The bodyguard took the golf club from Zach and set it aside. Madelyn put on her Bluetooth earpiece, and instantly, she heard Blake's argumentative voice. 'Wow, she's really loud.'"Do you have any shame? These gifts are obviously for my cousin, Mya. Trying to snag them before the wedding's even a sure thing? Think you deserve them? You all act like ungrateful, shameless jerks. You're just like bullies and thieves!"One of the ladies defiantly pointed at Blake and snapped, "All these will be ours soon anyway; so why not take them now?""Fine! Take them if you dare!" Blake retorted. "But if you do, I'll break your hands."Kevin gave Blake a thoughtful look, his eyes deep in thought. He admired her courage."Let's take what belongs to us," the lady challenged.An old lady gazed at the jewelry, thinking, 'These are worth so much money... More than I could ever spend in a lifetime.'"How long's the sentence for robbery, Blake?" Kevin asked.Blake replied, "Between three and ten year
"Why isn't Madelyn here, Kevin?" Mya asked.Kevin replied with a hint of nonchalance, "Ms. Jent's downstairs, playing golf with Mr. Jardin. If you want to see her, go on down. Mr. Jardin said his company's taking care of the situation at the birthday party."Mya said, "Thanks for letting me know."Kevin nodded, "No problem."Luke called out, trying to make things right, "Mya..."Lifting her dress slightly, Mya shot him one last look, "I told you you'd face the consequences." She walked off, leaving a chattering crowd behind.Luke's family swarmed him, bombarding him with questions, "What went down, Luke? Why did Mya bolt? You know, our families had your back, helped with your college needs, and in return, you promised us a house.""Are you guys still getting hitched?""Man, Luke, I was waiting for a house before getting married. Now, without one, what do I do?""And these gems? They were supposed to be a safety net for my daughter's future. Luke, you better not bail on us."F
Madelyn repeated, "Thank you."As Madelyn approached, the bodyguard who had been blocking Mya stepped aside. Mya eagerly embraced Madelyn, causing her to stagger. She pressed her face against Madelyn's shoulder, sobbing loudly."You were gone for so long, and you didn't even contact me. Did you know I almost died?" Mya asked, her voice serious.Madelyn's gaze landed on the dark bruises on Mya's neck and back. Blake had filled her in. "I'm so sorry, Mya," Madelyn whispered, her voice laden with regret. "I wish I'd been here sooner."Mya shook her head gently, "You're here now, and that's what matters. Plus, you brought gifts. I've forgiven you.""Promise me you'll be careful. Don't let anyone hurt you.""I promise. With you here, I feel protected."The Harper family sponsored Luke for school because he did not have much money. When Mya ran into him at Ventropolis University, it was by accident. In college, when bullies picked on Luke, Mya defended him. From then on, Luke cared a
Seeing Mya, the faces of the group twisted in anger, "Mya! You did this!""Why are they cuffing us? Shouldn't it be her? What did we do?""Seriously. Officer, we're just regular people. We haven't done a thing. You sure you've got this right?"The police officer gave them a stern look, "Enough talking.""Ugh! All this is because of Mya and her sneaky friend. Just wait, Mya. When I'm out, you'll get what's coming."The officer, a tad flustered, held back the still-complaining woman, "If you want a shorter time behind bars, be quiet. You really shouldn't cross her.""What's so special about her anyway? Does she think she's richer than us?"Madelyn sighed, "Let's get out of here.""Okay."The noise died down as everyone was packed into the police cars."Mya, hold on!"A girl in a sparkly princess dress stopped Madelyn and Mya. Seeing the woman next to Mya, her eyes lit up with admiration. Wiping away her tears, she said, "It's because of you that my mom's in jail. I've just sta
"I'm fine; it doesn't hurt," Mya said, trying not to worry Madelyn. Mya's hands were once delicate and soft. After a few challenging years, they bore several burn scars and had become rough.Kevin approached, "Ms. Jent, we need to leave; it's late."Then, a police officer approached Mya, "We need you to testify about the suspect. Could you come with us to the station?"Mya nodded, "Okay. Madelyn, I'm heading out."Madelyn replied, "Take care."Mya hesitated, "I'm nervous about going alone, Madelyn."Before Madelyn could respond, Kevin jumped in, "Don't worry, Ms. Jent. I'll accompany her. I have some business there anyway."Madelyn said, "Thanks, Kevin. Just make sure she's safe."Kevin replied, "Of course."After everyone was gone, Madelyn walked over to the luxury car. A bodyguard opened the door for her, and she got in. Next to her, Zach poured some red wine into a glass."Try it."Madelyn fixed her dress and looked away, "It's been a long time since I had a drink."He r
"I'm going to marry you and make you my second wife. Are you scared?"It seemed like Zach was in a good mood today.Madelyn blurted out, "M-My dad just died not long ago, and you're here thinking about marriage? You've been in the Jent family for so many years; you should know that the family traditions prohibit us from having a wedding during the mourning period of three years."Madelyn tried to pull her hand away, but Zach did not allow that to happen. Instead, he held her hand even tighter and placed it on his thigh."I don't have that much patience to wait."Madelyn could only remain silent and stopped talking to him.However, she just could not stop herself from venting, "What benefit do you get from marrying me? I can't have your baby, and that child is also fake. You're only doing this on impulse, driven by your possessiveness. You can't stand the idea of someone that you want becoming someone else's. After some time, you'll just throw me away like I'm a piece of trash."
It seemed like the questions in his heart had started to find their answers...Madelyn's eyes were already dry. She paid no attention to the child that Margaret had brought to her. She did not even spare a glance at them. Then, she headed straight upstairs.Recalling everything that had happened made her feel like her heart was stabbed a million times.Zach had hurt her in two lifetimes.Madelyn just could not picture herself being together with him ever again.After entering her room, Madelyn sat at the edge of the bed, ran her fingers through her hair, and burst out crying.She did not expect Zach to feel guilty after listening to what she told him. She only hoped that he would understand what she felt and let her go.As she calmed herself down, she remembered the note that Mya had given to her earlier. Zach was in the car earlier, so she did not have the chance to read it.She unfolded the crumpled note and saw the three words on the wrinkled paper, "Check your email."Made
However, Zach had promised her that he would not harm anyone from the Arnold family.Why would he lie to her?With her limbs turning colder, Madelyn reluctantly contacted someone she did not want to deal with.The phone rang for a few seconds, and then it was connected."Are you looking for me?" Kai asked. He sounded very cautious.Madelyn panicked and quickly hung up the phone.Kai colluded with Zach, so Madelyn figured that she should not trust him as well.Suddenly, Madelyn thought about something. She zoomed in on those pictures and quickly recognized the location. They were all taken near the sea around Ventropolis.Madelyn had heard about a plane crash not long ago, but she had never expected Ethan to be on the plane.She immediately rushed out of the room with her phone as if she had lost her mind.She could not believe that Ethan's death was real.'Why would Zach kill him? He already has everything he wants!'Ethan has done nothing to him. Zach is nothing but a hear