Joseph refused to accept it and threw the documents to the ground with a flick. "I won't sign it! I won't sign it!""It's your choice. If you don't sign it, I'll sue you. Let's separate from each other for a while. Whatever it is, I know I won't stay with you any longer. I'm tired, Joseph, I genuinely am.""Tired? Eloise, we've been together for years. Now that I'm like this, you're just going to divorce me?!" Joseph growled as he patted his leg unconsciously."Joseph, you know that's not the reason. Indeed, many envy me for marrying into a wealthy family. I’m sure we’re both aware of how much you’ve given me and what I’ve done for the family over the years. “Still, you proudly parade around with your mistress for years and even bring your illegitimate child into our home. Have you ever stopped to consider how I'd look and feel? Have you honestly never considered getting a divorce?"This question immediately stumped Joseph. He did think about it before. Every second he spent in E
Eloise’s recent experiences and her son and daughter’s imprisonment were like a hail strike on her. The ploy she had spent half her life planning—how the Tanner family's properties would end up in her children's laps—came crashing down.She was now alone, and nothing interested her anymore. She had fought and stepped on eggshells for years, yet, what was it all for?Nathaniel turned out to be a monster she almost could not recognize, plotting against his sister. As for Arianna, Eloise did not have the heart to see her again. She had failed as a mother and as a wife.Joseph cared for Elizabeth all year round and even raised a son with her. He even brought his illegitimate son home to try and inherit the family business. Eloise had nothing else apart from having the title of being his wife.All her hopes and efforts came to nothing. It was all futile."No matter how selfish you were, you've still taken care of Stephanie all these years. The Tanner family is also yours. Even…" Derric
Lily's name was constantly being looked up, even more so than during the time of her previous lawsuit with Nathaniel. The fact that her name was being connected to him once more annoyed her.Even so, it was not anything extreme. People were just comparing the past with the present and expressing how they felt about it. Lily was initially branded a plagiarist and a liar and accused of stealing other people's work. All of her accusers now appeared to have received a slap in the face.Nathaniel, on the other hand, went from being the president of MN Inc. to being shunned by the general populace. He was rumored to take over as chairman of the Tanner Corporation, but instead he wound up in jail. It was definitely worthwhile to remember these momentous events.It was absurd to think that this was all actually happening, and even TV shows were less dramatic than reality. Their entire relationship was on display for the world to see, and now Lily had her devoted followers.On account of th
"It's not that easy for a renowned society to dissolve,” Lily said as she slowly tended to the flowers. "Do you believe the society has come this far only to be dissolved like that? It wasn't established for anyone in particular, and it won't dissolve for anyone. I'm not that powerful."She merely served as a fire starter. The Perfumers' Society was entirely self-made. It was inevitable that subordinates would take on the bad habits of their superiors. However, if not for Lawrence's egotism, Noah's desire to impress his family, and the association's desire to move forward while forgetting its original goals, everything would not have fallen apart with the slightest nudge. Although it appeared that Lily was solely responsible for this, this wasn't the case."Then… with so much chaos around it, what would the next move be?" "Sit back and relax. How many people are sincere and how many have unkind intentions amid such chaos?” Lily trimmed off the extra branches before turning her
"Send her away!" He said it bluntly.Lily was shocked.Although she had her suspicions that Alexander did not know about this, she did not expect that he would want to kick her out just like that. "About that…""Since she hasn’t seen you, just send her away. You don't have to meet her.""It's just that the maid said she brought a lot of things with her. Maybe she came to congratulate us." She wasn't expecting him to treat his aunt with such hostility."Congratulate us? Please, she’s a wolf in sheep's clothing!" Alexander snorted. "Don't worry about it. Just get one of the maids to tell them you're sick and that you've fallen asleep. Get her to come back another day.""Oh, okay then."He must have his reasons for saying such a thing, so Lily nodded. "Then, I'll do just that.""Alright."Upon ending the call, Lily instructed the maid to send Celine away, citing that she was sick and had just taken her medicine. Although the maid did not understand the reason behind doing so, s
Lily thought about it for a moment before deciding to call Alexander again. "Your aunt is refusing to leave unless she meets one of us."Not that she liked to complain or because she was afraid to meet his family and possibly get involved in his family business, but she knew Alexander must have a good reason for keeping her away from his aunt. She also noticed how he would get all secretive whenever his family was mentioned. There must be something that he was hiding. Alexander stayed silent for a while, frowning. Then he said, "Just pretend that you have no idea that she’s there. Let her wait if she wants to. She has nothing better to do anyway!""Alright, I got it." Lily picked up on the unhappiness in his voice and added, "You don't have to worry about me. Olivia is here, so I'm fine. You can work peacefully. I'm sure your aunt will leave after she gets bored."Alexander hummed in response.This made Lily laugh. "Tsk, behave!" Gasps were heard from both sides of the phone
Although she had already decided to wait, Celine was still on edge and impatient. She had not experienced this level of rage in a while. Just as her irritability was about to take over, her phone rang. She couldn't help but feel overjoyed when she saw the caller ID. "Alex!""I heard that you're at my house, Aunt Celine," Alexander said coldly. "Why didn't you tell me earlier so I could prepare?""What do you have to prepare for? I'm your aunt! I was just passing by, so I decided to drop by and visit you," she said with a smile."Well, how unfortunate that you came when I'm not home," he replied. "Why don't you head home, Aunt Celine? I'll pay you a visit when I'm free." "It's fine. Even if you're not home, your wife is!" After a pause, she hesitantly added, "Alex, your wife seems a little arrogant, though. I've rang the bell twice, yet no one has opened the gate for me. I've just been waiting outside.“Still, I know young people are more careful these days, especially after bei
Celine put away her phone and reached out her arm. She was about to ring the doorbell when she was startled by a honk from behind her.“It seems like you don't understand English, Aunt Celine!” Alexander's cold voice was heard as he poked his head out of the car.Celine was speechless! Wasn't he just on the phone? When did he even come? Could it be that when they were on the phone, he was already around the corner? Was he looking at her as they spoke?He rushed home from work so quickly, but did he have to go to such lengths just to protect his wife?Celine sneered inwardly before turning around to greet him. "I was just worried about my beloved nephew and his wife! You came back just in time. Let me go in with you."It was a good thing that he came back. Now, she could just follow him in. "Aunt Celine, what don't you understand? I told you that Lily is sick, and she doesn't want to meet anyone. Why are you making things difficult?"Hearing this, Celine frowned. "Are you not
Lily tilted her head up to fight back her tears, saying, “There’s something I find strange.”“What is it?” Mike asked after comforting his son.“Instead of detaining Prince Ross, Her Majesty has sent him back to Yudonia. If so, why couldn’t we reach him?”After some thought, Mike answered, “There are two possibilities. It’s probably due to poor signals, or he doesn’t want us to contact him.”The two shared a look, knowing what each other was wondering.‘Why can’t we contact Ross? Is he planning something?’…Three days later, Lily inserted the last needle into the queen’s leg and looked up at her, saying, “You should start feeling your legs tomorrow. Still, it’ll take some time before you can stand.”Suddenly, Lily chuckled.“Why are you laughing?” Yasmin touched her legs. She had begun to regain sensation in her legs over the last two days. She then began to believe that she could get up. However, the queen was hesitant when the queen heard Lily chuckle.Lily shook her head
Lily straightened up and said without resentment, “Of course, you wouldn’t.”“That’s… quite a pity,” the queen murmured thoughtfully.“Well, there’s a price to pay for everything. That’s how the world balances itself,” Lily continued, “I can’t stop you if you must carry on with R10. Still, I won’t witness whether or not it succeeds. I just wish the outcome isn’t something you’ll regret.”Lily smiled and turned to head out the door.Rick heard their conversation as he stood guard outside. After exchanging looks with Lily as she brushed past him, he entered the room and saw the needles in Yasmin’s legs. “Your Majesty, those needles—”The queen waved dismissively. “It’s okay. Lily will remove them later.”Even so, Rick was wary. “You’re being too careless, Your Majesty. What if that woman—”“She wouldn’t,” Yasmin interjected, shaking her head."Why do you trust her so much?" Rick asked despite himself. The queen fell silent. If Rick had not asked her that, she would not have rea
Lily took out a cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of silver needles inside. Yasmin was surprised she carried the needles with her.“Tell me. What do you want?” The queen took a deep breath to calm herself. She then reminded herself that she could always say no to Lily’s request. Still, Yasmin was cautious about Lily trying to trick her.Lily casually said, "I left because Prince Ross wanted to help me. I hope you don’t punish him.""That's it?" Yasmin thought she had misheard Lily. 'Is she trying to talk terms with me just so that I won't punish my son?' she wondered in disbelief."Ross is my son. I won't harm him. Don't you think you've wasted an opportunity by making such a request?" The queen shook her head. "I wasn’t sure if you’d blame him, but he did rescue me once. If I don't do anything, it would be ungrateful of me," Lily said gently, "Also, didn’t you already lock him up?"Yasmin was puzzled. "No, I only sent him back to Yudonia. He kept trying to get me to sto
"Three days," Lily replied.“That’s it?!” Yasmin was in disbelief. She thought Lily would try to buy some more time and suspected she would say the process would take several months or even years.‘I haven’t felt my legs for over a decade. I wouldn’t mind waiting for three more days.’“Are you sure I can get up and walk in just three days?” Yasmin pressed her legs hard but felt nothing. She would have treated her legs long ago if it were that easy.The queen had visited many famous doctors from various countries, but they could only stop her legs from getting weaker. However, Lily confidently told Yasmin that she could fix her legs so quickly.Yasmin wanted to believe it.After some consideration, Lily said, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll walk as fast as you once could. After all, you haven’t used your legs for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied. Still, you’ll recover slowly.”Yasmin nodded repeatedly, thinking it was good enough. She never dreamed of walking as well a
“Because only our opinions matter." Lily thought of something and said, "Unless you choose to believe Rhea.""I… don't trust anyone." Yasmin’s expression stiffened as she turned her wheelchair away."Your Majesty, I know you're dedicated to the experiment, but there are other things in life. Have you ever considered letting go of your burden to sightsee? You’ve done enough as a queen over the last few decades. Aren’t you tired of living a lonely life?”Lily gently spoke as she gazed at Yasmin’s back.The older woman caressed her knees with both hands and stared down at her legs, murmuring, “Sightsee, huh? I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”Yasmin had not used her legs for many years. Initially, she could still stand up and sometimes took a few steps. However, she could no longer get to her feet.She had grown accustomed to sitting in a wheelchair, but she felt a pang of sorrow after hearing Lily’s suggestion.Lily asked, “What if I can help you stand again? What if you can walk a
"Yes, I returned not just for him but also for you," Lily said, "I'm sure you were anxious for my return, weren't you?"Yasmin scoffed dismissively. "Why would I be? I have my bargaining chip. Besides, did you honestly think I couldn’t bring you back?""Bargaining chip? Do you mean Nick?" Lily shook her head with a smile. "Don't forget that he's not my son. Do you think he'll be much of a bargaining chip to you if I choose to ignore him for my three children?"She did not wait for Yasmin to reply and continued, "Besides, Nick still has a father who’s willing to die for him. If Mike decides to take drastic action against you— Yes, you're a queen, and you don't care much about an insignificant businessman.“However, don't forget that his business spans worldwide. There's no guarantee what he might do. Who knows, he might spread information that can affect Your Majesty and Yudonia's reputation?""You…" The queen was exasperated but could not retort.Lily noticed it and casually said
Rick could only remain silent at that moment.Yasmin then turned her wheelchair around and blandly said, “Bring Lily over. I’d like to see what excuses that sly woman can come up with.”"Your Majesty?" Rick was puzzled. "You know she'll just lie to you. Why must you—"Yasmin interjected, "I'd like to hear what she has to say."Rick had no choice but to leave and do as she said.As Lily was about to doze off, she heard noises from outside and opened her eyes. Immediately after, the door opened, and Rick appeared. He glared at her and spoke coldly, “Her Majesty wants to see you.”Lily glanced at Rick calmly and stood up as if she had expected his appearance. On the other hand, Mike rose before her and headed out.However, Rick stopped him as he reached the door. “You stay.”"But we came together!" Mike glanced over his shoulder at Lily, signaling her to persuade the man. Rick added, "The queen doesn’t wish to see you. Just stay here!"Lily patted Mike's shoulder and said gentl
Everyone was shocked when Lily returned to the embassy with Mike. One of the staff members quickly left to report the news to Queen Yasmin.Meanwhile, Lily saw people peering at her and Mike from the corner. Afterward, several guarded-looking men appeared. Lilt recognized them as the queen’s attendants. They brought Mike and Lily inside and then gave the duo a thorough search.The men only relaxed after finding nothing suspicious about the duo. Even so, Lily could not see the queen as the men told her to wait in an innermost room instead.After returning to the embassy, Lily felt a sense of strange familiarity. Although she knew the place well, her mindset had changed.She previously hated the embassy and simply wanted to escape. However, she had returned with a critical mission. Not only did she have to complete it, but she also needed to leave the place in one piece.While she was calm, Mike was somewhat anxious. He clasped his hands on his knees and glanced around as he sat dow
"I promise I'll do anything you want, okay?" Mike begged. He was desperate to see his son, so he decided to follow Lily when she insisted on returning to the embassy.Mike continued, “If any of you go with her, they might stop or suspect you. They won’t do that to me. It’s natural for me to want to see and rescue my son. I’m the best candidate because it makes sense for me to sacrifice myself for him.”After a short silence, Lily said, “You’re right.” She then looked at Alexander, who pondered before slowly raising his head and saying, “Me too.”Dominic tapped the table. "So do I."Cameron thought for a moment before saying, "I've no objections."Seeing this, Austin spread his arms and said, "Since you all agree, what else can I say? Let's do it!"It did not matter whether or not he agreed, but he just wanted to support Mike. The latter nodded and became emotional, saying, “Thanks, you guys!”"Why are you thanking us? Just be careful, and don’t be rash like you promised," Aust