"Diana's a good friend. She's the only one who often visits me here. She also kindly paid for my treatment." She smiled happily. "Even though I have a family, they don't care about me." "We've been friends since we worked at a famous company. I don't know how many years it's been. It must have been a long time because my hair has started to turn gray." She chuckled. "Diana's so cool. She doesn't have a single silver hair yet." I quietly listened to her talk even though I wanted to tell her to shut up. Mrs. Bailey wasn't who she said she was. I couldn't believe she was that kind. With the financial difficulties she was going through, there was no way she had the money to pay for her treatment in such a luxurious place. The other patients in this place were well taken care of. Their hair, skin, faces, and clothes didn't look cheap. Only Gemma was wearing the shabby uniform of the hospital. Her hair, face, skin, and nails weren't well maintained. How wicked. I felt my eyes heating up.
Thankfully, Faye agreed to help me. She didn't ask why I needed that information. I was relieved to hear that because I wasn't ready to tell her everything. I remembered Taylor's advice that the less people know, the better. She protested about the store fire case I covered but understood why I kept my mouth shut and didn't discuss it with her. Blaze didn't write a closing sentence on the last video he published. So, I was sure there would be more surprises this afternoon or evening. As soon as Faye left again, I searched for as much information as possible about that poor woman. There were many people named Gemma Harrington, which made my search difficult, but I didn't give up and tried to find Gemma with a familiar face. Remembering Diana Bailey, I typed in her name, too. Unfortunately, there was no information about either of them on the internet. Gemma mentioned she had family, but they never came to visit at the hospital. Could Mrs. Bailey have caused that? My phone vibrated,
Time had stopped. My surroundings were suddenly silent. All I could hear was the deafeningly fast beating of my heart. My breathing was so slow it was as if I had forgotten how to breathe. I hobbled over, forcing my trembling legs to drag me closer.People were already crowding around, trying to help the victims. Unable to get closer, I stood behind them to see the condition of the person who had been taken out of the black Audi. The left side of the car was wrecked from the violent collision.I looked at the large truck, whether loaded with goods or not, which was not far from the scene. People were holding a man who was trying to escape. Since I was far away from them, I couldn't see his face.I was relieved when I heard the sound of sirens. The people moved away, but I approached the victim lying on the sidewalk. I knelt near him and held his hand. I didn't dare touch any other part of his body, let alone his bleeding head. Someone was holding a cloth near his head to stop the blee
Learning from the experience of living in the old building, I deliberately installed soundproofing materials to prevent the commotion downstairs from disturbing me in the apartment. I often spend my weekends at home rather than hanging out. Therefore, I needed some peace.I rounded my eyes at the view in the parking lot. When I came home this morning, it wasn't like that. What was going on? I rushed to my room and changed as quickly as possible. I picked up the bag I was wearing earlier and went downstairs.The employees were walking quickly from the back to the front of the store. I tried not to disturb their work. I was stunned to see the scene in the sales area. The employees had made a special place in the meeting room to make flower bouquets."Can you believe this?" asked Faye, standing by the meeting room door, watching the employees busy with tasks."What happened?" I asked in surprise."I don't know. The customers came in at once, and the sales department called me. They neede
The blow pushed me backward, and I bumped into Sasha. She immediately grabbed both my arms and helped me to stand upright. She stood before me once she saw I no longer need her help. I couldn't believe I was experiencing this for the second time in a place I considered safe. The aftermath of her blow began to take effect as my cheek throbbed. The punch was so strong. She must have exerted all her strength when she threw her fist. "You scammer! Ignorant blackmailer!" the woman shouted angrily. She looked at Sasha. "Who are you? Move aside! I need to teach this ignorant woman a lesson!" "I didn't scam or blackmail you. It wasn't me who exposed your crime, but someone else," I retorted without flinching. "If you want to teach someone a lesson, go to him." "Give me back my money! You've broken the agreement, so you must give me back the money for my silence! Otherwise, I'll sue you for blackmailing!" she threatened. The security guard came over, but I quickly shook my head. He better
Taylor insisted on coming, so I didn't say no. We headed to the agency in her car. Sasha learned from her mistake by walking in front of me and occasionally looking behind me. Though no one would dare touch me in this place.Roger welcomed me into his office and introduced himself to Taylor. He invited us to sit down. My heart had been pounding since I received his phone call. His face looked calm, neither angry nor irritated. He didn't intend to fine me, did he?"Have a drink, Heather. You look so tense," Roger teased. He looked at me with a smile on his face. "I won't talk until we finish eating.""No. I'll calm down if we talk now. I can't eat until I know what you want to discuss with me," I pleaded.He looked at me for a moment, then smiled. "Okay." He turned to his assistant. The man handed him a folder. "Please read this and choose what you want.""What is this?" I accepted the folder with apprehension."Read it," he urged.I swallowed heavily. I turned to Taylor, who was widel
I heard the voice of people talking near me. My eyes felt heavy, but I forced myself to open them. My vision was blurry, so I closed my eyes and opened them again. My vision slowly improved. I was in an all-white room.What was going on? Why was I lying in such a strange place? The people's voices weren't in the same room as me. I saw a white curtain surrounding me. Where was I? It was not my room."Ma'am, are you awake?" said Sasha, who opened the curtain and approached me. "Do you need anything? You fainted earlier. So, we took you to the emergency room.""I'm fine." I tried to sit up. Sasha helped me and got me a glass of water. "Thank you.""I'll call the doctor. Wait a minute," she says. She left before I could respond.I dragged my feet to the ICU. The nurse on duty said that the doctor who treated Blaze had gone home. So, she called the man and let me talk to him. I was speechless when the doctor told me Blaze's condition was still the same.If that was the only information he
Sasha stood up quickly, preventing the folder from hitting my face. She put the folder on the table, approached the woman, and dragged her out. Since she kept yelling, I asked everyone to get out.I didn't want her to reveal my secret in front of everyone. She wouldn't do that because her reputation would be ruined. But I knew who she was if she felt threatened. She would do anything to protect herself."Are you sure, Heather?" asked Faye worriedly.I nodded slowly. "I have Sasha looking after me. Continue the discussion in the other room, then let me know the results." I smiled at her.Although she doubted about leaving me alone, she walked over to the door and closed it. Sasha let the woman go as she didn't stop struggling, then stood by my side. I invited her to sit down, but she refused."Don't think I don't know your intention. You want to take away our treasure, don't you!?" the woman said irritably."Our treasure?" I retorted, half mockingly. "You and your husband were ordinary
Hi. I've found the Epilogue's author's note on the website but not on the app on my phone. So, in case some of you wonder why I didn't write any note at the end, I did. Here is my gratitude to all of you, dear readers. ♡♡♡ ___ Thank you so much for reading Heather and Blaze's story from start to finish. You have no idea how your support is helping me to complete this book. I realize people nowadays don't like stories about the main lead who has flaws and often makes mistakes. I've found and read some comments, even a review expressing disappointment. I'm sorry I can't make everyone happy. Therefore, I appreciate the support of readers who enthusiastically followed the book and witnessed the development of Heather and Blaze's characters. It's nice reading a story about a badass and unbeatable main lead. However, the imperfect one wants to be heard, too. Their story has ended here, but it won't stop our imagination from continuing the new chapters in our minds. Once again, thank yo
I stopped walking and watched their interaction from afar. We were just far enough away to hear their conversation. Blaze had never met Roger before. Since my modeling career, he had never accompanied me on a photo shoot or filming. "My wife can only appear in modest clothes. What is this photo? Why is her cleavage showing? Do you want people to get horny looking at it?" Blaze scolded. Oh my. He had my boss come to see him to talk about that? "Heather didn't mind. I discussed everything before executing her outfit." Roger defended himself. I nodded in agreement. "I told you to help her model not for this but to boost her confidence. If she has to show off her body, you better cancel your agent contract with her," Blaze threatened. What? So, Roger didn't approach me on his initiative? Roger was silent, so I used the opportunity to approach them. "Well, well, well. So, you were the one who told Roger to offer me a modeling contract." My boss turned his head, and his face turned pale
I could feel her watching me intently. I was wearing R&R's latest black dress and shoes loved by the public. To top it off, I was wearing a diamond necklace and bracelet that Blaze gave me. "No matter how perfectly dressed, an ugly person can't cover her flaws." She walked over and stood by my side. Sasha swiftly stood between us. "After Blaze changed his name, you did the same. Do you think bearing Harrington's name will make you one of them?" I took a tissue, dried my hands, then threw it into the rubbish bin. "Darcy, instead of intervening in my life, why don't you search where your parents are?" She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? They're in their house." "Really? When was the last time you visited them?" She smirked. "You don't like hearing the truth. That's why you changed the topic. Right? Those who smile in front of you, don't trust them. You don't know, but they may mock you when you're not around." "Is that what you think of your friends?" I retorted. "I no longer
I took a deep breath as the car entered the car park of a luxury hotel. I thanked the bellboy, who opened the car door and waited for Sasha to stand beside me. The valet parking attendant parked the car.I told my name, and the receptionist handed me a special visitor card. A man escorted me to an executive elevator. I didn't have to worry about choosing a floor because he did it. Sasha and I waited for the doors to open on our destination floor.I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the doors opened. With my chin up, I walked out and followed the lady who greeted me. The hotel was truly luxurious with its elegant interiors."Please come in, ma'am," she politely said as she opened the door for me."Thank you." I entered the room and was further amazed by the spacious and luxurious meeting room. It was far different from the simple meeting room in my store.The people in the room suddenly fell silent upon my arrival. I had deliberately arrived at the last second to avoid intera
[Blaze] I didn't care if people hurt me, but I wouldn't forgive them for daring to drag my wife into our problems. What that woman did was unforgivable. She sent people to shoot me when I was with Heather. I was surprised to find out who it was and relieved she gave me a fun new assignment. The peaceful situation was boring. I needed something to do on the side besides taking care of work and caring for my family. Unbeknownst to me, Reuben was also outraged at what that woman had done to his granddaughter. He encouraged me to retaliate by taking over all of Anderson's wealth. This man was truly more sadistic than me. I was happy to have his full support. "Clark is delighted with the DNA test results. I'm sure his wife and three daughters won't stay silent. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll give you everything you need to defeat them," Reuben said after our second meeting with my father. "Thank you, but I can handle it myself. I want that family to know I can face them w
Blaze wrapped his arms around my body, and we ducked as deep as we could in the back seat. James drove the car, not caring about the traffic lights. I closed my eyes in anticipation of us crashing into another vehicle. However, what I feared didn't happen. The car continued to move quickly, away from the shooting scene. My chest felt tight from the rapid beating of my heart. We had just passed through death. Who would want to hurt Blaze? Blaze loosened his embrace, but I didn't let him get away from me. I hugged him tightly. Not caring about the tears rolling down my cheeks, I pressed my face against his chest. I almost lost him had this car not been bulletproof. "Heather, everything is safe. My men are going to find out who the shooter is. Jericho managed to change the traffic light. That's why we can get away from that place," he consoled. What? Jericho could do that? Did that mean he hacked the traffic lights earlier? How could he have such a great crew? But we're not safe yet.
[Heather]I didn't expect him to announce our relationship in a press conference. I didn't ask for such a big thing. What I had in mind was him announcing it on his social media accounts. I didn't care if he posted a picture of us or not.But the surprise was very touching. My chest was so full of happiness that I couldn't explain it. The women who doubted our marriage would see and believe Blaze and I were serious about our marriage.I kissed him and let the reporters' cameras take as many pictures of us as they wanted. It would make a good photo on the front page of the news later. Unfortunately, he didn't smile like I expected him to. Was he just so in his sleep, not in his consciousness?I didn't want to be greedy, so I didn't let the cold relationship between me and Mom get me down. I enjoyed the event that Blaze had prepared as best I could. I chatted with Charity, Taylor, and Faye, then returned the greetings of every employee of my store and our house."Blaze still sleeping?"
"Mom," Gemma said as she turned to Renee. "I'm sleepy."Renee glanced at us before looking at her daughter. "Of course, dear. Come, let me take you to your room."They stood up and walked towards Gemma's bedroom. I turned to my wife sitting by my side. Her eyes were teary, and her lips were trembling. I held her hand that was on the table. She must have been devastated by Gemma's reaction."I'm fine," she mumbled. "She just needs time to digest the information.""She's just shocked. Thirty years is a very long time. She remembers you as a baby. Seeing you suddenly this big must have been shocking." Reuben gave her ID card back to Heather."What if Mom hates me?" she asked worriedly. "It's a good thing I changed my name to Knightley. If I still had Bailey's surname, she'd be mad.""Your mom won't be mad. Trust me." Reuben held Heather's free hand. "I'm her father, so I know her character. As for your name, we'll discuss it later. I won't allow Harrington to drop her name even if she's
[Blaze] Reuben Harrington was ruthless. There was no mistaking the nickname given to him by the media. With his power, all he had to do was call the right people, and he could get even the most confidential information. I just sat next to him, watching him in action. We had already strategized with his attorney about our charges on Bailey. He didn't give the couple any mercy. What I respected about his actions was he let the clueless Darcy go. Next, we discussed the right way to bring down the other family who had done so much harm to Heather. On that very day, he managed to trap the person he was after. The man was speechless when Reuben asked him to sell his shares. "Heather's birthday is over," I reminded him. "I missed thirty birthdays and Christmases. Isn't it time to pay down my debt from now on?" he said casually. I was stunned for a moment. Didn't I hear it wrong? Did he seriously want to give his granddaughter thirty birthday and thirty Christmas presents? How lucky my w