"Gale, you don't have to feel inferior. You don't need to think you've let Mr. Wood down, or sink into self-loathing. Your situation and mine aren't the same. I've already pulled myself together and thrown myself into work. You shouldn't get caught up in that nightmare from that night."Honestly, you shouldn't because you didn't experience that nightmare!"Gale almost forgot to blink, just staring at Ivy like that, Gale saw her reflection in Ivy's clear gaze."Ivy, you..." Gale felt a bit lost. "Why are you so sure? Do you know something? Do you have any leads?""Not at the moment, but I just know."A tinge of disappointment flickered in Gale's eyes. Ivy was trying to comfort her, was she not? Without evidence, how could she believe her?"Gale!" Ivy could tell what Gale was thinking. "Don't you believe me?""I..." Gale wanted to believe, but she could not convince herself."Gale, I can vouch for it with my career, my future, even my life." Ivy looked straight into her eyes. "No
"I'm going to a meeting and was just passing by, thought I'd grab a coffee and go. My car's parked on the roadside. Lights are still on." Aurum broke the silence.He gestured casually and then smiled, heading to the counter to place his order. Ivy watched Aurum's figure. He was imposing and gentlemanly, that was the impression Aurum gives to others, but deep down, he was so vile and dark.Gale glanced out the window. She saw his car by the roadside. She did not want to see Aurum because she could not face it; as soon as she saw him, she would involuntarily think of that night. Everyone could pretend like nothing had happened, but the fact remained undeniable."Gale, remember my words, I have a secret that's hard to tell," Ivy's hand landed on the back of her hand, gripping it tightly. "I can't say more, but you'll know in the future."Gale looked at her quietly. What secret did Ivy know, that she could confidently assure her that nothing happened between her and Aurum? Why could no
Ivy did not refuse, and from her expression and behavior, she seemed to enjoy and be quite satisfied with Aurum's care for her. Aurum was indeed trying to flirt with her. He wanted to lure her with love. He even wanted to completely control her, make her obediently listen to him, love him deeply, and be willing to sacrifice herself for her love.After all, Aurum seemed to be a quality man, any woman who looked at him would want to have him. Ivy had once been attracted to him too. Now thinking about it, she felt that she was truly naive and innocent. A man who could harm the woman he loved should be kept as far away as possible.She played along. If Aurum was playing, she would play too. She was keen to see if he's a better actor or if she, a professionally trained actress, can outperform him. He could act affectionately, then in response, she would play the role of a devoted woman.Watching the car drive away, Gale still had not snapped out of her daze. She could not understand it.
"Am I not allowed to come?" Gale smiled, looking at the scattered documents on the floor. "What's with the temper again? Being angry all the time ages you easily, and it's bad for your health."She squatted down, picking up the files one by one.Shawn could not bear to see her doing this; he quickly stepped forward, snatched the files from her hand, and casually placed them on the desk."Why did you come to my office?" Shawn was somewhat surprised, "Miss me?""Yes, I miss you. I think of you all the time, like a day without seeing you is like three autumns apart."Shawn reached out and pulled her into his arms, smelling her scent, his mood slowly calming down."Even if I know you're lying to me, deliberately saying things to make me happy, I'm still genuinely happy. If you miss me, come see me more often," Shawn said."To see you throwing a tantrum?" Shawn furrowed his brow. "That's because they didn't handle things properly."Gale raised her hand and smoothed out the wrinkle
The way he sat her on his lap made her feel like a child. His chest pressed against her back, his hands moving deftly. Soon, a frame appeared on the computer screen."Galey, this is the surveillance footage from outside the hotel. I've been trying to repair the damaged cameras these past few days and managed to retrieve a few unclear images," Shawn said."There's one that got a shot of Paul and Ivy's figures, but the most crucial thing is the time." Shawn moved the mouse to the upper right corner. "Look, the current time is eleven o'clock and eight minutes in the evening."Gale listened intently. "Even though the surveillance didn't get me, Aurum and I should have been around the hotel at the same time, right?""Exactly. Regardless of whether you and he arrived first or later, the time difference wouldn't exceed ten minutes," Shawn replied.Then, Shawn opened another picture. "This one was sent by my men. They entered the hotel to search for people at eleven twenty. That's only tw
Perhaps nothing really happened between her and Aurum. Logically, there was no time for anything to happen.If Shawn's bodyguard had arrived just a bit later, then it would have truly happened, with no chance of redemption.Now, all signs were pointing to her innocence.However, Shawn had seen with his own eyes that nishe, her and Aurum lying on the bed, embracing each other, barely clothed."Anger, but more than that, heartache and self-blame. Blaming myself for not protecting you that you were manipulated," Shawn replied."If only I hadn't woken up... I could pretend not to know anything. But if I hadn't woken up, Aurum would have died.""Let's not mention that night anymore, it's in the past. Galey, you just need to know, you are truly blameless," Shawn said.After he finished speaking, the office fell into silence. Only their breathing could be heard. For a long, long time, Gale softly uttered one word, "Okay." Shawn felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders! He finally
She nodded. Her hair rustled against the fabric of his shirt.Gale suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way, should I tell Aurum about it?""Tell him what?""That we didn't do anything wrong. I think he's been troubled these days."A hint of coldness flashed in Shawn's eyes. He quickly regained his composure. "How are you going to tell him? Say that Ivy knows some inside information?""I definitely can't bring her into this. She trusted me and only told me. I have to keep it confidential for her. The fewer people who know, the safer she'll be." Gale shook her head.Shawn asked flatly, "Isn't Aurum always saying he wants to give up everything in Sea City and leave? Why hasn't he taken any action?""Do you really want him to leave?" "He said it himself. Why didn't he keep his word?""I don't want him to leave, especially now that we both know that nothing happened that night. We can't let him leave. He's also a victim, he deserves to know the truth."Shawn lowered his ey
"It's so tiring to be tolerant, Galey." She bit her lip. "You've been through a lot.""Is that all I deserve?" Shawn asked.Galey instantly understood what he meant and leaned deeper into his embrace. "Let's talk about it when we get home tonight...""It's time for me to enjoy myself, isn't it?" He stroked her hair, whispering, "You've been distant with me these days. I expect you to be more passionate towards me from now on."She blushed and nodded.As she smelled the familiar scent of Shawn's cologne, she found solace in his embrace. He was always open to shield her from the storms. However...Galey sniffed again. Was there a hint of smoke?"What's wrong? Did you smell something?" Shawn asked."Are you smoking again?""No," Shawn denied.Galey gently pulled down his tie. "You dare not admit it? I can smell a faint scent of smoke.""I really haven't smoked," Shawn replied.He had craved a cigarette several times but always resisted, distracting himself or toying with a c