids she’d take them to see their soon-to-be new home. And even though the house in Maple wood Hills wasn’t quite ready to move into, she knew they’d been looking forward to it.Ella had planned the whole thing out for a weekend trip, but with her father’s memorial service tomorrow and Lucas already insisting she’d accompany him, her han
Ella voiced out her doubt. “Don’t worry,” he said, his voice casual but tinged with amusement. “I won’t be following you around like some overprotective parent. I’ll be in a car behind you, with a small team. Lucas won’t even know we’re there.” If that were true, it would make things a lot easier. But Ella wasn’t so sure. Lucas was sharp—too sharp. If he wanted to pick up on Leo’s trail, she doubted anyone could stop him. She crossed her arms, her expression skeptical. “Leo, you do realize that Lucas isn’t the kind of person you can just sneak up on, right?” Leo’s grin widened, and he leaned forward. “Ella, don’t underestimate me. I’m not just some doctor, you know. I’m also the third young master of the richest family in the city. I’ve got resources—and people—who are trained for this kind of thing.” Ella blinked. “Wait, what?” Leo laughed at her stunned expression. “Oh, did I forget to mention that? My bad. Anyway, the guys I’ve hired are top-tier. Ex-special forces. A
"I'm fine."Ella’s voice was flat, and her expression matched. She opened the car door and slid into the back seat without another word.Lucas followed, but instead of his usual smooth-talking self, he stayed oddly quiet. He looked like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. After all, today wasn’t just any day—it was her father’s death anniversary. A heavy day. Even Lucas, in all his calculated charm, seemed to sense that pushing her would be a bad idea.So, the car rolled out of the driveway in silence.The driver, professional as ever, focused on the road. No small talk, no radio, just the hum of the car and the occasional sound of Ella shifting in her seat. The Western Suburb Cemetery—Fairfield's quietest corner—was an hour's drive away. An hour of silence. Lucas stared out the window, his mind a million miles away, while Ella clutched the bouquet in her lap, lost in her own thoughts.She wasn’t sure what to expect today. Lucas wasn’t exactly known for his sent
"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