The sun had already set when Emmie saw the message on her phone. "Elijah's back, Emmie! A few of our classmates in Dragfort are planning a get-together tomorrow at noon. I heard you're in Dragfort as well. Why don't you join us?"The message included a hotel location. The sender was one of her and Elijah's college classmates. Her fingers trembled, and her mind went blank.Just then, her phone rang. It was Michael. Emmie composed herself before answering the phone.Michael's low voice came through. "Have you gotten off work yet?" It was his last night in Dragfort, and he wanted to make it count.Her breath caught in her throat. This past week, he would attend meetings in the city in the morning and then come to this small town to have a secret rendezvous with her at night. However, Emmie didn't want this to continue. After all, he had Lia, didn't he? "I have to work overtime tonight," she said calmly.He sneered, "Don't play games with me, Emmie Fox. I'm well aware that Elijah Ca
There was a malicious glint in Michael's eyes that sent shivers down one's spine.Emmie looked at him but remained silent. The more she tried to explain her relationship with Elijah, the more she felt like she was digging herself into a hole."I'm hungry. Can we eat now?" A hint of resentment flickered in her clear eyes. His heart softened, and he let go of her. Emmie started to eat. The table was laden with her favorite dishes, but she couldn't taste anything. She wondered what her life would be like if she hadn't met this unreasonable man that year and been ensnared by him.Emmie shoveled the food in with little regard to its flavor because her heart ached, and she felt numb. She continued to eat beyond the point of satiety until she felt the nausea hit her like a freight train. Clutching her stomach, she retched. Michael looked over and asked nervously, "What's wrong?" Emmie shook her head, as her abdomen felt distended and uncomfortable. "Is your stomach upset?" He finally
Yvette rolled up in her flashy Porsche to pick Noelle up on Saturday. Then, the two of them had lunch at a restaurant near the library.Yvette trilled, "Noelle, we have a new professor in the archaeology department! His name is Elijah Callahan, and I heard he's from the northwest. He's a great lecturer. Oh, and get this—he was also a top student at Collinview University back then. I looked him up on the Internet and found out he was a classmate of your mom's!"Yvette booted up her school's forum on her phone and scrolled to a post about Elijah. "Look, it's this guy!"Noelle looked at the picture and froze. So, his name was Elijah. It was the man she had seen the other day at Restaurant Blanc. But why had her father torn up a photo of Elijah? What was his relationship with her mother? Noelle was perplexed. Yvette continued, "I heard Professor Callahan is still single! He's handsome, charming, and a university professor; there should be a lot of women lining up for him, right? It'
Xyla appeared uneasy and anxious. "That's really not necessary, Quint! My leg is just fractured. It'll be fine after I go home and get some rest!""She's genuinely changed," he thought. Quentin looked at her sun-kissed face and her rough hands and felt complicated.Ignoring her protests, he called his acquaintance and arranged a hospital room for Xyla. Then, he said, "You don't have to go back to the gas station anymore. I'll find you a less demanding job."He paused before adding, "I hope you'll live an honest life." With that, he left. Xyla smirked as she watched him walk away. "In the end, you just can't ignore me after all, Quentin!"Quentin answered a call from Noelle as he walked out of the hospital. "Where are you?" she asked. Noelle missed him.He responded, "I'm at the hospital, picking up my mom's medical report.""Oh. Is everything okay?" she inquired. He answered, "Yeah, everything's fine."He hesitated for a moment and decided not to tell Noelle about his enco
Noelle continued, "Her colleagues told me that Xyla fractured her leg and was hospitalized. I think we should visit her first thing tomorrow. If she hadn't saved me the other day, I'd be the one lying in the hospital right now!"Quentin assumed she had gone to the gas station. "There's something I haven't told you, Elle. I ran into Xyla at the hospital when I went to collect my mom's medical report today. She fractured her leg, so I arranged a hospital room for her. Xyla has changed, Elle."With gentle eyes, he looked at Noelle. Her heart sank as she knew right there and then that Xyla's ploy had worked. She arched her brow and casually said, "Oh, that's quite the coincidence! I can't believe she was there to have her leg looked at right when you went to pick up your mom's medical report." Quentin's brows knitted as he realized she was hinting at something. "Perhaps she didn't realize that her injury was that serious yesterday." He didn't want to bring up Xyla again, knowing it wou
Emmie was beside herself with worry. Her students had gone to the flea market in Liberty County during their break. On their way back, the cab they were in collided with a large truck. One of them was slightly injured, but the other female student was in critical condition.Her student was transferred from Liberty Hospital to the city hospital in the middle of the night, and she was still unconscious.Concerned about her student's condition, Emmie hung up the phone. She looked into the ICU and felt as if her heart was being squeezed when she saw her student covered in tubes. "Ma'am, please pay the hospitalization fees!" a nurse said after walking over.Each second in the ICU was expensive. Emmie rushed to the payment counter and paid a lump sum of 50 thousand dollars. When she turned around, she accidentally bumped into someone, causing the medical insurance card of the female student she was holding to fall to the ground. Emmie hurriedly bent down to pick it up, but a slender,
"My student is still in critical condition, Michael!" Emmie exclaimed.Michael looked at her coldly. "Are you worried about your student, or are you attempting to have a secret rendezvous with Elijah?"Emmie was stumped. She turned her head to the side and couldn't be bothered to deal with this unreasonable man anymore.He raised his hand and loosened his tie. "If I hadn't shown up, what would you two have done next? Gone to a hotel and caught up?"She frowned but remained silent. Unable to contain himself any longer, he spun around and grabbed her by the collar. "Say something!" Her breath hitched in her throat, and a glimmer of emotion flickered in her clear eyes. "There was never anything between me and Elijah, Michael Xanthos! Whatever feelings I had for him vanished into thin air the moment you came into my life!"Emmie and Elijah lived next door to each other and were inseparable since childhood. Their relationship began innocently and continued to flourish as they both
Michael's heart ached when he noticed how exhausted Emmie was. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her straight to the bedroom. Emmie was utterly exhausted. She figured it was probably because she had to fulfill his desires every night and work during the day. Also, she hadn't gotten any sleep last night. As soon as he laid her on the bed and her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep. When she woke up, she couldn't tell what time it was. She noticed that the sky had darkened, and the man was sitting beside the bed with an unlit cigarette between his fingers. As soon as she opened her eyes, he looked over, almost as if he could sense her awakening. His eyes were as bright as stars as he gazed intently at her face.Michael had never seen Emmie in this state before. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was pale. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was a mess. Also, she seemed a little out of it, having just awakened.He chuckled, finding her dazed expression
"Sorry, but if I ever get married, it definitely won't be to either of you."Noelle had originally come to visit Christian, but now she didn't feel like staying anymore. She was beyond frustrated.Christian's sharp, dangerous eyes narrowed in an instant, brimming with hostility as he locked his gaze on Noelle. Quentin's handsome face darkened as well, his mood turning stormy.Noelle spun around and walked out."We'll see about that," Quentin muttered, getting up to leave as well.As he passed by the clinic where Noelle worked, he cast a glance in that direction before heading out.Near the end of the workday, Russ called. "Ms. Xanthos, Mr. Xanthos has arranged for you to meet a boxing champion. Are you free now? I can take you to meet him."Noelle couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and bitterness. She had lived 24 years, and only now did he care about whether she had any self-defense skills. Isn't it a little late for that?Still, she went.After one session, she was dr
Noelle quietly closed the door behind her. Leonard glanced over, saw it was her, and put away his phone. "He just fell asleep. Ms. Xanthos, you should head home and rest. I'll keep watch tonight," he said softly.Noelle shook her head. "He took the knife for me. How could I go home? I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. I'd rather stay here and keep an eye on him."She sat down on the couch, her gaze heavy with concern as she looked at Christian sleeping.Leonard nodded. "Alright, you stay here. I'll step out for a bit," he said before leaving the room.Noelle nodded.Christian's phone, sitting on the nightstand, pinged with a WhatsApp notification.Noelle walked over, picked up the phone, and saw a message from someone with the nickname "The Blomming Fifties.""What a flashy name," she thought with a faint smirk.But for some reason, curiosity tugged at her—she suddenly felt a strong urge to peek into Christian's private world as if she might uncover something hidden beneath t
Noelle remained silent.In Dragfort, ever since Quentin had learned early that morning about Christian taking a knife for Noelle, he had locked himself in his office. It had been three hours now.The morning executive meeting was canceled, and his client appointments were rescheduled. Senior staff members who needed his signature on documents stood hesitating at the door, feeling the oppressive atmosphere even from outside the office.Department heads waiting to give their reports also lingered at the door, too intimidated to enter.In the end, they all turned their pleading eyes toward Martin.But even Martin was hesitant to go in.After all, he had witnessed the weight of Quentin's emotions—shock, frustration, and a deep sense of defeat—that had cast a heavy, oppressive mood over the office.Martin made a call to Dennis, knowing only he could possibly get through to Quentin now."Mr. Jackman, you need to come over," Martin said quietly, making sure to step into a quieter co
Even though Christian was in obvious pain, he forced himself not to make a sound.Such a stubborn fool.The door knocked twice, and Leonard walked in. Seeing Noelle, he greeted her, "Ms. Xanthos."Noelle's eyes were red, but she didn't respond.Christian opened his eyes slightly and said, "Don't tell anyone I'm injured."Leonard nodded."Tell them I'm on a business trip," Christian added.Leonard raised an eyebrow, "Bro, with a wound like that, how long do you think this 'trip' will last before people catch on?"Christian shot him a cold glare, and Leonard quickly relented, "Okay, okay, I get it. I'll handle it."Christian closed his eyes again, waves of pain crashing over him like a relentless tide.Suddenly, he opened his eyes once more. "Silly girl."Noelle paused, her tear-filled eyes looking at him.A smile tugged at the corner of Christian's mouth. "Get out for a bit. You look terrible."Noelle's lips twitched as her damp lashes fluttered, and a surge of unexplainabl
Just as the man raised the knife for a second strike, the security team arrived and swiftly pinned him down.Noelle heard a low grunt behind her, followed by Christian's pained chuckle. "Good thing it wasn't him."Noelle's heart clenched as she turned to see Christian, clutching his shoulder, slumped against her legs.He was wearing a beige coat, now stained with a large patch of blood around his shoulder.Christian was rushed to emergency surgery, but Noelle remained frozen in her chair, her mind replaying his words, "Good thing it wasn't him."Who wasn't it? Quentin?Why did he say that? Why did he act this way?The image of Christian's blood-soaked coat lingered in her mind. The wound—how deep was it?Noelle sat there, numb and lost in thought for an unknown period, until Michael appeared.He glanced at her through the doorway, but without a word, he continued walking past.A little while later, Kara gently patted her shoulder. "They've moved him to a room. You should go s
Emmie smiled and placed a few more ravioli on Noelle's plate. "Then eat a little more. It's your mom's first time cooking, and once you're in the Utopia States, you won't have this."It wasn't like she had never cooked before—she had made instant noodles when she was alone.Noelle ate a small bowl of ravioli without pausing, her stomach now full and round. Her eyes welled up with tears, though whether it was from happiness or something else, no one could tell.After dinner, Noelle stayed for a bit before leaving.Emmie watched Noelle's car disappear down the driveway before finally going upstairs.Michael, leaning back on the bed, heard her soft footsteps approaching and lifted his eyelids.The bedroom was dark, and when Emmie stepped in, her gaze met Michael's dark, piercing eyes. She paused at the doorway, and he continued watching her."Lia must be blind. She couldn't tell if it was you or the driver," Emmie said coldly, walking straight to the other side of the bed and pulli
Emmie was at a loss for words.Michael said, "Your daughter's leaving for the Utopia States soon. You should take this time to spend with her."Emmie's breath hitched. "Elle agreed?"Michael nodded. "Yes."It was the best way for Noelle to get away from those two men and focus on her own growth.After a night's rest, Noelle felt much better the next morning. Emmie called her, inviting her to Gentle Glades after work.What Noelle didn't expect was to see Michael there as well.He was lounging on the couch in casual clothes, flipping through a medical journal. Emmie, wearing an apron, seemed to be busy in the kitchen. When Noelle walked in, Emmie immediately came out."Elle!" Emmie's gentle face was filled with warmth as she took Noelle's hand.Noelle felt a bit disoriented.In her memory, Emmie's life was filled with books and work, never with the kitchen. And Michael—she hadn't seen him so relaxed and calm, casually reading a magazine on the couch, in over a decade.It felt
Michael couldn't forget the look Elijah had given him that day—a mocking smile, full of meaning. Elijah slowly pulled back, revealing Emmie's curled-up body underneath him.Without a word, Michael opened his phone and pulled up a social media app. He tossed the phone to Emmie. "Take a look for yourself."Emmie looked down and saw a video posted by Elijah just minutes earlier. It was of her feeding him. She watched in disbelief, then replayed it. The account was undeniably Elijah's."Scroll down. There's more," Michael's voice drifted from the couch.Emmie's fingers moved down the screen, her peripheral vision catching a glimpse of Michael sitting with his legs crossed, taking a sip of coffee handed to him by the housekeeper.Further down, she found a photo posted by Elijah a month ago, showing her preparing his medicine. The footage seemed to be taken from security cameras.But none of these posts had appeared on her social media feed.She had never seen them on her phone.Mich
Quentin didn't deny it.Noelle's chest tightened as she remembered that day in Ocean City when Christian had said Gillian deserved to be slapped. Now, it all made sense.At the time, she had sarcastically asked him if he would treat her the same way once he got tired of her.His response had been, "Do you think I'm tired of her, and that's why I did it?"Now she understood. Christian had known all along that it was Quentin who had called Gillian to Ocean City.A wave of frustration swelled in Noelle's chest. Her fingers clenched tightly as the memory of Christian's sweet words clashed with the thought of him being with Gillian. Bitterness gnawed at her.Just then, the door opened again, and a strong, steady figure entered. His gaze swept silently over the two men in the room before he walked straight to the bed."Elle?""Clement!" At the sight of him, Noelle's eyes brimmed with tears."Let's go home," Clement said as he turned and carefully lifted her onto his back. Noelle res