"I don't know what you're talking about," Abelin said coldly.Bryce's gaze turned meaningful after he glanced at the broken cigarette in Abelin's hand. He said, "Holly's my wife. No matter what your last name is, don't disturb her."Abelin shrugged and said with a provocative expression, "What are you afraid of?"Bryce's eyes turned a little icy as he eyed Abelin. He began to exude a chilly air.Abelin responded with a challenging smirk.Chuckling, Bryce tapped his cigarette on the ashtray before remarking, "Holly took the initiative to invite me to dinner today. You saw for yourself just how much she cares about me."His voice was deep, and a faint smile seemed to dance on the corners of his lips. It was hard to tell what he was feeling.Abelin stiffened, his smile fading."Take good care of her," he said before getting up to leave.Bryce's eyes were as cold as ice as he retorted, "You're an outsider. Isn't it a little inappropriate for you to express so much concern for my w
Holly underwent two months of rehabilitation for her left hand. Having almost regained full use of it, she returned to work at Treasure Grove.As soon as she walked in, she saw Shawn standing at the counter with a massive magnifying glass in hand. He was studying a historical painting to discern its authenticity.While passing by, she glanced at the painting. It was the painting Trees and Leaves by Zachary Quine.When Holly first started training to be a restorer, she practiced creating replicas of Zachary's paintings. Thus, she could identify them with just a single glance.Shawn adjusted his glasses before asking the seller, "How much do you plan on selling it for?"The seller was a shabbily dressed middle-aged man. He was hunched over with his hands hidden in his sleeves. "This painting, Tree and Leaves by Zachary Quine, is a family heirloom of mine. I wouldn't be selling it now if I didn't have to. "I looked up how much his paintings sold for at auctions in recent years, and
Shawn's expression turned dark at once as sweat dripped down his back.He was truly grateful that Holly came in time. Otherwise, he would've been fooled. He would've lost a fortune if he had paid tens of millions of dollars for that painting.More importantly, he would lose all credibility in this field.When Holly first joined Treasure Grove, Hayden instructed Shawn to consult with Holly if he ever had any questions about something. At the time, Shawn felt disgruntled, but now, he was well and truly convinced of her capabilities."How did you figure it out?" he asked respectfully.Holly smiled.Although the parchment, paint, and signature on the painting were all authentic, she found tiny fibers that hadn't been cleared off cleanly upon taking a closer look.However, she didn't tell Shawn that. She merely said, "It was a gut feeling. I've been handling old paintings since I was a kid. Even though I'm young, I've been doing such work for nearly two decades now. "Something abou
Holly paled as she stood rooted to the spot. It was spring, but she felt chilled to the bone—as though she was standing out on the street in the dead of winter. Even her teeth seemed to chatter from the cold.Her heart ached so painfully that she could hardly breathe.Bryce said he was loyal—he said he would keep his distance from Samantha. And yet, he had carried her into the car, looking so frantic.Although she was standing right there at the entrance, he didn't even notice her."Mrs. Gabelman? Mrs. Gabelman?" the driver called out to Holly, but she didn't respond.The driver picked up her phone and checked it before passing it back to her. "Your phone, Mrs. Gabelman."Holly took it robotically.Carefully studying her expression, the driver said, "Ms. Cott must've gotten injured. That was why Mr. Gabelman carried her. I saw her just now. Her eyes were closed, and she looked like she was in pain."Earlier on, Holly had focused all her attention on Bryce. She didn't even bothe
Holly nodded. Looking at Bryce with her sparkling eyes, she said, "I trust you."Bryce smiled. He felt the urge to hug her, but he resisted the urge since his subordinates were around.After taking her hand in his, he said, "Call me when you get home. Get Mrs. Locke to make whatever you want for dinner. I'll take you out to dinner some other time.""Okay," Holly said."Go on," Bryce said, releasing her hand."Mmhmm."Holly was just about to leave when her gaze stiffened. She saw Arthur and Abraham rushing over anxiously.Even from a distance, Arthur shot Holly a piercingly icy glare. She felt as if her heart had been stabbed with an icy dagger, freezing her to the bone.Abraham was also glaring daggers at her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.It was an innate ability that some had—the ability to hurt another person with just their gaze.Holly was so hurt that she wanted to laugh.Two men with a combined age of over 100 were bullying a young woman in her 20s.They bo
Samantha was lying on the gurney. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her face was pale. She was no longer wearing a hard hat. With her hair in the way, it was hard to tell how bad her injury was.When Abraham saw her, he dropped everything and ran up to her. Grabbing her hand, he shouted, "Samantha! Samantha!""Please get out of the way," the nurse said while she pushed the gurney toward the emergency room.Abraham quickly ran after them.It would take ten minutes before the CT scan results of Samantha's head came out. Bryce stayed put to wait for the results. After all, he was partly involved in the accident as well.Staring in the direction where Samantha had been taken, Arthur snapped reproachfully, "Look at how much Samantha cares about you. She risked her life to save you. If she hadn't pushed you away, you would've been the one lying on the gurney instead.""I didn't ask her to do it," Bryce responded coolly.Furious, Arthur looked up and bellowed, "What did you just say? You
All of Nina's drowsiness dissipated at once. "What did you say? What's wrong with Bryce? Why did he get involved with that fake bitch again?""This was an unexpected situation," Holly replied."Don't stand up for him. He deserves a good beating! I'll give you Moses' number right away," Nina said."Okay."After taking down Moses' number, Holly immediately made the call. Moses answered within after the first ring."I apologize for calling you so late, Mr. Cott," Holly said politely.Moses was similarly polite as he replied, "It's fine. What's the matter?""I just wanted to ask if Bryce was with you.""He is," Moses confirmed apologetically. "Please give me a moment. I'll pass the phone to him.""Thank you," Holly said.Soon, she heard Bryce's voice coming through the phone, "My phone turned off after it ran out of battery. Why aren't you asleep?""You weren't home yet, so I got worried," Holly said, clutching her phone tightly.After a pause, Bryce said, "Samantha's still u
Bryce's gaze turned a shade darker as he asked, "Samantha has woken up?"Reminded of what Samantha had said earlier, Moses grew furious again. "She woke up ages ago, and she seems perfectly capable of thinking and talking normally—not at all like someone who had been unconscious the entire night."Bryce knew there was more to what Moses had said. "What happened?"Moses didn't tell Bryce everything. He simply said, "Have your people look into the worker who threw the metal bucket down at the construction site yesterday. What you find might come in handy in the future."Naturally, Bryce instantly noticed that Moses said the bucket had been thrown. After recalling Abraham's and Quirina's reactions yesterday, he figured out the situation."Thanks," Bryce said to Moses before walking off.After getting into his car, he called Tobin and instructed, "Investigate the worker who threw the metal bucket at the construction site yesterday. And do it yourself. Make sure you keep things under
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