"When did you come in? Why didn't you say anything?" Holly asked with a smile."I've been here for a while." Bryce's slender fingers rubbed against the watch on his wrist.It had been three years since Holly was married to Bryce. She knew he would touch his watch when he felt uneasy.To prevent misunderstandings from happening, Holly told Bryce the truth, "Tristan gave me a tanzanite to express his gratitude. "Since Granny Michelle is ill, I was planning to give the tanzanite to her. It didn't matter whether or not it would work. At least, it could comfort her. We only had a short call."Bryce's expression remained the same. He got up from the couch and walked over to Holly.He lowered his gaze to look at her. His dark eyes were void of emotion.He raised his hand and tucked away Holly's hair on her shoulders. "You don't need to explain everything to me. You just need to say three words."Holly raised her head. "Which three words?"Bryce narrowed his eyes. "The three words I
Holly smiled. "They can't snatch away whatever belongs to me. If they can, that means those things aren't mine.""You said it yourself. Don't regret it." Bryce's tone sounded like a threat.Although he said that, he still sent Holly the address of the hotel where the engagement party was going to be held, along with the time.After putting down the phone, Holly continued to work.When it was almost time for the engagement party, she went to her closet and changed into a blue fitted gown.Holly was going to meet Samantha later. They used to be love rivals. Samantha was the woman who provoked Holly countless times.Holly walked over to the dressing table and put on light makeup.Then, she used the curler to curl the ends of her hair. She looked more graceful and womanlike.Her features were beautiful. Her fair skin was soft. When she put on makeup, she looked stunning.Then, Holly looked at herself in the mirror. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she left.She stopped
"It's not too late for you to back out. We can call off the engagement," Levi spoke out stonily."No. You were the one who ruined me. So, you have to take responsibility," Samantha replied stubbornly.Although Levi was incomparable to Bryce, he was still exceptional in all aspects compared to the 30 or so suitors she'd blind-dated. Well, except for being a scumbag. But which of these rich young men wasn't a scumbag? Those who weren't were few and far between.Levi sneered coldly, "I've yet to meet someone as unreasonable as you."Samantha stared greedily at him. "I also feel like I've gone crazy. To think I'm going to be engaged with someone I don't love," she said hoarsely.Lowering his gaze, he glanced at his watch. "I'm the one in agony. I'll have to marry a woman I don't love," he replied absentmindedly. Her gaze shifted from Bryce's face onto Holly's, turning sinister. It was all because of Holly. If it wasn't for her, she wouldn't have been ruined by Levi, nor would
Afterward, it was time for the newly engaged couple, Levi and Samantha, to toast the guests. One table after another, they took turns toasting from the front to the back. Those seated at the front tables were mainly dignitaries, celebrities, senior executives, important business partners, and the like. Bryce was supposed to be seated in front. However, he was worried that Holly would feel uncomfortable, so he sat with her at the same table. The people assigned to their tables were all colleagues from the company. They glanced at Holly with eyes filled with envy and admiration.Before this, they all thought she was just a young woman with nothing but a pretty face. They also heard that she came from a poor family background.Although they never said it out loud, they all thought she was undeserving of the tall and handsome Bryce. After all, he was a charming and wealthy young man.However, they changed their minds later on.No one expected a quiet and gentle lady like her to b
Holly smiled lightly. "You're right. Life is truly unpredictable. Let's wait until the two of you are married before I address you as my sister-in-law." Her words pierced Samantha's heart.Samantha lacked manners. She wasn't the type to let things slide. So, she immediately retorted with a smile, "Well, that's fine. What if we ended up the way you did? It would be a hassle if we kept switching between marriage and divorce."Holly replied elegantly, "That's alright. After all, divorce and remarriage are just formalities as long as love still exists." With that, she leaned her head slightly toward Bryce's direction. Bryce picked up a piece of fish for her using the serving utensils. "I've picked out all the bones for you."Holding his hand, she replied, "Thank you."Samantha felt the urge to pry them apart as she stared at their clasped hands. She edged closer to Levi in an attempt to hold his hand, only for him to shake her off with a raise of his hand. Everyone picked up on
Tobin finally snapped out of his initial shock. Standing up, he pushed away his chair and ran toward the ceremonial stage.He searched everywhere for the remote control to turn off the large screen. Then, he unplugged the power source when he couldn't find it. The screen blackened, and Lucas' despicable face disappeared.The world fell silent in an instant.Bryce strode over. Picking up the microphone, he glanced at the guests with his well-defined features. "The talk show just now contains fabrication. This is a deliberate act of slander and defamation. I'll make sure my lawyers hold all relevant parties accountable."Holly is my wife, and she married me three years ago. I know her character the best. She's a righteous and kind-hearted person. She stood by my side in my most difficult times."I have been injured in the past few years. I had a terrible temper because I was sick. It was common for me to lose my temper and throw things. However, Holly never complained about it.
Arthur chuckled coldly and asked, "Am I just that despicable to you? Would I publicly embarrass a young woman like that?"Bryce had a mocking smile on his face. "Isn't that what you always do?"Arthur's face darkened. "Believe it or not, I'm not the one behind what happened today!""It'd better not be you." Bryce opened the door and got out of the car. He stood smoking by the roadside as he waited for Holly.He looked handsome and elegant, and even the way he smoked was uniquely charming. He often caught the attention of passersby.Holly came over after a short while. Bryce watched her before extinguishing his cigarette and patting her shoulders. "Are you alright?"She smiled and replied, "I'm fine. My mental game is quite strong. Whether they are praise or criticism, they're all fleeting. Nothing can hurt me if I don't put my heart to it."Bryce said, "I've called my lawyer to hold the TV station accountable for their shows. The show Lucas was on has been taken off air, and w
Lucas stared at Priscilla before asking, "Why are you here?"Priscilla sneered before grabbing his collar and pushing him against the wall. "Don't you know what you did, you old fox? Are you even related to Holls? I don't think so."Yet you dared to complain that she refused to support you on TV! Why should she support you? Who do you think you are?"Lucas chuckled sinisterly and said, "It's because she's your daughter, and I'm your ex-husband."Priscilla's expression hardened. "I've never seen such a shameless person like you!"Lucas replied, "What can I do? Both of you were living the dream life with big houses and luxury cars, yet I'm saddled with debt while renting a place. It's unfair to me! If you're feasting, the least you could do is toss me a bone, right?"Priscilla was filled with anger. "Have some shame! Don't you know how much money you've extorted from me all these years?"Lucas said, "You're only giving me tens of thousands of dollars each time, and at most 80 or 1
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