When Shirley saw Xavier's pained expression, she hung her head guiltily. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect that affair to hurt you that much...""You didn't expect it?" Xavier scoffed, feeling like he had just heard the world's funniest joke. He said sarcastically, "You were the woman I adored but you seduced my father for the sake of resources. How could you say that you didn't expect it to hurt me?" It had happened long ago, and he had kept it buried deep in his heart. Now, that pain had resurfaced again. The incident had traumatized him so much that he lost all faith in relationships, and didn't believe in pure love anymore."You were the first person I gave my heart to. I adored you and doted on you like you were my child. I went against my principles so many times because of you, and the whole of Beach City laughed at me for being a kiss-ass. But I never once regretted it. I felt that you would be touched one day, and that you would sincerely accept me. But in the end... not only was
"You're threatening me?" Xavier disliked being threatened the most, and could see through her schemes. "What do you take me for? Am I some kind of item offered to make peace?" "Did I?" Shirley smiled bitterly, looking very self-deprecating. "I just want to be your friend, but you're saying I threatened you. Do you want us to hate each other forever? Will that make you happy?"Xavier was at a loss for words. He wasn't happy about it, but it seemed like she just wanted them to be friends again. There would be no reason to plot against him just for that. "Fine, I can make peace with you and be your friend from now on. I hope you can keep your promise though; this thing ends here. Don't let it become worse." "Okay, you have my word." Shirley nodded and spread her arms out. "Can we hug each other as friends?""Isn't that unnecessary?" Xavier frowned, instantly cautious."It's just a hug between friends, there's no harm in it. What's more, I nearly died just now. Can't you console me
It was a very normal statement, but Leia could tell that Shirley was provoking her. She didn't know if she was overthinking it, but that kind of gaze disgusted her."It seems like I came at the wrong time. I don't want to disturb you, so I'll go now..." Leia bit her lip and kept her head low as she was about to leave. "No, it's fine." Xavier let go of Shirley and said to Leia coldly, "You caused such a great accident. Don't you want to resolve it?" He was on Leia's side but he could not favor her at a moment like this. Firstly, he didn't want to spoil her. Secondly, he didn't want to make Shirley jealous in case she decided to take revenge on Leia. Leia assumed that he was sorry for his first love, and bitterness and envy overwhelmed her. She didn't want to retreat, so she braced herself and walked into the ward before asking Shirley, "You know very well that I didn't push you down the hill on purpose, but I won't try to shift the blame either. So, what is it you want? Medical fee
"I want to but I don't know if Xavier..." Shirley looked at Xavier expectantly. "You don't have to ask him—the whole city knows that he's your number one fan. He's been running around like your servant for so many years, so I'm sure he's long wanted to marry you. You don't have to ask him," Leia glanced at Xavier and said enthusiastically. Xavier pursed his lips and made no reply. He just stared at Leia indifferently. "Isn't that true, Mr. Stuart? Miss White made such a bold statement, so shouldn't you express your thoughts on the matter?" Leia turned the conversation to Xavier, but did not dare to look at him out of guilt. She did not know what was on her mind. She was sad, but she pretended to be unconcerned. She did not want them to get back together with each other, but she kept making things worse. She must be crazy. "What else can I say? You're so good at talking, so you can help me say everything." Xavier had been watching Leia the whole time, looking displeased. Leia
After Leia spoke, she was overwhelmed with shame. She covered her face and rushed out of the ward. She could not fall in love casually any more. Even with her previous bad experiences, she had never been so hurt in a relationship before! One should never fall in love!Leia had apparently pushed Shirley down the hill just now, and now, her loyal man was with her, so Leia could not ask about Quinton's affair. She decided to wait until Shirley got better before she spoke to her seriously. She wanted to see if she could find the mastermind, so she decided she would stay in the small mountainous village in the meantime. She would have to be wherever Shirley was. Shirley was injured, so the shooting of Happy Days was paused for the time being. All the staff gathered in the small house to talk.Adam noticed that Leia was sitting sulkily beside a pond in front of the house. He was worried that she might be taking things too hard, so he immediately went over to comfort her. "Miss Osborne,
Leia frowned. "I can't say that either. What we have now should be extraordinary because we feel like killing each other." Adam assumed that she was purposely showing off her romance, and he smirked at her. "Don't worry, Miss Osborne. We're adults; I get it. I just want to ask if you're interested in the entertainment industry. Do you want to get popular?" "Popular?""Yeah, like being a fixed guest on this show. I'm sure we only need one season to make you popular given your character," Adam said confidently. He wanted to do Xavier the favor, and he also wanted to be successful. After all, he had directed so many shows, and now he had reached a bottleneck. If he could promote someone at this point, his career would grow to another level."What benefits will it bring me if I'm popular?" Leia raised her brows and asked him with a smile. "There are a lot of benefits. You'll gain fame and profit, and when people slander you, your fans will help you fight them. What's more, you can
"You like Santiago too? He's very nice and charming. What's more, he's professional, humble, and virtuous. In short... he's my idol, the one and only one!" When Leia thought of Santiago, she smiled and thought, 'Xavier, so what if you have your first love? I have an idol I admire too.'"Mr. Jiminez, do you know Santiago? I heard that he's pretty aloof and rarely befriends people in the entertainment circle," Leia asked him curiously. At first, she was not very interested in the shrewd director, but when she heard that he admired Santiago too, she felt as if she had found a kindred spirit. Her mood improved too, and she was friendly to him now."We're way more than that—we're close friends. I'll let you in on a secret… Santi owes me a big favor, so he'll surely come here if I invite him," Adam raised his head and said proudly.If a person could pacify such a difficult character in the entertainment circle, they were truly capable regardless of how wide their connections were. It was
Leia frowned, worried. "I just hurt Shirley. Everyone avoids me and sees me as a wicked woman, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get along with them."Leia felt anxious when she recalled how the other guests treated her that morning. Those people were fickle—if they saw Xavier and Shirley together, they would curry favor with Shirley and regard Leia as their enemy. If she had to shoot for the show under such circumstances, she was afraid that she might end up fighting with them on camera. "It's fine. You can fight with them if you can't get along with them. You can fall out with whichever pretentious person you want. Just be yourself, you don't have to pretend to like them. I hate pretentious people the most too." Adam took a fancy to Leia because he found her an unaffected person. She was unlike the stars who had been in the industry for many years. They were different in front of the camera and in private. As a result, the show became a platform for their hypocrisy. It was meanin
The guard stood behind them and urged fiercely, "Get in the car!" Leia felt weak; she looked at Renee and whispered, "Ren, are we going to get in the car? Should we run away? If we leave the fort, we might get killed since we're no longer under Liam's protection.""Calm down." Renee lifted her chin at Leia, calm. "Let's see who wants to meet us. I know what to do." Her curiosity was greater than her fear. She wanted to know who else dared to be this reckless other than Mateo. "Okay, fine." Although Leia was scared, she felt that they could be safe and sound since Renee was around. She stopped overthinking and boldly got into the car.After they got into the car, its engine started and it disappeared in the dark…Meanwhile, Liam and Amber were still talking about Renee and Stefan, whose romance was full of twists and turns.While talking, Liam kept pouring wine for himself. He began to get drunk. "Listen! Renee and I were a great match back then. She trusted no one else but
Leia turned and looked at Renee, who was sitting in bed looking solemn and vigilant. She found it strange."I think this is weird," Renee said solemnly, frowning as she looked at the door of the jail."What's so weird about it?" Leia became confused again. Unlike Renee, she was eager to leave. "Don't you want to go out? The world outside is great! If it weren't for Liam, I would have run away. I think it's normal for them to let us go now.""They might not want to let us go," Renee said coldly, flexing her fingers. "Logically, Mateo wouldn't admit to defeat so soon. I think there might be someone else who wants us to leave.""Someone else?" Leia found herself unable to accept such a thing and grew even more confused. "Who else wants to make things difficult for us in this fort except for Mateo? Is it Amber…? That doesn't seem like it. Who dares to target us by risking the possibility of offending Liam?"Leia knew Liam was considered powerful and influential in the fort. Besides, A
"Really?" Leia instantly breathed a sigh of relief. "I can wait if it's only for two to three days. If it's one day longer, I'll go insane!""Fine, I know you're bored. Read the comic with me. The comics here are pretty interesting. Check this out…" Renee got closer to Leia, sharing the comic book to distract her.They lay in bed together and read the comic to kill time. In half an hour, Leia started feeling sleepy and soon dozed off. Renee was sleepy too, and looked around vigilantly before deciding to take a brief rest. However, she hadn't laid down for long when she heard footsteps getting closer to the room.She wondered who it was. Although she was lying and her eyes were closed, she could sense someone hiding in the dark and observing them closely with a gaze of fierceness and hatred. After a while, the footsteps grew fainter. It seemed the person had gone away. Renee abruptly opened her eyes and looked out of the room. There was nothing strange except for a few guards.
In the silent night, Renee suddenly kept sneezing hard while sleeping."What's wrong with you, Ren? Did you catch a cold?" Leia noticed something wrong with Renee and immediately wrapped a blanket around Renee. At the same time, she glared around the room. "This is so annoying! Why couldn't they let us go? Do they take us as criminals? And this lousy heater isn't working well! It didn't warm you at all! I'll get them!" she hissed. "Come back!" Renee hurriedly pulled Leia back and shook her head. "I'm not cold. I just suddenly sneezed for no reason.""Well, I think someone's gossiping about you," Leia joked. "I think it's Liam. He's telling these people how powerful your background is. Or… It's that scumbag, Stefan. He missed you and regretted it. I bet he's getting emotional now!""Oh, please. You're so imaginative." Renee was amused; she admired Leia for the latter's positivity. Leia was truly warm and optimistic. Leia paced to and fro in the room while looking outside in f
Amber's eyes lit up, showing admiration for Renee. "Ms. Everheart has kids? And they're fraternal twins? She established a company, too? She's awesome! I never expected a woman could be so amazing! She's a great role model for women!"To Amber, the most amazing woman was Luneth, who managed her family well and was lovey-dovey with her husband.Once she heard about Renee from Liam, however, her worldview expanded. She realized that women could still lead incredible lives even after leaving men and romances behind. She could do the same—she could focus on her career instead of her marriage or a man. "Of course! If not, I wouldn't have called her my boss!" Liam couldn't stop talking about Renee, feeling proud. He began reminiscing about Renee's amazing past. "To be honest, she's a great scholar and is talented in the sciences. Plus, she was the top hacker in the world…""Wow, she's amazing!" Amber kept gushing; she had never heard about such things. The two of them spent almost a
"I find their relationship wonderful. Their love is so deep! I envy it—imagine having such a passionate and intense romance!" Amber gushed like a lovestruck fool, her eyes bright.Movies were popular in the fort. Hunt My Everheart gained high popularity there that year. After that movie, Shirley won multiple film awards and Best Actress. Stefan, who acted in it as well, gained a lot of female fans.Fans soon dug up the story behind the movie. Since Amber could use the internet, she could talk about the movie with great familiarity. She had always assumed that Stefan and Renee belonged together. They were the perfect match for each other! She had never considered the possibility that there were other unknown things between them."The movie's nothing but a sham. It's all an act! It's not the same as reality, and you can't believe it at all." Liam had never watched that movie because he held it with disdain. Grumpily, he continued, "Plus, Stefan invested in that movie. Of course
At that time, Amber suddenly realized that there was nothing happier than marrying someone who she loved and who loved her back. The key to an everlasting marriage, which was long and complicated, was not to force herself or her lover."It's great you think that way, but the world might not be as wonderful as you've imagined…" Liam said, melancholic.Amber seemed to have grown up and was no longer the silly young woman who was infatuated with him. She had her thoughts about love and was no longer stubborn about marrying him. She yearned to explore the world and find a new guy. Liam felt that the girl who had always longed for him would finally leave. "The men out there are more wicked than the ones in this fort. There are many cunning and disloyal men. You can't fall in love with just any guy. Someone pure like you will be lied to and bullied. Do you understand?" Liam advised her eagerly, as though he were her senior. He patted her head gently, making her want to rely on him an
Mateo was gone, leaving Liam and Amber alone in the restaurant. Suddenly, awkwardness and silence overcame them. An amorous feeling hovered in the air.Liam finally stopped acting. He chuckled awkwardly and sat up straight, then said to Amber, "Thank you for what you did just now. I wasn't that serious. I was just acting.""I saw that." Amber grinned, teasing him. "I've got to say, you acted well. I thought Matt almost strangled and killed you.""I'm not that weak. Plus, he's not that brave either." A sudden competitiveness gripped Liam; he purposely flexed his arms and acted strong. "Did you think Mateo could fight me? With his physique, I can defeat him with one hand!" "Mm, I think so too. You must be stronger than Matt." Amber nodded, giving Liam her full support. She started to feel that Renee was right to claim that he was just a child."By the way, did you talk to Luneth? What did she say?" Liam asked; he knew that Luneth's attitude was the key to quickly resolving that iss
Amber took a deep breath, her eyes teary. She had long pondered over those words, but was too timid to say them aloud.She wanted to thank Liam for repeatedly insisting that she try to understand herself and reminding her not to take her marriage so callously. After some contemplation, Amber decided to not marry anyone."I won't marry you or Liam. I just want to marry someone I love and who loves me back. Only people who love each other can get married," she said firmly, looking dead serious. Both Mateo and Liam were stunned. Liam stopped acting weak; he held Amber's shoulders and stared at her carefully. "Is that what you truly think?""Yes!" Amber was shocked by the sudden change in Liam and subconsciously leaned backward."That's great! I didn't say those things for nothing. You're finally enlightened!" Liam nodded with gratification. "All I want is for you to understand yourself. There are many messy things and troubles in a marriage. If it isn't supported by love, you'll