The man’s eyes darted, his legs trembling as he stammered, “No... nobody. If you have the ability, take me to the police!”
Not wanting to waste more time with this type of person, Luca knew it was quickest to send him to the police.
“Call the police. Fulfill his request.” After saying that, he worried that Vanessa might be in danger, so he rushed to follow her, only to find that she had already vanished as soon as he stepped outside.
In the underground parking lot.
Beatriz suddenly appeared, blocking Vanessa’s path with an air of pride and arrogance. “You actually dare to come back?”
Vanessa felt that Beatriz’s intelligence hadn’t changed at all in the five years since they last met. She kindly reminded her, “It’s only been a few days. Miss Langley, are you already missing me?”
“Vanessa Saxon, what exactly are you back for?”
“What for? Don’t you know?” She feigned an innocent smile, moving closer, and lightly whispered in her ear, “Of
The next morning, Vanessa had breakfast with Isla and felt happy seeing her appetite.“My dear Isla, make sure to listen to Sister Mariah today, okay?” Vanessa patted Isla’s little head.Isla turned to look at Mariah and playfully asked, “Sister Mariah, am I the most well-behaved little friend?”Hearing the little girl’s question, Mariah paused with her spoon and smiled, nodding. “That’s right, Isla is the best.”“Mom, did you hear that?” Isla confidently looked up at Vanessa.Vanessa kissed Isla and hugged her affectionately. “Mom will miss you, but I have to rush to work now.”Mariah took Isla’s little hand and walked her to kindergarten, only to unexpectedly run into Beatriz. Beatriz glanced at the two of them with disdain and continued walking past.Isla, who wanted to greet Ezra, instinctively retracted her hand.Beatriz was chatting and laughing with a teacher, and Mariah didn’t think much of it. She squatted down and sof
Beatriz planned to claim the design proposal as a product of Ness Corp to ace the upcoming second bidding competition.However, just as she opened the door, she saw Luca and his assistant had returned. The two were deep in conversation about work, oblivious to her presence. Beatriz clutched the documents and slipped out hurriedly.Once outside, she called her assistant. “Contact the media immediately and announce that Ness Corp has produced the design proposal. Let’s create some buzz!”Meanwhile, Vanessa was still working on the proposal, with Mariah offering suggestions beside her.“Technology needs intelligent services,” Vanessa explained confidently. “We should allow visitors to search for exhibitions through smart terminals and help them navigate to the relevant areas.”“That precision is essential,” Mariah agreed with a nod.Just then, a news report on the television grabbed their attention: “Ness Corp is the first to present its de
At K Group, Richard hurried to complete the new design draft, spending the entire day on it. When he reached the president’s office, ready to knock, the assistant stepped out.“The president has left. Just hand it over to me,” the assistant said.Richard shook his head, cautious. “No, I’ll deliver it personally tomorrow. I can’t risk the draft leaking again.”Back at his desk, after some thought, Richard decided to take the design home for safekeeping.Perhaps it was his designer’s instinct, but he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him—like he was being followed.However, every time he turned around, there was no one.The next morning, Richard received an unexpected message:"Let’s meet. I have information you need."The message contained the address of a restaurant, signed by none other than Vanessa!Distracted all morning, Richard finally gave in to curiosity and went to the
About half an hour later, they arrived at the entrance of the banquet hall.Daxton stepped out first, offering Vanessa his hand. She took it gracefully, linking her arm with his. The two of them made quite the striking pair.It wasn’t every day that people saw such a good-looking couple, and the guests near the entrance began whispering among themselves.“Isn’t that the president of RC Group? Who’s the woman with him? I’ve never seen him with anyone before.”“That’s Vanessa Saxon, the president from the last Cortex bid. I didn’t know they were close.”As they entered the hall, a server approached with two glasses of wine. They raised their glasses in an elegant toast.“Still as charming as ever—you had those young men absolutely mesmerized,” Vanessa teased.Daxton grinned, not missing a beat. “Don’t flatter me—it wasn’t just me. You had their eyes glued to you, too.”Vanessa gave a playful scoff but turned her attention elsewhe
At Cortex Group, everyone seemed thrilled with Richard's arrival. “Richard, welcome!” “Yeah, we’re all family now. Here, have a bag of snacks!” This warm reception filled Richard with an unprecedented sense of belonging, solidifying his belief that he had made the right choice. Vanessa patted his shoulder. “Do your best.” Perhaps being in such a happy state could inspire even more creativity. From the moment he sat down, Richard began scribbling and drawing on the blueprints. As night fell, he finally finished everything and headed to Vanessa’s office with his design drafts and models. “I’m impressed by your speed,” Vanessa teased, raising an eyebrow. After examining Richard’s designs and models, she found them remarkably mature, showing no signs of needing revisions—better than those from Ness Corp. “I knew I didn’t make a mistake in choosing you; you’re truly outsta
Vanessa returned to the company with good news.As soon as she entered the office area, everyone surrounded her with curious looks.“What’s wrong? Is something going on?” Vanessa asked, maintaining an expressionless face.“President Saxon, what’s the result?”“Is Cortex in first place?”“What do you all think?” Vanessa replied coolly, without a hint of a smile.Everyone felt deflated and turned back to their desks, a hint of sadness lingering in the air.Then Vanessa spoke again, “You guys really don’t have faith in yourselves, huh? I’m just joking! Don’t be scared. Let’s celebrate our victory together tonight!”Laughter erupted in the office, and even Richard cracked a rare smile.That evening, Vanessa made a point to pick up her daughter after school.“Isla, did you miss Mommy?” she asked, hugging her lovingly.“Mo
Kensington Mansion.Grandpa Kensington was fully engrossed in painting, his strokes flowing like clouds, his penmanship like smoke.Seeing that Grandpa Kensington looked a bit tired, the butler hurried over with a cup of herbal tea.Seated in the rosewood chair, Grandpa Kensington became lost in thought again.“Old master, I heard Miss Saxon has returned,” the butler suddenly spoke up.“Oh? When did this happen? That kid never mentioned it to me,” Grandpa Kensington replied, still trying to process the information.After hesitating for a moment, the butler continued, “It’s been some time, but it seems Young Master and Miss Saxon’s situation isn’t very optimistic.”Thinking about how Luca had treated her previously, Grandpa Kensington couldn’t help but sigh.Shaking his head helplessly, he put down his teacup. “Our family has let that girl down. It’s a pity such a good child has been hurt.”To reassure the old man, the bu
Unknowingly, time had come to a special day. Vanessa stared blankly at the date circled in red on her calendar.Having taken a leave in advance, she changed her usual attire and wore all black.Mariah was going to ask her something before leaving, but seeing her demeanor, she chose not to say anything.“Isla, you have to listen to Sister Mariah, okay? Mommy has to head out first.” Vanessa smiled as she hugged Isla.Isla happily kissed her.After getting in the car, Vanessa first went to a flower shop to buy the white bells, her mother’s favorite flower, before driving to the cemetery.On this day each year, Vanessa’s mood would inexplicably turn heavy. She glanced at the white bells on the passenger seat and then accelerated.At the cemetery, Beatriz was walking toward a gravestone with a bouquet of chrysanthemums, gently placing the flowers down before beginning to pay respects.She softly murmured, “What happened back then wa
Vanessa was both anxious and helpless, so she dialed Luca’s number again. Once again, it was Grandpa Kensington who answered.Not caring about her confusion, Vanessa cried, “Grandpa, please, can you let Luca come back, just for a moment? Isla refuses to eat, and I really don’t know what to do. I’m afraid she’ll starve…”Before she could finish her sentence, Grandpa Kensington hung up the phone.Vanessa stared at her phone in disbelief.At that moment, Luca had just finished taking a shower and realized he had left his phone on the dining table. As he wiped his hair, he went downstairs to grab it.As soon as he unlocked the screen, he noticed that Vanessa had called him twice, but both calls showed as received.Luca looked at Grandpa Kensington in confusion. “Grandpa, did someone call just now?”&nb
“Isla, why aren’t you coming to eat?” Vanessa found it a bit strange; the little one had been unusually quiet today.“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Vanessa tentatively touched Isla’s forehead.Not sick…Vanessa muttered to herself while saying to Isla, “The dishes are going to get cold. Come and eat; tonight we have your favorite shrimp ceviche.”Isla glanced at the dining table but then lowered her head, quietly fiddling with her Lego. With a sullen tone, she said, “Mommy, I want to play with Lego…”Hearing this, Vanessa frowned. “You can play with Lego after dinner. Let’s eat first.”Seeing that Mommy seemed angry, Isla reluctantly put down her toy and walked toward the table.“Mommy, when is Uncle Luca coming back?”
“Yeah, William explained everything to me. I should apologize to you for the misunderstanding,” Cassandra said. Being someone who doesn’t sweat the small stuff, she had realized her mistake the moment William explained things to her. She had felt guilty ever since, especially since her relationship with Mariah had become a bit distant because of William.Now that the words were finally out, Cassandra felt a weight lift off her chest.“Are you here alone? Where’s the detective?” Cassandra asked curiously upon seeing Mariah by herself.“Um…” Mariah hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed. How could she admit that she had been fooled?“It was a scam, but it's all sorted out now,” William interjected, answering for Mariah.“Wow…” Cassandra was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to think of something
“Ha ha, I thought Miss Hutchson was a smart person, but it seems I was mistaken…”The private investigator said this as he tossed the photos he had taken onto the table.Mariah was a bit perplexed as she picked up the photos and flipped through them. They were pictures of her alone with Leonardo, and judging by the background, they were taken during her last visit to the hospital…“What do you mean by this?” Mariah frowned, her tone displeased. “I hired you to find out who spread the rumors, not to investigate my relationship with Leonardo!”“I know, but it seems we have some unexpected surprises here. If you really had a clear conscience, why react so strongly…” The private investigator looked at Mariah’s expression, smiling as if everything was going according to his plan.“Just tell me, what&rsquo
Hearing the sound of keys jingling outside the door, Luca and Isla instantly switched from their playful banter to a more serious demeanor.The two had already agreed that to avoid raising Vanessa's suspicions, they needed to maintain their act once she returned.“Uncle Luca, you should take your medicine. Even if you don’t eat, you can’t skip your meds,” Isla urged, pushing the glass of water and the pills toward Luca.“I won’t take it. I’m not eating until your mommy comes back,” Luca stubbornly turned his head away, his tone defiant.When Vanessa walked in, she was met with this scene.“Why aren’t you taking your medicine?” Vanessa frowned, glancing at the table where the medicine lay.“Oh, you’re back!” Luca exclaimed, standing up with surprise upon seeing her.&nbs
When Mariah returned from her business trip, she was informed that Leonardo had been abroad the entire time and hadn’t returned.For some reason, she felt a pang of disappointment upon hearing this news. Before leaving, she had resolved not to let Leonardo’s actions affect her, but now… she hadn’t even seen him.Determined not to dwell in this uncertain emotional state, Mariah shifted her focus to work, immersing herself in tasks to keep her mind occupied.Meanwhile, under Vanessa’s care, Luca’s health gradually improved.His relationship with Isla grew closer, too.Sometimes, Vanessa would watch the two of them whispering to each other and couldn’t help but marvel at the bond of blood. Despite years of separation, they seemed to become familiar with each other almost instantly, even sharing little secrets behind her back.
However, mentioning Leonardo seemed to have become a taboo for Mariah. As long as no one brought him up, everything was fine; but as soon as his name was mentioned, Mariah would revert to her silent, withdrawn state.Vanessa wasn’t sure if Leonardo had reached out to Mariah afterward, nor did she ask about their situation, especially since Luca still needed her care.In truth, Mariah didn’t want to hear Leonardo’s name anymore; whenever she did, it always brought back unpleasant memories.But then, something strange happened.For several days in a row, Mariah received mysterious gifts.Almost every day, the receptionist would look at her with a teasing smile. “Miss Hutchson, your boyfriend is so thoughtful. Even though you’re just on a business trip, he keeps sending you gifts.”Seeing the receptionist’s envious expre
When Luca opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on a hospital bed. Vanessa was dozing off at his bedside, while a little one sat nearby, engrossed in her mechanical toy.Isla? Vanessa even brought Isla here?*Seeing them there, a faint smile tugged at his lips, his heart inexplicably at ease. He reached out to gently stroke Vanessa’s face, and as the sunlight from the window brushed her features, the fine hairs on her skin seemed to glisten.It had been a long time since he'd seen her so peaceful, and he couldn’t look away.That was until a sharp-eyed little observer broke the silence, her voice piping up, “Uncle Luca, you’re awake!”“Shhh…” Luca quickly gestured for Isla to keep quiet, worried that she’d wake up Vanessa. But it was too late. Vanessa stirred, blinking blearily before her eyes widened in surprise at se
Luca felt an overwhelming sense of unease as he drove along the route he remembered. To ensure his safety, he activated real-time location sharing and sent it to his assistant.His instincts were correct. The people who had kidnapped Vanessa were no ordinary criminals; they had a certain level of counter-surveillance skills. The moment he arrived at the location where Vanessa was last seen, he was surrounded.Facing a group of men holding various weapons, Luca understood their intentions and calmly got out of the car. He looked directly at the leader and asked, “Where is Vanessa?”“Heh, who the hell do you think you are?” the leader sneered, spitting out his cigarette. “You want to see her? I’ll gladly take you to her right now.”Before Luca could react, the men moved in to search him.As the sole heir of The Kensingtons and president of