Samantha looked at the disappearing car and shouted out of spite, "I'll win you over someday and make you pay for everything you did!"Such was her "never-say-never" spirit that kept her going until this day. What others might deem shameless was just sheer determination, resilience, and perseverance for her.Samantha opened the door and entered the car angrily.Quirina eyed her and said, "Just give up. You should go on a blind date this weekend."Samantha turned away and said, "I'm not going!"Quirina said, "Since when did you become so stubborn? You'll surely regret not listening to me. There are plenty more fish in the sea. You're so young and beautiful. You can attract any man you like. Why must you insist on having Bryce?"Samantha pursed her lips and said, "I missed out on Bryce all because I've listened to you in the past. I wouldn't have ended up pregnant with Levi's baby if it wasn't for your meddling. "You've turned my life into a mess! From now on, I'll take control o
But now, Holly and Bryce were no longer together.Abelin saw the way she was zoning out. He asked, "Are you thinking of him?"Holly smiled bitterly and said, "Having a great memory is not always a good thing. I can't forget things easily, even if I wanted to."Abelin replied, "You should go and find him again if you really can't forget him."Holly shook her head and said nothing else. She turned her attention to the stage and focused on the representative's speech.Once the representatives were done with their speeches, the host went onto the stage with his microphone.He started listing out the names of the recipients of the Top 10 Outstanding Young Talents award. "Mr. Bryce Gabelman, CEO of the Gabelman Group. Ms. Holly Sinclair, cultural relic restorer. Mr. Connor Scott, neurosurgeon—"Holly was momentarily stunned. She then smiled, her eyes growing wet for some reason. She felt a pang in her heart.She wasn't expecting to meet him on such an occasion. She covered her mout
Bryce's expression was composed and serious as his posture remained upright.After the photography session, everyone got off the stage one after another. Holly carefully descended the stage in her high heels.She was extremely uncomfortable since she wasn't used to wearing high heels. Her feet slipped as she stepped down the steps, catching her by surprise while she stumbled forward.Just as Holly thought she was about to fall to the floor, someone pulled her by the arm in a split second. That person's grip was strong enough to steady her body.Her heart was beating rapidly at the near miss. She turned to thank the person behind her. "Thank you."It was Bryce.His lips were pursed tight. He didn't respond to her, as if he didn't hear her. However, his grip on her arm remained.He only let go of Holly when she reached the flat ground. His face remained icy and devoid of any expression.Holly walked back to her seat and sat down. Abelin softly asked, "Did you sprain your ankle?
Holly's answer seemed to be within expectations.The light in Abelin's eyes dimmed as he smiled. "Fair enough. You've lived here for such a long time. It's normal for you to be reluctant to leave."He concealed his disappointment well from Holly.…After the awards ceremony had concluded, Holly grabbed her handbag and went to wait for Bryce at the exit.Previously, Tobin was the one who would answer her calls, giving the excuse that Bryce was busy. Now that the opportunity presented itself today, she wanted to return some important things to him.After waiting for over ten minutes, Bryce walked out under the escort of Tobin and his bodyguards.His appearance was exceptionally striking, looking tall and graceful in a tailored haute couture suit.The passersby couldn't help but glance at him as he walked down the road. It was especially so for the young women passing by—their eyes were gleaming with admiration.With the way he looked, Bryce was effortlessly captivating.Holly b
Suddenly, a teenage boy zipped by on a skateboard, almost running into Holly. She didn't notice him as she was lost in thought.In a split second, Bryce opened the car door and bolted out to catch up with her. He then grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him.The teenage boy brushed past the sleeve of Bryce's shirt and zoomed away on his skateboard.Behind him, Holly remained shocked as her heart beat rapidly. She wasn't surprised by the teenage boy. She was surprised by Bryce's sudden act.She pressed a hand against her chest and softly said, "What are you doing?"Bryce scolded her with a cold expression, "You're a grown-up, yet you don't even watch where you're going. Are your eyes for decoration only?"Holly said, "You're making a fuss out of nothing. The boy wouldn't run into me. He's skilled in skateboarding."Bryce replied, "Do you have to be injured to learn your lesson?"Holly didn't want to argue with him. "Thank you."Bryce said nothing. He turned around and walked
Holly watched the limited-edition luxury limousine speed away at breakneck speed. She shook her head gently and got into her car. As soon as she was in, her phone suddenly rang. She eyed the screen and saw that it was an unknown number.An elderly male voice sounded after the call was connected, "Hello, Ms. Sinclair. My name is Kieran Zook."Holly was momentarily stunned.She had heard about that name. Kieran was known as a genius director in the country who had directed many blockbuster movies. Almost all of his movies had won international awards.But she wasn't sure why such a renowned director would call her suddenly.Holly politely asked, "Hello, are you really Mr. Zook?"Kieran replied, "Yes, I am. I'm currently preparing for a movie with a tomb-raiding theme. Are you perhaps interested?"Holly was shocked. She was sure that this person wasn't Kieran. It was probably some scammer who was using Kieran's name for fraud.There was no further need for her to continue speaki
Both of them smiled at each other. Holly then mimicked Kieran's earlier act and put on a bashful expression.Keiran was watching Holly and Matthew intently behind the monitor. His lips were curled up in satisfaction at their performance.Even though this was Holly's first time acting, she portrayed the emotions of being in love very convincingly.A man suddenly appeared beside him, looking discontented. He wore a cold expression as he stared at Holly, who basked under the moonlight. His fists were gripped tightly to the point of turning his knuckles white.He gloomily asked, "Didn't you say that all intimate scenes would be done by stand-ins, Mr. Zook? So what's happening now?"Kieran looked up immediately. Shocked by the man's sudden visit, he quickly smiled and said, "Why didn't you call me before you dropped by, Mr. Gabelman? I would've sent someone to bring you over.""What's with the intimate scene?" Bryce asked with his eyes still trained on Holly and Matthew's hand-holdi
Bryce waved a hand at the bodyguards behind Holly, asking them to leave. As they were his men, they immediately obeyed him and left.He then looked at Annie. It was as clear as day that he wanted her to leave them alone.Annie was conflicted. She looked at Bryce, then at Holly. After much hesitation, she asked, "You won't make things difficult for Holly, right, Mr. Gabelman?"Bryce's gaze turned cold. He was getting impatient.Annie was actually a little scared of him. She could only tell Holly, "I'll just stay outside, Holly. Just give me a shout if anything happens, okay?"Holly nodded.Only she and Bryce remained in the room. He jutted his chin toward the couch and said, "Sit."Holly eyed the couch and remained unmoving. She distantly said, "It's improper for a man and a woman to be alone in a room so late at night. Please hurry up and say what you need, Mr. Gabelman. I'll leave after that."Bryce pursed his lips and kept quiet as he looked at her. He felt unhappy.Not on
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