Ellison suddenly stood up and pushed Patrick hard. He said, "Let her go. You are so selfish! Didn't you hear her? Gloria has no intention of going with you!"
Patrick was caught off guard. He had been as fierce as a wolf just now, yet he fell to the ground unexpectedly. Everyone was shocked. Stewart's face darkened. He rushed forward and helped Patrick up from the ground. He shouted anxiously, "Patrick, are you alright?" Stewart felt his hands wet. He reached out his hand that held the back of Patrick's head, only to find that it was covered in blood. He was stunned. "What is this?" Ellison noticed that something was wrong and was about to walk over. Hank ran ahead of him and shouted, "Alpha Patrick?" Gloria's eyes widened in shock and refused to believe that Patrick had fainted. She said in a trance, "Alpha Patrick, stop pretending. Did you fall just because of a push? Stop kidding me." Stewart turned to look at her in disbelief. "PatrickIn the car that headed for the hospital, Patrick woke up. "You scared me to death. You finally woke up." Stewart was relieved. Patrick touched the gauze wrapped around his head. He became sober and asked in a hoarse voice, "He hurt me?" Although it was a question, Patrick raised it with a certain tone. "You remember it? It seems that you are not seriously injured. No wonder Gloria thought you were pretending to pass out," Stewart ridiculed. Patrick was depressed. He took a few deep breaths before saying, "Don't blame her." Stewart couldn't take it anymore. He complained, "You must be sick! You were injured, and she just looked at you indifferently, but you still asked me not to blame her?" "I'm not sick. I'm soberer than ever. I tortured her with all kinds of methods. It's normal that she doesn't believe me now," Patrick said bitterly. "This may be the punishment from the Moon Goddess." Stewart was disappointed by Patrick's s
Patrick returned to the Black Thorn Pack at night. His eyes were bloodshot, and his clothes were stained with early morning dew. In Alpha's villa, he found Alex who was playing chess. "Why did you do that?" Patrick's expression was calm. He looked at Alex indifferently. Ellison had been fighting with Patrick in Waikiki Beach a few days ago. But now, he was playing chess with Alex leisurely. "Since you want to give up everything for the sake of Gloria, do I still need to leave the Hammond Group to you? You are not my only grandson," Alex answered Patrick while focusing on the chessboard. Patrick was not angry. He seemed to be measuring Alex's words. "Up to you." After a moment, Patrick said nonchalantly, "I'll wait and see if you are capable enough to take away the Hammond Group and the Black Thorn Pack from me." He had worked day and night all these years to avoid the loneliness in his heart. He focused on expanding the territory bu
After the final stake was announced, many people breathed a sigh of relief. They were afraid that Patrick would make a comeback. If so, they would suffer. People looked at Patrick, who was once high and mighty, and noticed that his face had become paler. "Patrick, since we have the result, you should withdraw from the position of the CEO of the Hammond Group." Someone stood up excitedly and scolded Patrick, "Pack up your personal belongings and leave the company immediately." "Who said that the decision was final?" In the conference room, a voice suddenly sounded. "I haven't voted yet." Alex, Ellison, and the others in the conference room turned to look at the person who spoke. "Mark? What are you doing?" Damon was the first to speak. Mark stood up with a smile. He walked behind Patrick and said, "Did I say that I would take Alex's side?" Other shareholders felt it ridiculous. They complained in their hearts, 'Aren't you the
On the other end of the line, Gloria pursed her lips stubbornly. She had begged him too many times in her life already. Those three years of quiet life had almost made her forget who Patrick was and who she was. She mockingly glanced at Camille aside, who had dressed appropriately. Right now, Camille was nervously watching her every move. Camille came over as soon as she heard of Gloria's whereabouts, but Camille's anxiety had nothing to do with Gloria at all. Gloria lowered her eyes, which were full of loneliness and sarcasm. She wanted to pull herself out of the abyss, but every time she thought that she could finally escape, she would be trapped again. All of them were holding the things that were most precious to her. They ignored her countess wounds and kept hurting her again and again. Gloria felt that her throat was getting more and more uncomfortable. She asked in a hoarse voice, "So what if I beg you? How should I beg you?"
The Carter Group was going down! The news recently went viral in Gabbs. It had been a topic of conversation at every business cocktail party lately, including the one Mike was attending today. He smoked at the banquet. He loathed such gatherings, yet no matter how much he disliked them, he had to put up with them. "I have something to do. I'll take my leave now," Mike said and was about to leave. He opened the door of the room and wanted to go out. Before he walked out, he stopped, because he saw a familiar figure in the corridor. He couldn't be sure and called out tentatively, "Mrs. Hammond?" The person didn't respond. The men at the table in the room all stopped what they were doing. Instead, they all turned around and looked in one direction. They thought, 'No way! It can't be Patrick's mate, right?' Mike ignored the group of half-drunk men behind him. He looked at the woman's back. She was limping slightly t
"Patrick! You bastard! You promised me!" Gloria's eyes turned red. The pain in Patrick's eyes almost froze. He focused on doing what he was doing. Suddenly, Gloria's eyes widened in fear. Her body was shivering all over. She felt a sudden chill down her back since her pajamas were lifted. She screamed with all her strength, and her voice was harsh and unpleasant, "Patrick! I hate you!" Patrick's eyes were full of pain. He lowered his head abruptly and kissed her passionately on the scar on the back of her waist. He would rather dig out his heart to fill the missing flesh on the scar. Gloria struggled even harder, but the more she struggled, the more passionately Patrick kissed her. "Patrick! I hate you! Can't you hear me?" She twisted her waist frantically, trying to avoid his endless kiss. Patrick remained silent. What he wanted was not just her body. He wanted her to respond to him. He admitted that he
Mandy, who was in the driver's seat, opened her mouth, only to find that she couldn't utter a word to comfort Gloria. She knew Gloria too well, which was why she felt no need or words to comfort Gloria. The Carter Group had many problems. Maybe they had been overlooked, or maybe Alger didn't think they were serious. Mandy was a little distressed for Gloria, who was in the back seat. When Gloria was busy, she was working in an almost suicidal way. Mandy figured that she was supposed to hate Patrick. After all, he was the one who forced an outgoing woman bit by bit till she was cornered. In all of Gabbs, Patrick was the only person who could drive Gloria into a corner. But now, Mandy felt grateful for Patrick. At least he would come in time to pick Gloria up for lunch and dinner, or Gloria would be too busy to eat at all. Mandy accompanied Gloria to work for several days, and Patrick did not appear during this time. Gloria knew that h
Although Gloria's voice had long been broken, currently, her voice had reached a new limit. Listening to her speak made one feel like hearing two pieces of coarse sandpaper rubbing against each other. Anyone would get a sore throat and an itchy mouth while listening to her. "What do you want?" Stewart frowned and asked in dissatisfaction. Gloria didn't care about his attitude. She casually took the face powders out of her bag, opened it, and started to touch up her makeup as if no one else was around. "Seriously? You are still in the mood to fix your makeup now?" Stewart sneered. In fact, he was already dissatisfied. Gloria turned around and asked him, "Do I look good?" "Don't go too far!" Stewart clenched his fists. "If he sees me, he won't be able to move his eyes away from me, right?" Gloria lowered her head slightly and muttered to herself. Immediately, Stewart felt a lump in his throat and something bitter in his heart.
This meant he was giving her only one chance. If she refused, she would never be able to return home.Luana felt as if a heavy stone had settled in her heart, making it hard to breathe and preventing her from making a decision quickly.Dorian maintained his domineering posture, observing the shifting expressions on her face with a smug confidence, waiting leisurely for her response.Five minutes passed, and Luana took a deep breath before nodding. "Alright, I agree, but it's only a marriage in name."Dorian let out another faint sneer. "What else did you expect?"He picked up the diamond ring, nodded his chin, and gestured for Luana to extend her hand.Reluctantly, she stretched out her hand, and Dorian casually placed the ring on her right ring finger.After slipping the ring onto her finger, Dorian released her hand and looked into her eyes with his deep, dark gaze. "We go to the church tomorrow," he said.With that, he pocketed Dorothy's passport and turned to leave.Luana raised he
Luana stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her resemblance to Dorothy grew day by day, and fear began to gnaw at her heart.She had already been a stand-in once. How could she bear to become one again, especially for her sister?Accompanied by a caregiver, Luana visited a hair salon and had her hair extended to waist-length, styled in the familiar waves she once wore.Dorian said nothing when he saw her like this, but after she fell asleep, he took a pair of scissors and cut off her hair.Luana was terrified, nearly fainting from the shock.Dorian, however, propped his chin on his hand with a nonchalant expression and said, “Who said you can do that?”Luana gaped at him, unable to contain her frustration. "Dorian, are you crazy…?"Dorian let out a soft chuckle. "Only now figuring that out?"Speechless, Luana took a deep breath and tried to reason with him."I'm not Dorothy. I'm Luana. Can you stop d
Luana had long harbored such suspicions in her heart.If her mother had not passed away, Dorothy would not have had to flee with her across different places.Her mother and sister must have experienced some terrifying events back then.Thinking of how George had not mentioned her father once, Luana couldn't help but ask again, "And my father...?"Before she could finish, George spread his hands helplessly, "Sorry, that's all I know."Luana stopped pressing George for more information, but her gaze took on a more inquisitive hue.George, an internationally renowned cardiologist, had gone to such lengths for her sister—what exactly was their relationship?George placed the photo frame on the bedside table and, noticing Luana's scrutinizing look, guessed her thoughts."Dorothy and Dorian have been close friends of mine for many years..." he offered a brief explanation, yet said nothing of the conflict between Dorian and Doro
"After he replaced you, he saw a man being deeply affectionate toward you when he arrived."To ensure your sister's heart would only be yours, he secretly switched you out, letting your sister take your place in the cremation..."Once you were replaced, I found you hadn't suffered brain death and immediately rushed to save you, performing the heart transplant surgery..."Luana fell silent for a long while after George's account. So this was how she survived. She wasn't an orphan after all.She had a sister... A sister who had given her heart to save her.Yet, Luana still had many questions.She didn't understand why her sister had been fleeing with her abroad.And why, according to George, her sister was eager to end her life not just to save her but also to escape Dorian. What had happened between them that drove her sister to end her life to avoid him?Her face etched with confusion, Luana struggled to ask George, but he coul
When Luana heard the mechanical female voice again, she felt a wave of despair. Her tears flowed even more fiercely.She wanted to get up and rush back to them immediately, but she couldn't move at all...Dorian, seeing the urgency and despair in Luana's eyes, couldn't help and said, "You've been in a coma for two years. Maybe they've changed their phone numbers."His words kindled a flicker of hope in Luana. Yes, after being unconscious for so long, many things must have changed, and changing phone numbers was entirely possible.She forced herself to sit up, clinging to this hope, and asked Dorian again, "How... much longer... until I recover?"Dorian, casually playing with his phone, replied indifferently, "I'm not a doctor. How would I know?"Luana was taken aback by his words, tightly pursed her lips, and stopped bothering him.Dorian sat for a while, finding it dull, and got up to leave.That night, Luana's dreams were no
Dorian spoke slowly, "I respected her last wish. When you were sent to be cremated, I replaced you and transplanted her heart into your body. George said even with a new heart, you might not survive, but you did... Only... you survived, and she took your place, lying forever in the cold cemetery..."His eyes dimmed as he spoke, his entire being shrouded in sorrow.Luana was utterly confused, blinking to signal Dorian to continue.But Dorian fell silent. His gaze shifted to her heart area, a hint of regret surfacing in his eyes."Have you ever deeply loved someone?" he abruptly changed the subject, posing a strange question.This caused Luana to fall silent, her expression turning somber.She might have once, but when Cline let Runa answer her call on the day of her death, she had given up on that feeling entirely..."Was it the man named Albion?" Dorian asked further.Luana was startled, surprised that Dorian knew about Albion.
He set down the mirror, leaned back in the armchair, and propped his leg up, speaking with interest, "Luana, you're quite intriguing."Luana was taken aback. This man knew her name, indicating he knew her, yet she had no recollection of him. Who on earth was he?The man leaned forward slightly, his deep black eyes fixed intently on Luana's face. "Listen carefully, I am—"He paused, then his thin lips parted again. His clear voice reached Luana's ears, "Dorian Lamont."Dorian, Dorian... Luana searched her memory for this name but found nothing.She stared into his eyes, filled with confusion, eager to understand more.However, the man had no more to say. He rose and left the room.Shortly after he exited, a blonde, blue-eyed female caregiver entered.While assisting Luana in wiping her body, she chattered about something akin to a miracle, then left after cleaning up, without elaborating further.Once alone, Luana g
She quickly lowered her eyelashes, blocking out that scorching gaze.The man stared at her for a while, and upon noticing the flutter of her lashes, he confirmed she was truly awake.He straightened up, said nothing, and turned to leave, soon returning with an elderly man.The old man had golden hair and blue eyes, his head full of white hair. Dressed in a white suit, he looked spirited and elegant.The man led the elderly gentleman in, raised his slender finger, pointed at Luana on the bed, and asked with a frown, "George, how did she wake up?"George?Luana was taken aback. Eva had mentioned that Cline had contacted a renowned international heart specialist for her, and that expert was named George. Could this be him?George didn't respond to the man's question. Instead, he activated the medical equipment and began a full-body examination of Luana.His expression was focused, his eyes filled with disbelief.His reactio
Cline's face stiffened instantly. The body he had been barely holding together suddenly collapsed.Yes, Luana loved Albion, not him. What right did he have to stay here?He remembered how Luana had repeatedly asked him not to mess with her in the past...Since she despised him so much, if he didn't let Aibion be alone with her for a while, she would only hate him more.Thinking this, Cline slowly stood up and walked away without looking back.Calvert watched Cline's figure disappear, then turned back. He gently traced Luana's photo on the tombstone."Luana, forgive me for not telling him the truth—that you actually loved him... I just wanted to punish him for being so cruel to you... But please, don't blame me, okay?"With that, he kissed the tombstone one last time."Luana, I've passed the Coburn Group to my cousin and given all my personal assets to Clarissa. I... can come to stay with you now."Calvert took out