In the operating room at City Hospital, the sign at the door displayed the words "Surgery in Progress".Willow waited in the corridor anxiously. After what felt like a long time, the operating room doors finally opened."Dr. Roth."Terence, who was dressed in a white coat, removed his mask. "He's out of the woods now. It's congenital heart disease. "Fortunately, we were able to save him in time, but he'll need to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation. Go ahead and complete the admission procedures.""Clark." Theodore was getting Clark to handle it."No. I'll handle it," Willow coldly interrupted. "You don't need to trouble yourselves."With that, she followed the nurse to complete the procedures, leaving the others standing there, looking at each other in puzzlement.As Terence stuffed his hands into his coat, he asked out of confusion, "What's going on with you two this time?"Theodore's eyes darkened. "Are you sure it's congenital heart disease?""Are you the
"You should be in school at your age.""I…" Isaac lowered his head."It's okay. Everyone has things they find hard to talk about. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. But if you ever feel like talking, you can tell me anytime. And if you want to go back to school, let me know. I'll help you figure it out."Isaac slowly looked up. "Ms. Jett, why are you so kind to me?""Is this considered kindness? I treat all my employees like this." Willow smiled as she spoke. "But if I had to give a reason, it's probably because you're about the same age as my younger brother. "Alright. Don't overthink things. Just rest." With that, Willow stood up to get some water. Isaac fell into a daze as he stared at her back, unsure whether what he was doing was right or wrong.Right then, Theodore had just stepped out of the hospital."Mr. Bassett, why didn't you explain everything to Ms. Jett? That punk was caught with pliers tampering with the brake lever. There's solid evidence."Theo
At midday, in the backyard of Strand Villa, an outdoor grill was lit for warmth."I've done everything you asked. I even had Isaac tamper with Willow's car. Can I get those negatives now?" The pale Stephanie stared intently at the person across from her."What's the rush?" Hailey, sipping her tea leisurely, was the source of the calm voice from across the table. "The job isn't done yet, is it? I don't even know if that backup of yours is any good. He seems pretty indecisive to me.""Backup? He's not even qualified to be my backup. He's a lapdog at best.""With someone like that taking care of things, we're certainly putting him to good use. As long as he can take care of Willow, I can suppress all those things about you. No one will ever find out."…After Hailey left, Stephanie pulled out her phone and called Isaac."Hello? It's me." However, she didn't hear a response from him. "Where are you? How's everything going?"The voice on the other end sounded slightly solemn. "Steph
Right after Willow nodded, she had second thoughts and turned toward Theodore. However, Theodore calmly said, "There's no need to press charges.""Alright then. If the victim doesn't want to press charges and no real harm was done, you can take him after posting bail.""Thank you."After Clark brought Isaac out, the latter spotted Theodore and Willow standing outside. The two stood in the cold wind, their matching tan coats billowing behind them, making them look like the perfect couple.Theodore was expressionless, whereas Willow turned and smiled at Isaac when she heard the noise. "Let's go."Isaac was stunned for a moment, but Clark nudged his shoulder. "Hurry up, punk. Mr. Bassett and Ms. Jett came all the way here for your little issue in this freezing weather. Do you know how busy they usually are? Selling you wouldn't even cover the losses."Inside the car, the heater was on full blast. Isaac sat in the passenger seat with his head down, not saying a word.Willow said, "T
"It was around the beginning of the month. I remember there was a bit of snow that day, and the wind was pretty strong."Willow's eyes narrowed, and she turned to Theodore.Theodore's expression was calm as he asked, "Did you see who Joey went to meet?"Isaac shook his head. "By the time I saw her, she was already getting into her car.""Did you see Stephanie that day?""I didn't. Mrs. Strand said she wasn't home, but she always says that to keep me from meeting Stephanie, so I'm not sure."Willow suddenly felt a bit unsettled. In the darkness, she felt a large hand come from beside her and clasped her icy hand.Soon, night fell. As Willow leaned against the headboard, she stared at the chat box on her phone. After hesitating for a while, she dialed Joey's number."Hello? It's me.""As if I wouldn't know it's you. What's up? Why aren't you sleeping?""Joey, there's something I want to ask you."There was a pause on the other end. "What's the matter? You're being so serious."
Behind the computer, Willow exited the news trending page with a conflicted expression. "The situation has really escalated. If the recordings, videos, and transaction screenshots exposed by Gale Entertainment are confirmed to be real…"Willow didn't continue."They must be real. Otherwise, how could Ms. Sutton and Stephanie not sue Gale Entertainment for slander? This isn't something to joke about, and the police are already involved. They brought this upon themselves."Willow didn't pile on, but she agreed with Annie's statement. They had indeed brought this upon themselves.Sonia strayed off the right path, and even after being deceived once, Stephanie still continued to commit crimes alongside her.With what was already exposed, it was clear that countless women had fallen victim to them. Whether they got detained or imprisoned, they deserved it.However, she was puzzled as to how all these things exploded overnight. Perhaps… A name crossed her mind. Besides him, she couldn't
"Theodore!"Willow stared in disbelief at the blood pouring out before her, her mind going blank as blood dripped from her hand onto the floor.Theodore touched her cheek, his voice low and hoarse. "Don't panic. It's okay."He turned around while clutching his bleeding abdomen. Gina's hand trembled, and the knife clanged to the ground. "It's not my fault. You ran into it yourself!"Theodore's gaze was icy. "You should be grateful that Willow wasn't the one that got stabbed by that knife, or I would have made you and your entire family pay a hundredfold."Theodore walked toward her. The sight of blood dripping from his fingers to the floor was terrifying."Don't come any closer." Gina backed away in sheer panic, her entire body trembling with fear."Go back and tell your daughter that her ruined reputation is her own doing. If she wants to end up in prison like Sonia Sutton, I'll be more than happy to send her in."After pausing for a moment, Theodore fixed his dark gaze on Gi
"What about Stephanie?""Well, it depends on whether you want to press charges."Stephanie was also initially a victim, but from the moment she started to scheme to frame Willow, she went from being a victim to a perpetrator. Her fate now rested entirely in Willow's hands.However, Willow was indifferent about it. "We can talk about that some other time. Let me see your wound."She couldn't be bothered to think about the Strand family right now. As a matter of fact, she couldn't care less about what would happen to them. Her mind was still replaying the scene of Theodore rushing into the office.Theodore turned to button his shirt. "There's nothing to see. I'm fine."Willow immediately grabbed his arm. "Let me see."Not giving him a chance to protest, she pushed his hand aside and began unbuttoning his half-buttoned shirt. Just then, the door suddenly opened with a bang."Theodore!" Two voices called out simultaneously from the doorway. Cedar and Erica were at the door. Their
"What choice do you think I need to make?" Theodore stepped closer. His tone was filled with displeasure. "What are my choices?"Willow hesitated for a moment but maintained her composure as she voiced her concerns. "We need to face reality, Theodore. I will take Yasmine back to Portumville, and you're tied to the Bassett family. Who knows what will happen in the future?""So, you're giving me a heads-up so I can find someone else sooner?""I—""Should I be thanking you then?" Theodore's anger flared. "Willow, this is what's on your mind after everything we've been through? What do you take me for? What do you take yourself for?""I…" Willow found herself speechless."Are you doing this on purpose?""No, I'm not." Willow tried to explain herself, but for once, her words failed her.Theodore's eyes burned with frustration. Seeing her struggling to justify herself only fueled his anger more. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.Willow let out a startled muffle, but it was
Willow noticed something odd and asked, "When did you two get so close? Cedar, you even know what game Jessica likes?"Cedar casually replied, "She posted about it on Instagram."Willow's expression changed to one of realization. "Oh, right. I remember now."After saying that, she looked at Jessica with a raised eyebrow and proudly said, "See how thoughtful Cedar is? He remembered such details and even brought the game you wanted. I wonder which lucky girl will end up with him."Jessica forced a smile and awkwardly shoved the game console under the pillow as if it were something unpleasant to touch.Yasmine raised her head. "End up with him? What does that mean?"Willow patiently explained, "It means who will marry Uncle Cedar.""It must be Ms. Sweeney!" Yasmine pointed to the bed next to her and blurted out, "Uncle Cedar saved her. She said she'll marry him to repay the favor."Willow's face was filled with shock while Jessica quickly waved her hand. "No! I never said that. Wh
At the City Hospital, since both Willow and Jessica needed to stay in the hospital, Terence decided to use a bit of his authority to arrange for them to share a room."So what are your plans? Are you not going back to Portumville?" Jessica asked."I still have to go back. The company headquarters is there. Have you ever seen a president of a public company who never goes to the office? Joywell is still growing. I can't leave," Willow explained."So when are you planning to go back?"Willow hesitated. "I'm still thinking."Balancing a career and family was tough. One had to give way to the other."There's nothing to think about. You wouldn't want to give up Joywell's prime opportunity, and you wouldn't want to keep flying back and forth to see Yasmine. Just have Theodore go with you to Portumville then."Jessica, with her independent mindset, often focused on herself and didn't always consider the practicalities of others' situations.Just then, a knock came at the door. "Come i
As Theodore closed the door behind him, Terence turned to him with a concerned look. "Aren't you going to stay with her?""Let her be alone for a while," Theodore replied.Through the glass on the door, Theodore could see the frail figure lying on the hospital bed, and his heart ached for her."By the way, how's Jessica?"Terence responded, "She's fine. Cedar's with her. Thankfully, he noticed in time, and the sleeping pills weren't of a lethal dose."Joey had drugged Jessica with an overdose of sleeping pills. Then, she was left unconscious and tied up in a small storage room at an apartment in Marldosa Gardens.Following that, Joey hired someone from the black market to drive Jessica's car to Portumville, which caused the car's GPS to show up constantly on the highway.Terence couldn't help but ask, "Are Cedar and Jessica…""I don't know," Theodore replied flatly, "but it's not a bad thing.""Not necessarily," Terence said, crossing his arms. "It's fine for the heiress of Re
At the hospital, Willow's neck wound had been stitched up with four sutures. She had to stay in the hospital for observation.Terence was still in the operating room with Matthew. Over an hour had passed with no news. Yet, Matthew's family couldn't be reached at the moment.Theodore sat by her bedside. "Be careful.""I'm fine," Willow replied, leaning against the headboard. "How did you find out that Joey and I were at the riverbank?""Matthew called me." Theodore's voice was rough. He covered Willow with a blanket and began to explain the recent events."I had a DNA test done with Yasmine and confirmed Iris' claims. At least it proved that Joey was the one who took Yasmine back then. After that, I had Clark start investigating Joey."The first thing Clark did was track down the doctor who did the DNA test for Matthew and Yasmine, and sure enough, Joey was there meeting him."When Clark arrived, the doctor was already dead. His body was hidden in the garage at Marldosa Gardens.
Willow's words crushed Joey completely.Possessiveness? To others, her years of admiration and waiting were nothing more than laughable possessiveness."They're over there!" A voice suddenly rang out. Following that, the chaotic sound of footsteps echoed from the other side of the rocks.Willow looked up to see a tall, familiar figure rushing toward her. Without needing to guess, she knew how anxious the man must have been. Her nose tingled, and tears suddenly began to fall.As Joey glanced at the approaching police, she tightened her grip on Willow and dragged her backward. "Don't come any closer! Stay back!" she shouted.Theodore, who was more frightened than he had ever been, also roared, "Don't go any further! Let her go, Joey.""Let her go?" Joey laughed bitterly. "And let her reunite with your family? Dream on!""Joey." Willow managed to squeeze out the words through her pain. "Stop it, Joey."Even at this moment, she hoped Joey would have a change of heart and turn awa
Willow lay on the rocks as her neck bled and stained the collar of her white shirt. The scene was shocking. But compared to the pool of blood beneath Matthew, her injuries were nothing. Even though she desperately tried to escape, the distance she crawled was far from enough to save her life.Footsteps approached from behind; Joey had released Matthew and was walking toward Willow."Do you know what he just told me?" Joey's voice came from behind as Willow continued to crawl away.Joey didn't stop her, and she merely paced alongside Willow. For every step Willow took, Joey mirrored her, patiently recounting her conversation with Matthew."I asked him if he ever loved me. Do you know what he said?""He told me to let you go."In the wind of the river, Joey's laughter sounded particularly eerie. "Even at this moment, he only thinks of you. His loyalty to you is absolute, isn't it? I want to ask you a question."Suddenly, Joey squatted down and yanked Willow's hair, forcing her
"Leave right now?" Joey asked incredulously. She then burst into tears. "If only you had said this three years ago!""It's not too late now.""It is too late," Joey said as she shook her head. Willow felt herself being choked. She struggled for breath as the immense force pressed against her neck and pulled her toward the edge of the rocky outcrop with the raging river below."Joey!" Matthew staggered closer."Don't come any closer!"Willow felt a sharp pain in her neck as the knife's blade dug deeper into her flesh."Joey." She gritted her teeth against the agony and asked, "So Yasmine really was stolen by you, wasn't she?""You're still asking such questions at this point? Willow, you really are stupid.""Where's Yasmine?""Ha! What do you think?" Joey's laughter was manic.The rhetorical question sent Willow plummeting into despair as if reliving the anguish from three years ago. It felt like her heart and lungs shook violently, and every nerve of hers screamed in pain.
"We've known each other for so many years, and now, suddenly, I plan to leave Emperia. It's hard not to feel a bit reluctant," Joey said with a hint of nostalgia, her expression darkening as she turned to look at Willow.As the river breeze blew, Willow felt something unfamiliar about the woman in front of her, as if she had never known her at all."What's wrong?"Joey noticed the strange look in Willow's eyes.Willow steadied herself, hiding her immense shock and confusion behind her clenched fist, and casually asked, "When do you plan to leave? Have you decided where to go?""We're thinking of heading to Westwood first. Do you still remember we made a promise in college to go to Westwood for our graduation trip?""I remember.""But you suddenly decided to get married at that time and got busy with matters at Strand Real Estate.""Actually, you didn't have to worry about me. You could have gone without me.""Didn't you know? Matthew liked you, so when he heard you weren't goi