Amora gasped. The words from her store owner sounded strange, and a suspicion crossed her mind.“Mr. Ramos, do you mean… is someone threatening you?” Amora guessed.“W-who do you think could threaten me? Don’t just say things carelessly!”Charles's voice on the other end of the phone sounded nervous, making Amora even more convinced that her suspicion was almost entirely correct.“Leave my store right now, or I’ll fire Della too!” Charles threatened.Reflexively, Della grabbed her phone from Amora's hand, trying to calm her boss down. “Mr. Ramos, I’m sorry. I’ll have her out of here immediately.”After hearing his manager’s words, Charles abruptly ended the call.Della's face grew paler. She ran a hand through her hair roughly and sighed heavily. Her sharp eyes turned to Amora, who was deep in thought.“Amora, please don’t make this harder for me. I know you need this job badly, but you heard how angry Mr. Ramos was, didn’t you?” Della said wearily.Amora didn’t reply. The fiery deter
"Amora, have a drink first."Biana handed Amora a bottle of mineral water that she had just bought from a vending machine. But Amora remained motionless in her seat, gripping Rayden's hand tightly as he lay on the hospital bed.An IV bag hung next to the bed, with a tube connected to the back of the boy's hand. Rayden was currently sleeping soundly after receiving treatment from the hospital doctor where he was being treated.Biana sighed deeply. She understood Amora's concern, but Amora herself looked unwell. She worried that Amora would collapse if she kept pushing herself."Amora, you haven't sipped water since earlier. If you keep this up, Ray will be sad seeing you like this," Biana coaxed again.Finally, Amora turned to Biana. She glanced at the bottle of mineral water that Biana had been holding and took it, once again falling silent.Biana sighed softly, then gently patted Amora's shoulder and continued, "Calm down, Amora. The doctor already said there’s nothing too serious. L
"This place hasn't changed at all. Just like its owner. Stiff and annoying!" Amora sneered in her heart.Her hazel eyes stared sharply at the classic building standing in the distance. It had been seven years since she last set foot there. She still clearly remembered the minimalistic gate with the tall archway in front of her.It was there that she had cried her heart out, begging the head of the Lysander family to forgive her. With her head still wrapped in bandages from being struck by her grandfather’s cane, Amora knelt in front of that gate.She had pleaded with the middle-aged man to give her another chance so she wouldn’t be kicked out of the house. Unfortunately, her cries fell on deaf ears. Charlie Lysander didn’t want to listen at all.Back then, Julia immediately confiscated all of Amora’s valuables, her ATM cards, and her credit cards, claiming that they were bought with Lysander's family money.Amora was only given one ATM card with the smallest balance, supposedly out of
Alberta sighed deeply."A lot has changed since you left this house, Miss," said the loyal servant of Amora's grandmother.Alberta then told Amora about Gilda Orlena’s condition. Each word that came out of her mouth made Amora’s heart ache even more.Amora clenched her fists tightly, trying to hold back her urge to curse.It turned out that ever since she left seven years ago, Gilda had constantly missed her. But her son and husband had forbidden Gilda from going to see Amora. This took a toll on Gilda’s health, leading to a stroke after a heart attack.Now, Gilda was suffering from dementia, causing her to lose her memory and often hallucinate. Sometimes, she would call out to people around her, thinking they were Amora. Her son and daughter-in-law didn’t care much and just chalked it up to old age.Charlie Lysander, who was also elderly, couldn’t do anything. Now, the old man struggled to walk and had handed his company over to his only son, Mario Lysander, preferring to enjoy the r
"How did you end up here, Amora?"Julia Brown's voice echoed loudly through the room. Her eyes were sharp as she glared at Amora, who returned the same look.Julia had just come out of her room after her afternoon nap and was shocked to find Amora standing in the middle of her living room."It seems Aunt Julia isn’t happy to see me here," Amora sneered, deliberately provoking her."Who allowed you into this house?!" Julia snapped again. She glanced at several servants who approached after hearing her shout."Um, I think she came in with Mrs. Alberta," answered one of the younger servants.Amora had never seen her before. Most of the servants who had worked in the house had been dismissed by Julia, who felt they didn’t meet her standards, even though those servants had served Gilda Orlena faithfully for years.Amora’s lips curled into a sinister smile. She walked slowly toward Julia, then stood before the older woman with an air of arrogance."You don’t need to bother blaming anyone, A
Julia clenched her teeth tightly, her anger boiling within her. She wanted to get up and retaliate for the slap she received, but her waist ached, and her cheek felt like it was burning."Mom!"Amora’s attention shifted to a young woman who had just entered from outside. The woman was Bianca Lysander, Julia’s daughter and Amora’s cousin.Bianca hurried to her mother and supported her. "Mom, are you okay?" she asked anxiously.Julia didn’t respond, her gaze fixed coldly on Amora, causing Bianca to follow her stare.“Amora? How are you here?” Bianca asked in confusion, finally realizing the cause of the commotion in the house.However, Amora didn’t respond to her question. The man who had entered with Bianca captured her attention.Chris Walden froze at the sight of the woman who had once captured his heart seven years ago. His eyes, filled with longing, gazed intensely at Amora.They stared at each other for five seconds until Julia’s voice broke the moment.“Amora, look at your shamel
"Of course, it's not true. Why would I do that, Dad?" Julia quickly denied.She didn’t want to admit anything. She didn’t want her father-in-law to find out what she had been secretly doing behind his back."It seems like she came here just to stir up trouble, Father," Julia added.Charlie only gave Amora a sharp look. His expression was very neutral as if he was hiding something in his mind.Before Amora could explain further, Julia spoke again in a condescending tone to cover up her wrongdoing, "If you’re having money troubles, there’s no need to be ashamed. Just say it straight. Maybe I or Grandpa would consider helping you out."Amora rolled her eyes in annoyance."Your acting just gets better and better every day, Julia. Why don't you try auditioning for a movie? You might make it," Amora mocked the drama Julia was putting on in front of them.Julia’s jaw tightened. With fire in her eyes, she said, "If you need money, just say how much you need, Amora! Don’t go around falsely acc
Julia could no longer tolerate the insults Amora was throwing at her and her daughter. She ordered one of the servants to call security, but Amora stopped her.“There’s no need for that, Julia. I’ll leave on my own. I hope we never have to meet again,” Amora said.Julia clenched her teeth. She stood up and ordered a servant to drag Amora out of the house, but Amora resisted and pushed the servant to the floor.“Don’t force me to do more than this, Julia. Do you think humiliating me and stepping on me will make me leave this city as you wish? Don’t count on it,” Amora said with a cold smile.Julia chose not to respond, not wanting to arouse suspicion from her father-in-law or son-in-law later.“Do you think I’ll just stand by and let you keep doing things behind my back?” Amora said again, her voice icy.She glanced at Alberta, who was standing by the kitchen door, looking worried. Alberta wasn’t sure how to intervene and was afraid of getting involved, knowing Julia’s temper, especial