Just the sight of Cline made Luana's heart race with anxiety, and she dared not even lift her head, her small frame instinctively hiding behind Calvert.
This act of hiding only served to enrage further Cline, his gaze towards her becoming even colder.
Calvert, however, failed to notice the tension between them and politely extended his hand, greeting, "Mr. Moriarty."
Cline barely glanced at the hand extended towards him and coldly remarked, "I have a phobia of germs."
His demeanor was the epitome of arrogance and disrespect.
Fortunately, Calvert had always been extremely composed and did not feel embarrassed by this. He retracted his hand and responded with a smile, "No problem."
Ignoring Calvert's response, Cline's icy eyes turned directly towards Luana, who was hiding behind him.
"Luana is here too?" he said.
Having been called out, Luana could no longer continue to hide.
She reluctantly stepped out from behind Calvert
Luana did not respond, simply reaching for her water glass and taking a quiet sip.Seeing her silence, Calvert became even more convinced that she was referring to him.In fact, a hint of doubt was quietly rising in his heart, questioning whether the information he had investigated before was incorrect.After all, he couldn't remember her at all.However, seeing her so vulnerable and helpless last night, he couldn't help but feel worried and even a bit sad.That heart-wrenching feeling was so real that it made him start to ponder whether what she had said before might be true.After hesitating for a moment, he mustered the courage to ask, "Miss Hammond, you once said you were my girlfriend. Is that really true?""No, I lied to you," Luana replied without even lifting her eyelids, flatly denying it.Hearing this answer, Calvert felt a slight sinking in his heart, a sense of loss welling up. He continued, "Then why did you lie to
The car window slowly lowered, revealing a profile so exquisitely chiseled that it was breathtaking.When Luana recognized the owner of that profile, her heart skipped a beat.She wasn't sure if Cline had come for her, so she didn't dare to linger, reaching for the car door to quickly get inside.However, a cold male voice came from behind, "Get in the car."Luana froze on the spot.She wondered, hadn't he told her never to appear in front of him again?Why was he asking her to get in the car now?Luana looked at the man in the car, whose cold and indifferent eyes were staring at her as if he would strangle her on the spot if she didn't obey.After a brief internal struggle, Luana eventually walked towards the Ferrari.She intended to sit in the back seat, but the door was locked tight and couldn't be opened, with only the passenger door wide open.The intention was clear. He wanted her to sit in the passenger sea
Luana lowered her eyelashes, avoiding his piercing gaze, and whispered, "I did."Cline's expression momentarily froze, his almond-shaped eyes seeming to ice over, radiating a chilling coldness."Why?" he asked."Because he's handsome and wealthy, perfectly fitting my criteria for marrying into wealth," Luana replied.Cline sneered, "You used the same excuse with me before."Luana looked puzzled and asked blankly, "What?"Cline said, "I've investigated you and Travis. He never touched you. Why did you lie to me?"He had investigated her behind her back?Luana's eyes widened in disbelief.She raised her head and looked straight into his eyes, noticing a mix of complex emotions swirling in his gaze.He... seemed to be waiting for an explanation from her.But she had indeed slept with someone.Although not Calvert, she knew her body was no longer his.Continuing to entangle with him wouldn't chang
His tone seemed to blame her, but his actions became increasingly distant.Luana understood in her heart that he despised her, but she didn't understand why he was acting this way.Perhaps it was the alcohol affecting his mind, causing him to act impulsively and get close to her.She couldn't figure it out and didn't want to waste her energy trying to understand, so she just replied, "Mr. Moriarty, we've broken up. Isn't it normal for me to act this way?"He blamed her, but it was he who had discarded her like a worn-out shoe. Why should he expect her to remain faithful to him?Upon hearing this, Cline's body became even more rigid, and the cold aura around him intensified. Luana felt the chill to the bone and couldn't stop shivering.She instinctively shrank back, not daring to lift her eyelids, fearing that she might provoke his anger and suffer a beating.When a man reaches the peak of disgust and disdain for you, he often shows no
Luana felt as if she had been struck by lightning, rooted to the spot in shock. Cline knew about Albion?"You've called out this name in your sleep, many, many times," he said as if he had long harbored resentment towards this name.He had investigated this person before, but it was as if Albion had been deliberately erased by some mysterious force, leaving no trace to be found, so he had stopped pursuing it.But now, he was suddenly extremely curious about who Albion was, someone she couldn't forget even in her dreams.Luana never expected that she would call out Albion's name in her sleep.Her thoughts immediately drifted back to when she first signed the lover's agreement. At that time, after their sex, Cline would still stay with her until she fell asleep.But it didn't last long. He stopped doing that.She had naively thought it was because Cline despised her.It was only now that she realized it was because she had called
It turned out that half a year ago, the Coburn family had intended to ally with the Moriarty family through marriage.The marriage candidate was Cline's cousin, who was also Gehrmann's sister, named Melissa Moriarty.Melissa was currently studying in Italy and would return to the States to get engaged with Calvert after graduation.Previously, she had deliberately blocked all news related to Calvert, so she was completely unaware of this.Now, seeing this information, she didn't feel much of an emotional stir.She and Albion could never go back to the past, and it didn't matter to her who Calvert married.Luana put down her phone, took some medication for her heart failure as usual, and then set the alarm volume to the maximum before falling into a deep sleep.The alarm rang for a long time before Luana faintly heard it and slowly regained consciousness.She reached for her phone and saw that it was nine in the morning. It wasn
Runa's words were quite clear. To marry into wealth, good looks alone were far from enough.One also needed a matching family background, or at the very least, a high level of education.Truly, Runa, who possessed both wisdom and beauty, could insult someone without using any dirty words, yet still precisely strike at the deepest insecurities within one's heart.Luana clenched her hands and said, "Miss Ortega, whether I have thoughts of marrying into wealth or not is completely unrelated to my application for resignation. Even if you are the CEO, you have no right to interfere in my personal affairs, do you?"Runa didn't expect Luana to indirectly mock her for being nosy, and her expression darkened.She replied, "Of course, I can't interfere. I'm just giving you a friendly reminder. If you insist on giving up such a good job opportunity to pursue something that's not yours, and then regret it later, don't come back to Winward crying."Seein
When she initially borrowed $200,000 from Winward, the penalty for breach of contract at six times the amount would be $1.2 million.She couldn't come up with such a large sum of money, so she had no choice but to compromise.Seeing that Luana had become "reasonable," Runa's demeanor became increasingly arrogant as she said, "It's simple. Just treat Mr. Coburn well, and once he returns to Washington, I'll approve your resignation."Luana could barely accept not being allowed to resign, but the idea of serving Calvert was utterly repugnant to her.She immediately objected, "Mr. Coburn may not want me to serve him."Runa's lips curled into a meaningful smile as she replied, "I've looked at that photo several times, and the way he looks at you is far from simple, so Mr. Coburn will definitely want you."Luana wanted to retort, but Runa suddenly turned stern and impatiently said, "Just do as I say."Clearly, Runa believed that Luana and C
When Eva was impersonating Cline's lover, she was also terrified of being tortured to death like Valda.But she mustered the courage to do so because, since Gath sent people to rape her, she had felt she should disappear from the world.It was Cline who reached out to her, telling her not to rush revenge and that it would eventually succeed.This gave her the courage to live on.With Cline's support, Eva traveled far to study medicine.Cline had given her the strength to start anew, and so she remained devoted to him.But she hadn't anticipated that her initial intention was to protect Luana by keeping a low profile, only to inadvertently drag her into trouble.Eva lowered her dim eyes, striving to suppress her guilt, and looked up at Cline."Luana, do it!" she urged.The worst that could happen was losing her life, which was nothing to fear.Cline glanced at Eva, his icy gaze shifting back to Sheila
He recalled that night when he held her and unintentionally hurled hurtful words, driving her further away.His thoughts drifted back to their first encounter.He was bloodied, sitting in the shade waiting for Gehrmann.She left a bottle of water as she hurried into the school, her profile forever etched in his mind.Later, outside the nightclub, he saw her soaked through, kneeling on the ground with eyes filled with despair.He took her, became addicted to her tenderness, and even forced her to sign a lover's agreement.But every time she called out Albion's name in her sleep, his heart stirred with jealousy.When Runa returned to the States, he ended the agreement, only to find he couldn't let go.He posed as "Mr. Night" to get close to her, using Runa to test her feelings, just to confirm if she had fallen for him.It wasn't until Calvert appeared that he realized he was already deeply ensnared.Now, looking at
Calvert approached Cline step by step, his tone gentle but his words cutting deep, "Inside is just a handful of ashes. Even if you open the coffin, you won't see her—because... I was the one who cremated her."Calvert looked Cline in the eye, noting the redness in his eyes, and felt a surge of satisfaction.The Luana he held dear had wanted to see this man one last time before passing, but Cline hadn't answered her calls and had even let another woman hurt her, causing her to leave with regret.How could he not hate him?Calvert's words caused Cline's slightly curled fingers to suddenly clench tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms.The pain in his heart didn't subside.Instead, it quickly spread throughout his body, like electric shocks coursing through his limbs, making him tremble all over.Despite the intense pain, he still refused to believe Luana was dead.He hadn't had the chance to see her one last time&md
Calvert chose a gravesite overlooking LA's night view.Across the scenic mountain was where he and Luana had been.She once said she loved this place and wanted him to bring her often.But he broke his promise, never taking her again, even forgetting her.Calvert lowered his head towards the urn in his arms, guilt staining his eyes red."Luana, I'm sorry..."Clarissa arrived with the belongings, hearing Calvert's apology.She stopped, looking at him holding the urn, and felt a moment of pity.The lovers' missed connection must have left him more regretful than her.Clarissa held back tears, pushed the suitcase to him, and said softly, "Albion, it's time for the burial."Lois had picked the burial date. Further delay would cause trouble.Clarissa wanted Luana to rest in peace.Calvert came to his senses and looked at the suitcase. "Is this all she has?"Clarissa shook her head. "I can't burn th
She saw a folded piece of paper in the drawer.Upon opening it, she discovered it was a message from Luana to Cline.Just a few short sentences, but they revealed Luana's true feelings.To honor her wishes, Clarissa picked up the phone.Taking a deep breath, Clarissa said into the receiver, "Luana is gone. Don't call anymore."Cline had been waiting for Luana to speak, but instead, he heard a strange woman's voice.Ignoring the statement that "Luana is gone," he said in a deep voice, "Let Luana speak."Clarissa was immediately angered. "She's dead. How can she speak?"This was the third time today someone had told him Luana was dead, which was just too absurd.He tightly gripped his phone and coldly asked, "Who are you?"Clarissa replied with patience, "Luana's friend, Clarissa."He knew Luana had a close friend who had been her support, but he still couldn't believe what she was saying. "You're Ms. Moss, r
Cline looked down at her, not wanting to waste any more breath. He simply said coldly, "Get out."Under normal circumstances, Runa would have left without daring to defy Cline.But at this moment, she was wrapped in a bath towel, her feminine curves fully exposed to him.It was bad enough that he was indifferent. He wouldn't even glance at her and now told her to leave. How could she bear that?Runa clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palms, and she said resentfully, "You promised him that you would marry me. Have you forgotten?"Upon hearing this, the darkness in Cline's eyes didn't lessen but intensified. "If it weren't for him, I would never marry you. Do you understand? Now get out quickly!"Runa's breath caught. In the past, whenever she had used this threat against Cline, he would always concede to some extent.Even if he didn't give in, his attitude towards her would improve. But now, he completely d
Clarissa had already cried herself into a mess by the time she finished reading the letter.The bank card tucked inside the envelope felt like a heavy iron weight, pressing down on her heart and making it hard for her to breathe.Luana was so silly, worrying about her being short of money even at the brink of death, but..."Luana, I don't need your money. I just want you to come back..."Clarissa clutched the envelope tightly, a wave of longing unlike anything she had ever felt before washing over her, causing her to cry her heart out.Eventually, Clarissa fell into a deep sleep from sheer exhaustion, even her dreams filled with visions of Luana returning.Her heart was filled with sorry and a subconscious longing for Luana to come back, which was why she saw her in her dreams.When she woke up and returned to reality, that feeling of falling into an abyss and the sense of helplessness instantly filled her entire being, suffocating he
He wouldn't let her go without a grave. After spending some more time with her, he would bury her with his own hands.Seeing him like this, Gath didn't insist further. "Take care of yourself. Let me know if you need anything."Calvert nodded, his expression calm. Gath left with some relief.Before leaving, Gath instructed the bodyguard to look after him carefully and ensure nothing happened to him.After Gath left, Calvert took out a clean towel and meticulously wiped the urn.When Clarissa woke up from her coma, she learned from Eva that Calvert had already cremated Luana and cried her heart out once more.Eva held her shoulders, offering silent comfort. She too was too upset to speak about Luana's sudden passing.Luana had originally had two more months, but it wasn't for her that she wouldn't have been beaten by the Moriarty family...Her helplessness had indirectly become one of the reasons for Luana's death...Accom
Gath learned of Luana's passing and rushed over, only to be confronted with this heart-wrenching scene.In his memory, Calvert had always been the epitome of grace and composure, never losing his cool.But now... Gath couldn't find the right words to describe him. He just felt that Calvert seemed possessed."Gath..." he grabbed Gath's hand, his voice trembling as he pleaded, "You're a medical genius. You must have a way to save her, right?"Gath looked into his bloodshot eyes and couldn't help but feel his own eyes welling up. "Calvert, pull yourself together..."Gath didn't even say it was impossible to save her. Instead, he urged him to stay strong, which only emphasized the hopelessness of the situation.Calvert felt utterly drained, collapsing to the ground, his eyes fixated on the tightly shut iron gate with a look of utter despair.As night slowly fell, the crematorium's iron gate creaked open, and a staff member emerged, holdin