Bryce's gaze was cold. "Then do as I said.""Yes, Bryce."Samantha rushed up toward Edna, raising her arm high. Then, she slapped Edna across the face.Edna was thoroughly dazed.She held her cheek and asked in disbelief, "Why did you slap me, Samantha?"There were tears in Samantha's eyes. "I'm sorry, Grandma. Bryce said they won't punish you if I did this, and you won't be sent to prison. I'm doing this for your own good, Grandma."Right as Edna was about to speak, Samantha slapped her again.Bryce had told her to give it her all, or it wouldn't count.He was standing close by, watching everything. Samantha didn't dare to fake it.Edna's face swelled up. Her cheek ached terribly.She turned and ran.Bryce's bodyguards stepped up, blocking her path.Edna yelled for her maids. "Someone, help me!"But the maids had all witnessed Trevor slapping her. No one dared to defy him. So, not a single one of them went up to help her."Please just cooperate with me, Grandma." Samanth
Kolby went up to Edna, who was as pale as a sheet. "Please follow us, Mrs. Habel."Edna shook her head wildly. "It wasn't me! You can't arrest me!"These were words said by nearly every person who was being arrested.Kolby was used to them at this point.He said calmly but firmly, "The janitor that your driver hired was afraid of getting into trouble in the future, so she recorded the entire conversation. Your driver had given her full instructions on how to disable the cameras."Your driver has also been arrested and has come clean about everything. We have all the witnesses and the evidence that we need. For Mr. Habel's sake, we will only cuff you once you get in the car."The moment Edna heard that her driver was also arrested, her bloodied face fell. She said nothing anymore.Miserably, she followed Kolby out the door toward the police cars.Samantha rushed toward them, crying, "I'll definitely get you out, Grandma!"Edna didn't utter a word.She was an opera singer in he
Holly couldn't get up and feel weak, so she laid back down.Trevor's eyes were a little red. "It's all my fault for falling for Edna's trick. I can't believe that the woman I've been married to for 40 years could turn out to be such a vicious human being."Bryce stood nearby, feeling moved.He'd known Samantha for more than 20 years. He didn't think she would turn out to be someone like that, either.Maybe some people were just born evil.They were two-faced and manipulative.Trevor looked at Holly, reluctant to speak. A minute later, he choked out, "I'd already punished Edna. I scolded her, beat her, and kicked her out of my house."Holly knew what he was trying to say. Trevor wanted to beg for mercy on Edna's behalf. But because of his guilt, he didn't know how to go about it.Holly didn't know what to do.She hated Edna, but this was Trevor. She had to respect him.She looked at Bryce for help.Bryce said lightly, "Trevor, you've lived for many years. You should know ev
Then, the door opened with a creak.Quirina and Arthur walked into the ward while talking and smiling.Moses was behind them.The moment they walked in, they were stunned by what they saw.Samantha was covered in black paint from head to toe.The paint was on her hair, face, clothes, and the sheets.Samantha was rubbing at her face frantically with a towel."Who did this to you, Samantha?" Quirina walked up to her quickly. She wanted to help, but she had no idea how.The paint fumes were so strong that she wanted to puke.Samantha looked at Nina, saying nothing.Nina raised her chin and said, "It was me."Arthur's face darkened. He raised his arm, wanting to slap her. "You little bitch! Why did you dump paint on Samantha?"Moses ran up to them and shielded Nina. "Calm down, Uncle Arthur. We can talk this out."Samantha looked at Arthur pitifully. "Don't be angry at Nina, Uncle Arthur. She's young and immature."Arthur had a grim expression on his face. "What do you mean '
As the hall had gone completely silent, everyone looked over.Samantha had successfully attracted everyone's attention.She loved basking in glory like this. She held her chest high and sucked in her stomach, sashaying toward the seats.Nina saw her. She pursed her lips and asked Bryce, who was next to her, "It's Gabelman Group's anniversary. Who even invited her? Was it you?"Bryce looked up and pointed at Arthur, who was talking on the stage. "I can't think of anyone else besides him."Nina scoffed. "I think it's him, too. He's the only idiot in the family."Bryce held back a laugh.Levi coughed dryly. "It was me. I invited her. Around the beginning of the year, I heard her say that she would like to attend the anniversary celebration. I invited her since the Gabelmans and the Cotts were close."Levi was Arthur and Nicole's child. Arthur had him before he married Sherry.Levi grew up with the Lowes.Nina wasn't close to him, so she said nothing.Despite the many faces in t
Thunderous applause echoed in the banquet hall for the longest time.No one expected that Bryce, who was usually reserved and aloof, would make such a romantic confession to Holly in public. He truly surprised everyone with his sudden action.The younger women within the hall started gushing over Bryce and Holly's love story. They raved about how the beautiful couple was a match made in heaven, and their faith in love was restored again.Those who had been crushing on Bryce were heartbroken by the news, but they conceded defeat to someone as stunning as Holly.On the other hand, Arthur and Samantha had a completely different mindset.Arthur had a darkened expression as he sat stiffly throughout the speech in silence.There weren't many that dared to defy him all these years, even Richard had to cut him some slack.But Bryce had defied him time and again. Not only did he refuse to divorce Holly, he even got her pregnant. Now, he was even announcing their marriage to everyone.Br
Samantha's gaze lit up with renewed hope when she heard Levi's words. But she recalled the way Bryce had been giving her the cold shoulder for the past few days.She said dejectedly, "I've lost all confidence since Bryce hates me now."Levi dug his phone out and started typing: "Give him a taste test."Samantha stared at the words in his phone, puzzled. She looked up and asked, "Can you just be straightforward and tell me what you're trying to say, Levi?"Levi smiled intriguingly and replied, "Give him a taste of yourself, and he'll get hooked on you. How naive of you not to understand such simple truths."Samantha widened her eyes as she looked at him in disbelief, asking, "You're telling me to sleep with Bryce?"Levi hurriedly pressed his finger against her lips and whispered, "Keep your voice down."He looked around and was relieved to find everyone still focused on Bryce and Holly on the stage.Levi scooted close and whispered to Samantha, "Trust me on this. You'll definite
Bryce had similar reactions whenever he got drunk in the past. As such, he wrote it off as consuming too much alcohol and soft drinks at the same time.He lowered his hand under the table and pinched his thigh hard to sober himself up.Bryce then turned around and instructed Tobin, "Head downstairs and get me a room. I'll get some rest and sober up before heading home."He would've had to wake Holly up if he were to head back drunk. She would even have to take care of him.More importantly, he would become extremely clingy and horny when he was drunk. He couldn't do that to her now that she was pregnant.Tobin replied, "Alright, Mr. Gabelman."He then helped Bryce to his feet and informed the crowd of their departure before taking the elevator downstairs.…After the room was ready, Bryce took off his shoes and lay on the bed.Tobin got him some warm water and placed it on the bedside table. He then said, "I'll head upstairs now, Mr. Gabelman. Just call me if you need anything
Sitting by Bryce's bed, Holly softly held his slender fingers as if such a move would keep him safe.She must have been exhausted or emotionally spent, as she soon fell asleep by the bed. She then suffered a nightmare, in which Bryce stood in front of her, covered in blood from head to toe. Forcing a smile, he said to her, "Holly, I can't stay by your side anymore. You need to take care of yourself and be strong."After that, he turned into wisps of smoke and vanished right in front of her eyes. She frantically reached out to hold him, but she was clawing at the air.She waved her hands madly to take hold of him and run after him. Her voice was hoarse from all the yelling. "Bryce! Bryce Gabelman!"Her shouting was futile. Jolting awake, she gasped for air. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, and her eyes were wet from crying.She noticed that she was lying in the caregiver's bed. Someone—perhaps Bryce—had carried her to the bed.Bryce managed to get out of bed and lay by her
"You're injured. Don't stay on the floor—it's cold. Get up now!" Holly cautiously pulled Bryce up from the ground.He was speechless at her response. Any other woman would have happily accepted the ring and put it on.Perhaps, the woman he loved was different from the others.Going on one knee, Bryce refused to get up. He tenderly stared at Holly. "I'll get up after you agree to remarry me.""Get up now, and I'll agree to it."Defeated, he stood up, held her hand, and tried to put the ring on her finger when he was overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. He lost his balance and collapsed forward onto her.Holly quickly held him and asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"Bryce's lips parted. He wanted to reassure her that he was fine, but he couldn't utter a word. Soon after, his fingers that grasped the ring went numb. The large diamond ring dropped to the ground, spinning and clattering until it came to a stop.Panicking, Holly patted his cheek. "What's going on?"However, Bryce didn't
Looking at the man in Holly's embrace, Abelin turned his attention back to his phone. He asked inquisitively, "Who are you?"The person on the other end of the line was filled with anger. "I'm Bryce. I called her phone, but it was switched off."Abelin replied honestly, "She lost her phone.""Where is she right now?" Bryce questioned indifferently.After Abelin told him the villa's address, Bryce hung up.Abelin once again glanced at his phone before looking toward the dazed-looking Holly. "Holly, I think this man might not be Bryce."Holly shook her head. "You don't need to comfort me.""I just got a call from Bryce. He's on his way here."Holly thought he was lying and refused to believe him. When Abelin wanted to pull her away from the corpse, Holly got triggered and pushed him away. "Don't touch him! He'll be in pain!"Seeing Holly in such a dazed and abnormal state, Abelin felt a sense of pity for her.A tall figure emerged from the door about 45 minutes later. He was we
Abelin wanted to follow through with the protocol, but Holly refused.Realizing they weren't locals, the police decided to let them be. Thus, Abelin sent Holly and the corpse back to a villa their family seldom stayed in.Upon arriving at the villa, Holly did nothing but hold onto the bloodied man dazedly. Her heart felt heavy and chaotic. She was filled with regret and self-blame.Did she regret breaking up with him? The answer was no. Instead, she regretted not being firm enough with her decision. If she had been more resolute and didn't give him any hope of reconciling, he wouldn't have flown to Calria to find her. Correspondingly, he wouldn't have gotten into a car accident and died.Death was such a dreadful word. Bryce was gone, forever disappearing from this world. Holly would never hear his voice or see his smile and face. It was all gone.She would never see him again. She would rather he had lived, no matter who he ended up with in the future. She just wanted him to
The driver pressed the pedal, made a U-turn, and accelerated. When Holly arrived at the address Tobin sent, she saw two deformed cars at the crash scene. However, she didn't find anyone there.Holly's heart skipped a beat. She could only call Tobin repeatedly. However, the call didn't go through.Bryce and the others didn't own a car, only renting one after they got off the plane. Thus, Holly didn't know which car belonged to them.The driver continued driving a bit further until they came upon a collision between a car and a truck. The car's front end was completely obliterated. The driver was cut in half at the waist, and the person in the back seat was so badly mangled that his face was unrecognizable.A loud roar echoed in Holly's mind as it went blank. Her gaze fell on the man's blood-soaked suit. This was the deep-colored suit that Bryce always wore. The man had long legs. The wrist that was hanging out of the car wore a Patek Philippe Celestial watch.Holly remembered the
The moment Bryce reached Calria and got off the plane, he received a call from an unknown number. He took the call with furrowed eyebrows. "Hello. Who are you?"Zenia fumed. "I'm Zenia. Holly and Abelin's wedding is today. Your woman snatched away the man I loved!" She hung up the call after that.Bryce didn't believe her. He tapped into his messages, and several wedding photos came into view. Although the images were not high resolution, one could at least make out the newlywed's features.The groom wearing a suit had striking facial features, and Bryce recognized him as Abelin. Meanwhile, the woman was dressed in a fitted floor-length gown and wore a white veil. Under the thin veil, Bryce could make out her defined features. The woman was none other than Holly.Bryce felt like he had been struck by lightning. His mind went blank, and the hand holding the phone turned cold.He could feel his heart sinking and his blood going cold. Instantly, he felt he got toyed and betrayed
Michelle was gravely ill, with her vision and hearing failing. Thus, they should be able to deceive her.While Abelin let out a sigh of relief, Merope threw daggers at him. She couldn't believe he was stupid enough to let go of such a good opportunity. She wondered why someone as smart as her would have such a dumb son.As it was almost time for the wedding ceremony, Merope wheeled the sickly Michelle out. Michelle's complexion seemed better than a few days back, perhaps due to the joyful event or the effects of terminal lucidity. Her dull eyes were shining when she saw Abelin and the fake bride on the red carpet.Michelle pursed her lips and asked Merope, "Is he really getting married to Holly?"Merope replied unwillingly, "Yes.""Bring me over to have a look," Michelle ordered. When Merope wheeled her over to the fake bride, Michelle took her reading glasses from her pocket with trembling hands.Abelin held his breath as Michelle eyed the fake bride up and down. He was fear
Merope pleaded earnestly, "Abel, your grandmother is on her last breath. Please try to fulfill her last wish for her."Abelin didn't seem to reject this plan as much as before. "Wedding arrangements are already in place, and I've notified a couple of cousins. I'll try to make the entire wedding as genuine as possible."Merope was overjoyed. "Why did you suddenly change your mind? Is Holly the bride?""No. I found a woman who looks quite similar to her. Grandma is old and has blurry eyesight. I doubt she'll recognize her."Merope rebuked, "Your grandma isn't blind!""Well, that's all." Abelin then hung up the call.…Three days later, many relatives gathered at the Gabelman residence. The brightly decorated courtyard was filled with people. Abelin hired a professional wedding team in advance, making sure the officiant, red carpet, circular arch, fresh flowers, and bridal bouquet were all in place. A professional violin team was also playing the wedding march.Although it was a
Abelin called Priscilla's bodyguards, and they arrived at the Calria police station together.The bodies were stored in the morgue. Since they weren't Calrians, the police couldn't find any information on them or confirm their identities.However, they were sure that the two bodies had something to do with Priscilla because one of the bodyguards left a long scratch mark on one of the culprit's arms. At that moment, the mark was rotten due to being submerged in the water. The skin was peeling, and it was a horrifying sight.Clearly, the person behind the culprits was worried they might get caught and expose their employer's identity. So, someone was sent to silence them right away. It was easy for someone like them to kill a person.After giving a statement, the police told Abelin that they were going to do an autopsy on the bodies. Once they had news, they would call him again.After coming out of the police station, Abelin got into his car and called Bryce. "The two guys who hu