They kept at it for most of the night before finally going to sleep.The next morning, Bryce was woken up by the sound of his phone ringing.This was his personal number. Only his closest family members knew it.Not wanting to wake Holly up, he put it on mute and wore his robe. Then, he went out of the bedroom.He went to another room and picked up the call.Sherry's voice sounded over the phone, "I heard that your dad got stabbed at a seafood restaurant."Bryce was facing out the window. His gaze dimmed. "How did you know?""Don't underestimate the amount of friends that I have. My friend's the manager of that restaurant. How dare you keep this a secret from me?"Bryce smirked slightly. "I just didn't want to burden you. It's not like you care about him.""I don't, but I do care about his side chick. I won't stand this humiliation. Who is she?"Bryce said honestly, "Abelin's mom."Sherry sucked in a deep breath. "Keep her there. I'm heading over this instant!"She hung up
Abelin wouldn't be happy marrying anyone else except Holly.He would regret marrying.With Zorro around, Holly didn't have to worry so much about sending the wrong message. So, she stayed for longer.When she was about to leave, Zorro said, "Let me send you off."That was really just an excuse for him to ask about Arthur.It was no small matter what had happened.An assault was enough to get one into jail.Zorro asked, "How's Arthur?"Holly said, "He's out of critical condition. No vital organs were harmed."Zorro sighed. "What are they saying? I'll make it up to them, no matter what they ask as compensation.""I haven't heard anything from Bryce. Maybe they don't want to make a fuss."Zorro took a check out of his wallet. "This is our compensation to you. Please give it to them."Holly glanced at it. There were eight digits on it. It was 50 million dollars.It was a large sum.People couldn't even pay more than a hundred thousand dollars if someone died.However, she ha
Merope chuckled. "I used to be afraid of you 13 years ago, but I'm not afraid anymore. We each married a Gabelman. My husband's wealth and power are comparable to that of yours!"Sherry looked at her watch. "I'm giving you ten minutes to get your ass down here. Or else, I'm calling the cops on you."Ten minutes later, Merope appeared in front of Sherry with two bodyguards next to her.Sherry had two bodyguards by her side, too.Sherry smirked. "Let's go to the beach. This isn't a good place to talk."Merope looked panicked. "No."There was a flash of scorn on Sherry's face. "What, so you dare to stab Arthur, but you're somehow afraid of me? We both have bodyguards. What are you so afraid of?"Merope sized Sherry up. She had no choice. "Let's go. I'm not afraid of you."They went into their cars, arriving at a run-down pier.It was dark out. The waves lapped the shore in great strides. The wind was strong, as if wanting to tear something apart.After they got down, Sherry put
Merope smiled scornfully. She said slowly, "A thief would never admit to stealing. Bad people don't come with warning labels."Sherry laughed.The wind gently tugged at her beige coat, revealing her skirt and slender legs.She raised her delicate chin and said haughtily, "You ruined my family and avoided me for 20 years. Who's the bad guy here? "If I were the one behind the fire, I would have admitted it. But since it wasn't my doing, you can forget about trying to use me as a scapegoat."Merope brushed back her hair.The strands of gray hair that appeared these past few days stood out against her mop of hair.She said hoarsely, "Before the fire happened, you went to that village to spy on Abel. Not long after, Abel got caught in that fire. "You're an evil woman, Sherry. You aren't even willing to let go of a kid. He was only 12 years old at that time."How could a 12-year-old be a threat to you in any way? Since Arthur didn't want him, I kept him at my mother's house. Yet,
Meanwhile, Arthur was feeling the opposite.He said nothing, feeling a heavy weight on his chest.That explained why Abelin glared daggers at him when they met in the hospital.He didn't understand why Abelin was so angry at that time.Now, he understood that there was a lot of emotion behind that glare.However, he didn't intend to acknowledge Abelin.He was an accident. It was only going to make his family even more complex.Sherry was the proud type. She would never tolerate eye sores like this.Arthur smiled grimly. "Good. At least you met someone who treats you well. You and Abelin can live happily in the future."His insincere words infuriated Merope.She was a high school dropout. She was an employee at a five-star hotel and was in charge of housekeeping for the guest rooms.That night, Arthur had gotten drunk. He vomited all over the floor.Merope went in to clean up, but he mistook her for someone else and pushed her down on the bed.She had only been 18 years old
Raising his eyebrows, Bryce questioned coldly, "Why are you taking Holly with you?"Merope replied with a sneer, "Holly owes Abelin her life. Why should you get to keep her? If you disagree, I'll expose what Arthur did to me back then, along with that fire incident. I'll ruin Gabelman Group and your entire family!"Bryce found her unreasonable. He couldn't understand how Abelin, who seemed like a decent person, ended up with such a mother.He turned to Arthur and said, "You'd better deal with your own mess and keep Holly out of it."With that, he left without hesitation. If he stayed any longer, he might not be able to keep his hands off Merope.Sherry retorted at Merope, "Go ahead and try. If you can't produce any evidence to back your words, I'll sue you for defamation and invasion of privacy until your whole family goes bankrupt!"Arthur quickly signaled Sherry to stop, but she turned her head away and ignored him entirely."I say," Arthur interjected in a more conciliatory t
Apparently, Merope was the one who had nothing to lose. There was no telling what she would do if she went rogue.After a brief silence, Sherry declared, "Let me get this straight. I had nothing to do with that fire incident!"Arthur responded with a sly smile, "Yeah, yeah, nothing to do with you. Got it. You're completely innocent."Sherry found his sarcastic tone infuriating. She pinched his arm hard before getting out of the car, unable to stay with him any longer.She blamed her young and naive self for choosing a man like Arthur as her husband. She met Arthur while still in college. Her parents had approved of him, finding him smart, talented, ambitious, and dashing—a man worthy of trust. Yet, it turned out to be the worst decision of Sherry's life.Wrapping herself tight in her coat, Sherry walked elegantly in her high heels as she called Bryce. "Keep a close eye on Holly. Your despicable father plans to sacrifice her to protect his reputation and company.Merope Larson ma
Despite Bryce's gentle tone and smile, Holly could sense his subtle unease."I don't want you to sever ties with your father, Bryce," Holly explained. "What I'm trying to say is that I want to work harder and become a better version of myself. Perhaps in another two years, your father might agree to our remarriage? We can think about having children then. We're still young, so there's no rush."Bryce retorted nonchalantly, "So, I assume your Abel makes you feel more secure?"Taken aback, Holly chuckled and replied, "Bryce, we've finally buried the hatchet. Please don't say such mean words, will you?"Bryce fell silent, his gaze shifting to her fair fingers, which were bare without any accessories.He couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you ever wear the ring I gave you?" "That ring is too precious to be worn openly. What if it catches a thief's eye? Besides, I need to restore paintings, so I often have to remove the ring, which is rather inconvenient for me. I don't want to risk
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