The light in Blake's eyes seemed to fade as she struggled to find her voice, "Was this your plan or Liam's?"Cecilia responded with a soft laugh, shaking her head, "You'd break Liam's heart if he heard you now. You always say he's different from me, but think about it, what's your opinion of him now? Remember what I told you? Liam returned to his family for your sake!" Cecilia's voice was emphatic, "He's always acted with your best interests in mind. Why don't you check your phone? See how many messages he's sent you?"Since disembarking from the private jet, Blake had kept her phone silenced. Apart from messages from Kevin, she had yet to check any others.Cecilia left the room, advising, "Freshen up and join me for dinner. We're heading back to Ventropolis tonight."Blake was about to check her phone when she realized it was out of battery. After charging it, she saw that Cecilia was right. Liam had sent her a barrage of messages, nearly forty or fifty, all expressing his concern
A thought lingered in Blake's mind as she pondered deeply, 'As long as I'm married to Liam, Cecilia has promised not to harm anyone.'Liam, noticing something amiss in her demeanor, asked, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"Blake maintained a few steps behind Liam as they walked, creating a physical and emotional distance. She replied, "I'm just a bit dizzy. Let's head back."Liam offered to drive her home, but she declined, "No, thank you. My place is in the opposite direction of the company's. You have work, and I don't want to cause any delays."Despite her words, Blake felt an increasing emotional distance from him, which seemed to grow with each passing moment.Sensing her unease and looking slightly disappointed, Liam pressed her for answers, "Blake, what is going on? Is Cecilia using Kevin to threaten you again? Please, tell me what's going on. I'm here to help."Blake was torn. Liam's kindness overwhelmed her. It was more than what she expected from a friend.
Blake gazed at her phone resting on the bathroom sink. It vibrated with a new message from Liam, reading: [You've just returned. Take a few days to rest at home. I can manage things at the office for now.]As she read the message, Blake's thoughts drifted to Cecilia's suggestion of marrying Liam to prevent further crimes. She recalled learning about the dark history of Madelyn's family from Simon. The Jent family had been a prominent force in Ventropolis, respected by high-ranking officials. Yet, their behind-the-scenes actions were far from honorable.Lost in these thoughts, Blake suddenly felt dizzy. Her hand reached out to brace herself against the sink. Flashbacks of a dark basement flooded her mind, echoing with the cries of a young girl no older than six or seven devouring a bun given by a shadowy figure.The cacophony of the memories overwhelmed Blake. She clutched her head as a piercing pain surged through her. She endured the excruciating sensation, which eventually ebbed a
The maid, hesitating slightly, informed Grace, "Ms. Dion has returned, but she appeared to be suffering from a severe headache when I checked on her in her room."Grace's expression turned to one of concern, "Where is Blake now? Did you talk to her?"The maid responded, "I only gave her some medicine. She seemed quite pale, but I didn't say much."Worried, Grace decided, "I'll go see how she's doing. And please prepare some of Blake's favorite dishes for dinner tonight.""Yes, Ma'am," the maid responded.Grace had always shown maternal affection toward Blake, treating her as if she were her own daughter. Both Mya and Blake received equal love in the Harper household. Despite Mya being the elder, Blake often took on the role of her protector. Aware of Blake's sensitive nature, Grace always tried to show her extra care and affection.Entering Blake's room quietly, Grace saw her asleep on the bed, seemingly caught in a nightmare. She was murmuring and crying in her sleep, "Don't tak
Grace quietly left the room with the maid after making sure Blake was soundly asleep. Grace answered the call with a cool tone as she descended the stairs, "Ms. Samford?""Mrs. Harper," came Cecilia's response.With a stern expression, Grace replied, "Ms. Samford, I've made it clear before; if Blake chooses to acknowledge you, we won't interfere. But any further attempts to manipulate our family will not be tolerated. Do not call again, or we will consider it harassment."With a decisive click, Grace ended the call.In her office, Cecilia stared at her phone, her eyes seething with anger. She realized that as long as the Harper family was in Ventropolis, Blake would never accept her. She was determined to remove the Harpers from the city.'I've worked tirelessly to provide Blake a better life,' Cecilia thought. 'Whether she likes it or not, I'm determined to see her as Mrs. Xander. Madelyn, your life was spared because of her. Stay hidden, or else...'Cecilia then sent a message
Liam chose to ignore Ixia's behavior and said to her with determination, "I'll only say this once. I'll never marry you, and I don't need the Xander family's help, either. Blake is the only reason I went to work for Jardin Corporation. Even if Blake wasn't involved, I wouldn't want to be related to you anyway.""If you want to stay here so much, be my guest." Liam scoffed, walking into the study right before her. Then, he took some files for work and picked up his laptop bag.Ixia saw this and quickly grabbed his arm to stop him before asking him, "Where are you going? You can't leave me, Liam. Do you really hate me that much? Is it because I said I like you?"Liam flung her outstretched arm away and said, "Stop acting so desperate." He took his belongings and left.Ixia chased after him and called out, "Liam!"However, Liam was already gone.Ixia stomped angrily and huffed, "It's all your fault, Blake. Liam wouldn't have left me if it weren't for you!"On the other hand, Liam w
Blake refused Liam's advice for her to take a holiday. The following morning, she returned to the company. As expected, Liam had already arrived early at the office.Blake saw him pinching the bridge of his nose. When Liam raised his head, his bloodshot eyes met hers. Blake went over and placed her bag down. She asked caringly, "Is your headache acting up again? Have you taken your meds, Liam?"Liam shook his head. Blake wanted to touch his forehead but stopped herself and told him, "I'll help you make a doctor's appointment online, so go and see the doctor. You can't go on like this. I've looked at your schedule, and you don't have anything urgent scheduled today, just a meeting with the Mandarin Lectio Company at noon. I can still send you to the hospital in time."Liam noticed that Blake seemed to remember his schedule this time. Usually, Liam would have to mention it himself and bring her with him everywhere he went.'Seems like Blake has changed,' Liam thought. He answered her
Liam smiled and said, "Fine."Then Blake got back to the company. While parking at the parking lot, she saw a man wearing a cap lurking around. Blake was not in a rush to get out of the car, so she stayed in and watched him closely. After a while, the man called someone and said, "Ms. Samford, we've found the woman's location, and I have pictures. I'm currently in the parking lot."Blake felt her heart sink and thought, 'Could it be Cecilia and that other woman?'She continued her train of thought, 'It's Madelyn! Did Cecilia find Madelyn so soon? Impossible!'After three minutes, Cecilia walked out of the elevator. The man went up to her and gave her a file. He asked Cecilia, "Ms. Samford, how do we handle her? Should we..." He then made a cutthroat gesture.Blake noticed this and took a picture with her phone. Cecilia answered, "No rush. You should go back and wait for my orders. Letting her die is just too easy."The man obliged, "Fine. Ms. Samford, about our payment... We've b