Hearing the commotion, a nurse rushed in. When she saw Senna struggling violently, her wrists bloody, she immediately shouted, "Senna, calm down! If you keep this up, you'll have a miscarriage!"
Senna froze. Her bloodshot eyes widened as she stared at the nurse. Her voice, hoarse like an old man at death’s door, trembled. "What... did you just say?"
"You were unconscious when you were admitted. The doctors discovered you’re already four weeks pregnant," the nurse said with sympathy. "Given your current situation, many would choose to terminate the pregnancy."
Senna looked down at her still-flat stomach, unable to process the news.
Astrid's eyes darkened as she clenched her fists. Then she sneered. "Senna, you really couldn’t stay lonely, huh? It’s been less than three months since you broke up with Magnus, and you’ve already gotten knocked up by another man. How shameless. When Magnus finds out, he’ll be so glad he left
In his office, Magnus had just picked up his coffee when a sharp, searing pain tore through his chest. His hand trembled, and with a loud crash, the cup slipped from his grasp, shattering on the floor. Coffee splattered onto his shoes."Sir are you alright?" Edric, the stern-faced assistant with cold eyes, quickly stepped forward, took out a tissue, crouched beside him, and meticulously wiped the coffee stain off his shoe."I'm fine. Step back." Magnus withdrew his foot, his sharp brows furrowing. Why did his chest suddenly ache? The unease clawed at his heart like a ferocious beast, making him restless. He paused for a moment before ordering, "Prepare the car. We're going to the prison district."Edric's eyes flickered as he hesitated. "Sir the last time you visited Miss Thorne, the Old Master was already displeased.""Enough nonsense. Hurry up!" Magnus’s chiseled face darkened, his tone commanding.Edric cast him a wary glance
The rain lashed against the window. In the darkness, Vanessa clung to her fading consciousness, counting the sound of water droplets echoing from outside. She strained to hear over the storm, her heart pounding as anxiety coiled tighter within her.Suddenly, the door creaked open, a sliver of light slicing through the darkness of the room, and a familiar, beautiful face came into view.The girl in high heels—Beatriz Langley—let out a mocking laugh and flipped on the room’s light. “Tsk... tsk... Still waiting for Luca to save you? Haha... Stop dreaming, Vanessa...”She casually picked up a knife from the corner and sneered, “The golden girl, the treasure of the Ness Corporation—did you ever imagine this day would come?”Vanessa watched as Beatriz brandished the long knife and rasped, “Beatriz, if you let me go, I’ll give you anything you want—my shares, the chairman’s position. I won’t fight you anymore.”Beatriz sighed dramatically. “Back then, no matter what I did, you refused to let
Five years later.In the principal's office of a prestigious kindergarten in the city."Look at how your child has treated my son! What if he ends up disfigured?!" A heavily made-up woman rolled up her sleeves and lunged at Vanessa but was stopped by the principal beside her."Calm down! Calm down! Let's talk this over civilly!"Vanessa squatted down, looking at the little girl in front of her, and gently asked, "Tell Mommy what happened."The five-year-old girl, with ponytails and a fair, round face full of grievances, said, "Today, when we were playing a game, Adrian lifted my skirt... and tried to touch my feet. Mommy, you said that girls' feet shouldn't be touched by others..."Vanessa's eyes turned icy. "Did he touch you?"The little girl shook her head. "I hit him when he reached out..."Vanessa gave a thumbs-up to the little girl. "Well done! If you encounter something like this again, do the same as today, understand?"The woman beside her scoffed and turned to the principal.
In the taxi, Vanessa smirked as she watched Luca leave, a fierce determination flickering in her eyes.The pain she had endured five years ago would be returned to them a hundredfold!Suddenly, the little girl tugged at her shirt and called out worriedly, “Mommy, what is going on?”Vanessa quickly suppressed her emotions and turned to face her, a gentle smile on her lips. “Oh, nothing. What do you want to eat today, Isla?”“I want spaghetti, with shrimp and meatballs!”Vanessa chuckled and pinched the little girl’s tummy. “You little glutton, you already have so much meat on you!”The little girl puffed up her cheeks, turned her head away, and pretended to be angry. "Mommy is bad!""Hahaha! Okay, okay, Isla has no meat on her tummy!" Vanessa continued to tease her."Oh no, Mommy, stop laughing!" The little girl complained, grabbing her hair in frustration."I won’t laugh anymore; let’s go home and eat."That night, after putting the child to sleep, Vanessa got up to tidy up.The livin
Beatriz observed Luca’s expression, unable to discern his emotions, and immediately continued her probing. "Forget that for now. I'm here today to discuss whether we should change Ezra's school. I’m worried about him being in the same kindergarten as Vanessa's child." With a loud ‘bang,’ Luca slammed the folder shut, a flash of anger flickering in his eyes. "Get out." Meeting his gaze, a chill spread through Beatriz's heart. She remained still and continued, "Vanessa and Daxton are not good people. How can their child be any better? I heard that she even got into fights with other kids in kindergarten, and I..." "Have you said enough?" "This is the truth! Five years ago, she betrayed you and slept with Daxton, colluding to deceive you. These..." Luca's dangerous gaze wrapped around Beatriz like a snake, his thin lips parting slightly. "Get lost." Realizing that Luca was genuinely angry, Beatriz smartly chose to leave, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. Although she had angered
Catching the hint of sarcasm in Vanessa’s tone, Beatriz's eyes flickered with anger."Well, I’m quite looking forward to seeing what President Saxon can come up with that’s better than Ness’s proposal."Her tone seemed calm, but internally, Beatriz was burning with rage."Next, please."Vanessa prepared her materials, stood up, and walked to the front."Let me introduce myself, I'm Vanessa Saxon from Cortex Group." She pulled up her PowerPoint presentation and continued, "Everyone, please take a look. This is the design draft we created after our company conducted a field investigation..."Before she could finish, she was interrupted: "I thought President Saxon's design draft would be something fresh. There's nothing innovative at all; it’s overly complicated. If we proceed with your proposal, it will be costly without any appealing features. Isn’t that just a facade?"Vanessa smiled slightly, "But compared to other companies, we place greater emphasis on the building's value retentio
Luca was startled to realize that Vanessa’s strength was comparable to his own staminaThe car was parked not far away, but the people behind were closing in. In the heat of the moment, Luca gave Vanessa a push. “Go start the car.” “Got it!” Vanessa sprinted towards the car like the wind, fishing the keys out of her pocket as she ran. Meanwhile, Luca spun around, raised his right fist, and swung his arm. The first attacker groaned in pain, stumbling back a step. Following his gaze, Luca saw another man charging from the side, brandishing a club. Unfazed, he took a calm step back, slammed a punch into the man’s gut, then kicked him hard in the groin. In less than a minute, two out of seven were down. “Oh wow, not bad at all, huh?” The remaining attackers, undeterred, swarmed Luca in unison. Even though two fists couldn’t match the power of many ha
At 1 a.m., the two of them crossed paths at the stairwell. Mariah casually waved the slip of paper in her hand, glancing around her surroundings. “So, you knew my place was bugged?” Vanessa gave a slight nod. “You went through all this trouble. What do you want to say?” “There might be issues in the stock market,” Vanessa replied calmly. Mariah remained silent, her sharp eyes studying her closely. “Evidence?” Vanessa spread her hands. “None. I only pieced it together on my way back today. Your company announced two major projects at the press conference, but neither of them succeeded in development. Doesn’t that sound like a stock manipulation scheme? If you check the data, you’ll see VH’s stock has been surging and is likely to keep climbing.” Mariah stood still, her gaze locked on her, as though trying to decipher her true intentions. “This information,” she said coolly,
In his office, Magnus had just picked up his coffee when a sharp, searing pain tore through his chest. His hand trembled, and with a loud crash, the cup slipped from his grasp, shattering on the floor. Coffee splattered onto his shoes."Sir are you alright?" Edric, the stern-faced assistant with cold eyes, quickly stepped forward, took out a tissue, crouched beside him, and meticulously wiped the coffee stain off his shoe."I'm fine. Step back." Magnus withdrew his foot, his sharp brows furrowing. Why did his chest suddenly ache? The unease clawed at his heart like a ferocious beast, making him restless. He paused for a moment before ordering, "Prepare the car. We're going to the prison district."Edric's eyes flickered as he hesitated. "Sir the last time you visited Miss Thorne, the Old Master was already displeased.""Enough nonsense. Hurry up!" Magnus’s chiseled face darkened, his tone commanding.Edric cast him a wary glance
Hearing the commotion, a nurse rushed in. When she saw Senna struggling violently, her wrists bloody, she immediately shouted, "Senna, calm down! If you keep this up, you'll have a miscarriage!"Senna froze. Her bloodshot eyes widened as she stared at the nurse. Her voice, hoarse like an old man at death’s door, trembled. "What... did you just say?""You were unconscious when you were admitted. The doctors discovered you’re already four weeks pregnant," the nurse said with sympathy. "Given your current situation, many would choose to terminate the pregnancy."Senna looked down at her still-flat stomach, unable to process the news.Astrid's eyes darkened as she clenched her fists. Then she sneered. "Senna, you really couldn’t stay lonely, huh? It’s been less than three months since you broke up with Magnus, and you’ve already gotten knocked up by another man. How shameless. When Magnus finds out, he’ll be so glad he left
No matter how much Senna denied the charges, she was ultimately convicted and sentenced to three years in prison.She shared a cell with seven other female inmates. The moment she stepped inside, she could feel the hostility thick in the air. As the cell door slammed shut behind her, a woman with a hideous scar on her face led the others toward her, their eyes filled with malice, their lips curling into sinister smirks.Senna gripped the washbasin in her hands tightly, her expression unshaken by fear. She stood tall, her spine straight, exuding defiance.“So, you’re Senna Thorne. Someone paid us to give you a warm welcome.” The scarred woman sneered before turning to the others. “Ladies, we’ve got ourselves a new toy. Don’t hold back—beat her!”Senna had braced herself for this before she even walked in, but she hadn’t expected Magnus’s hatred to run so deep. Sending her to prison wasn’t en
Senna sat in the detention cell, waiting for her sentencing. She had given up struggling—Magnus was convinced she was the murderer. There was no escape. Now, the only thing she cared about was Tobias. The door swung open, and a uniformed female officer called out, “Senna Thorne, someone’s here to see you.” Who would visit her at a time like this? She stood up hesitantly and followed the officer out. The moment she saw who it was, her heart clenched. Her voice trembled with urgency. “Nurse Zeta, what happened to my brother?” Nurse Zeta was the one taking care of her younger brother at the hospital. The solemn expression on her face made Senna’s anxiety spike. “Miss Thorne, your brother found out about your situation online. He’s devastated, and his condition has become unstable. He’s now experiencing complications. We had finally found a bone marrow donor, but for the past few days, we haven’t been able to reach them. Things aren’t looking good.” Senna f
The torrential rain poured down in sheets, and the raging thunder seemed determined to tear apart the pitch-black night sky.Magnus Voss stood by the window, his dark eyes as cold as if they had been submerged in ice water. His long fingers gripped a glass of blood-red wine, his knuckles turning white—silent evidence of the fury simmering inside him.“Sir, Mrs. Voss has been standing outside for three hours,” Edric, his cautious assistant, reported in a low voice from behind him.Through the storm, he watched her—frail and trembling yet still holding onto her stubborn pride. Without a word, he tilted his head back and drained his glass.With a sharp crash, the glass shattered against the floor. In the heavy silence that followed, the steady sound of his footsteps echoed.Senna tilted her head up, letting the freezing rain drench her pallid face. Her misty eyes blurred, indistinguishable between raindrops and tears.A
Three days later, the police finally announced the final verdict on Beatriz's case: death penalty.Both the public and Vanessa felt no surprise at the outcome. Even though Beatriz had hired the best lawyers, her crimes were beyond redemption, carrying multiple murder charges and various other offenses. There was no hope for her to turn things around.On the day of Beatriz’s sentencing, Vanessa and Luca did not attend the proceedings due to business commitments. Only William and Leonardo went, bringing with them Mariah’s hopes. Although Cassandra wanted to come as well, her schedule had already been set and could not be changed.When William and Leonardo later relayed the news to the others, it felt as though the frustration that had been lodged in their throats for days had finally dissipated.That evening, upon hearing the news, Luca stared at a photograph of Grandpa Kensington for a long time, murmuring softly.To comfort his grandfather's spirit, Luca decided to hold a solemn funera
As Isla warmed Luca’s hands, she looked at Vanessa with a serious expression and said, “Mommy, Daddy has been sitting outside for a long time, and his hands are freezing. Can we let him come in and warm up a bit?”Upon hearing this, Luca was so moved he almost cried. His little girl was truly a sweetheart, always so considerate at critical moments.Vanessa didn’t want to waste time with these two drama queens any longer and quickly stepped aside to let them in.They ended up staying like this for several days.News about Beatriz had spread wildly online; the entire business community was aware of her ruthlessness, marking her as someone without precedent.The police had already uncovered a series of murder cases connected to Beatriz, with the cases of Grandpa Kensington and Mariah being solidly linked to her. As for President Pako's incident, Beatriz was a
Standing at the door was Harvey.As he stepped inside, he saw Luca sitting on the sofa, and his expression instantly changed. “What are you doing here?”Luca frowned, wondering why Harvey had come at this hour. Without any courtesy, Harvey rushed in front of Luca and accused him, “How can you still have the face to show up in front of Vanessa? Have you forgotten how you treated her? You suspected her, hurt her, and neglected her. So, has all that been brushed aside?”“I…” Luca was at a loss for words. He had indeed wronged Vanessa in the past, and no matter how high Harvey stood on his moral pedestal to criticize him, he couldn’t find a way to refute it. “I’m sorry, Vanessa.”The man who had been aggressive just a moment ago now seemed as deflated as a punctured ball.“Let’s just calm down for a moment; you should go home,” Vanessa said, looking at Luca.&nbs
Seeing the evidence in her hands, Vanessa felt a surge of excitement. Then, as if realizing something, she looked at Luca with curiosity. “How did you know there was a hidden room here?”As Luca surveyed the hidden room, he replied, “Yesterday, I had someone crack Beatriz’s file password. There was a video inside that looked very much like your family’s house, including this hidden room. I found it strange, so I brought you here to look for clues. I didn’t expect to actually find something…”“Yeah… who would have thought we had a traitor in the family? My parents must have felt so heartbroken and tormented when they left,” Vanessa sighed.Seeing her reaction, Luca stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her in comfort. “It’s been so long since then; try not to think too much about it. You’ve done great by finding this evidence. It’s like avenging Uncle and Aunt.”“Yeah.” Vanessa murmured against him