Clarissa breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that Luana only had a slight fever and nothing serious.
She sat on the edge of the bed, helped Luana sit up, fetched the fever reducers, and poured a glass of water.
After Luana took the medicine, she looked up at Calvert, who stood by the bed like a statue, and said, "You should go."
Calvert's heart tightened, feeling as if something had blocked his airway, making it hard to breathe.
She hadn't asked him to leave earlier because Eva was there, probably fearing Eva would tell Cline.
She cared about Cline's opinion but not about his own feelings. In her heart, Cline truly mattered more than he did.
The woman who once had only him in her heart had suddenly pushed him aside and placed another man there.
How could Calvert accept that? How could Albion accept that?
With red eyes, he stared intently at Luana's pale face and pleaded, "Luana, give me one more chance..."
Luana's f
"Yep," Clarissa nodded, pausing for a moment before telling Luana the exact amount. "Two hundred thousand."Her family was in debt for two hundred thousand dollars. Albert had just informed Clarissa and rushed back to settle the debt without even consulting her."He used his own money, not mine..." Clarissa added, sensing Luana's concern.But to Luana, that statement felt a bit off.Albert had bought their marital home, and Clarissa had been the one helping with the mortgage payments. Yet after they got married, he hadn't handed over the financial reins to her.If Luana knew that Clarissa's earnings were not only covering the mortgage but also the household expenses, she would probably be even more upset.Clarissa had actually withheld some of the changes that occurred after their marriage, fearing that Luana would worry.Seeing Luana's annoyed expression, Clarissa decided to lay everything out. "Albert has changed a bit after we got
Clarissa hurried downstairs, only to find several luxury cars still parked outside.Some windows were rolled down, revealing bodyguards in dark suits sitting inside. She immediately recognized them as Calvert's men.She had thought Calvert had left already, but he was still waiting there. His persistence was something Clarissa had to admire.She walked over and knocked on the window of the first car, but there was no response.Instead, a bodyguard got out of the car behind it."Mr. Coburn said he wants to be alone. Please don't disturb him," the bodyguard said.Clarissa didn't say anything and turned to leave. Just then, the window of the first car rolled down."Clarissa."He still called her by her name, just like when they were kids, and he was as respectful as ever.Clarissa stopped and glanced back at him. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly from crying.He had always been aloof in front of others, but around Lua
After that, Luana never came to find him again, and he was sent by Manfred to undergo training.It took about three years, but with his natural talent, he managed to absorb all the knowledge he needed.When he returned to the Coburn family, he took over the position of CEO from Manfred.At that time, his father, who had been in a vegetative state, hadn't yet woken up, and Manfred had become the chairman.Manfred only lasted a year in the position before he passed away.Not long after, his father finally awoke.Now, the chairman of the Coburn Group is his father, who has only been awake for about a year and naturally doesn't know about the things Manfred did.Recently, Calvert sensed something was off but didn't ask his father.Shortly after his father awoke, he testified in court and sent the uncle who had kidnapped their family to prison.Now the Coburn family has fully regained control, but with such a la
Eva sat in the driver's seat, glaring at Runa with irritation. What an idiot! She had no intention of dealing with Runa. After finishing her reverse, she stepped on the gas and drove away.Runa hadn't expected Eva to be so brazen and was so angry that she clenched her fists, glaring at the speeding car.This Eva—she was just asking for trouble. Runa was determined to make her life miserable in Los Angeles!Runa brushed her straight hair aside and turned to walk into the estate.However, the security guard at the entrance blocked her way."Miss, you can't just go in here," he said.This time, Runa had learned her lesson and didn't make a scene. She simply said coldly, "Mr. Moriarty called me here."The guard replied with an equally cold expression, "Let me verify that."Runa's face darkened instantly. She hadn't expected the guard to check.She told him not to bother and took out her phone to call Cline.Afte
Luana nodded gently in response.Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, Sabrina didn't press further.She took the handover document from Luana, signed her name on it, and said, "Just hand over everything to me."Without any hesitation, Luana handed over the keys to the database, customer information, and some confidential files to Sabrina.After the handover was complete, Luana got up and headed to the HR department to complete her resignation procedures.Before she could leave the office area, she ran into Joan, who was carrying a stack of documents."Oh, isn't this Mr. Coburn's new favorite? What are you doing here?" Joan's face was full of sarcasm. "Oh, I remember now. Mr. Coburn went back to Washington and didn't take you with him. You got dumped and have nowhere to go, so you had to come back?"Hearing Joan's harsh voice, Sabrina couldn't help but interject, "Luana is here to resign."Joan's face turned sour instan
Albert's hometown was in the suburbs of Los Angeles, just a three-hour drive away, so his explanation made sense. But..."Your sister?"Luana wondered why she had never heard of Albert having a sister.Albert pointed to the woman waiting in the gynecology area and said, "That's her. She's pregnant and couldn't come to the wedding, so you probably haven't met her. Clarissa knows about her; she must have just forgotten to tell you..."The last part of his sentence carried a hint of sarcasm, as if mocking the closeness between Luana and Clarissa.Hearing this, Luana didn't press further, but her gaze toward Albert was no longer as gentle and friendly as before.She turned and walked toward the elevator, but instead of closing the doors immediately, she hid in the corner and kept an eye on the gynecology area.Albert, thinking Luana had left, turned and waved to the pregnant woman in the waiting area.She quickly walked over, and t
At the sound of Clarissa's voice, Albert's action of feeding water paused for a moment, and the pregnant woman also visibly started.As if they had rehearsed it in advance, they quickly regained their composure. Albert first put down the water pot, stood up, and walked over to Clarissa."How did you come here?"Clarissa glanced at him indifferently. Usually, when they ran into each other on the street, he would call her "honey" first, but he didn't today.Her eyes darkened as she looked at the pregnant woman on the hospital bed, feeling an aversion that made her reluctant to respond.Seeing Clarissa's hesitation, Luana quickly stepped in to explain, "I mentioned it to Clarissa. She happened to be nearby and knew your sister was sick, so she came by to check on her..."She gently nudged Clarissa's elbow, prompting her to regain her composure. Clarissa then withdrew her gaze, forced a smile, and handed the fruit basket to Albert."You s
"After I took her home, the house was swarming with creditors. It was chaos. Before I could pay off the debts, Angela took the initiative to clear the family loan. That's when I found out her husband has been making a fortune in South Africa. Ever since he learned about her pregnancy, he's been sending her a regular allowance. I was relieved to hear that."But over a minor disagreement, Angela had a heated argument with our parents. She probably got too emotional and agitated the fetus. Fortunately, it's not serious. The doctor recommended she stay in the hospital for observation, so I arranged for her admission."Albert finished his explanation and pulled a bank card from his pocket, handing it to Clarissa. "I was planning to transfer $200,000 to pay off the debts. Since Angela has already taken care of it, I'll leave this money with you to manage."Clarissa was stunned after hearing his explanation and seeing the card.She looked at Albert, then at Luan
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
Calvert managed a calm smile, "Don't worry. I'm just fulfilling my promise to take care of you. But I have to manage the Coburn Group, so I won't be able to look after you in person. I can only support you financially."He lowered his eyes, filled with guilt, "I should have taken care of you both as soon as I returned to the Coburn Group, but my amnesia made you both suffer for five years..."Clarissa pushed the folder back, "I can't accept these. I can earn money myself."Calvert insisted, "Take it. Consider it compensation for my regrets over the years." With that, he got up and left."Where are you going?" Clarissa called out.Calvert turned back, his smile making her uneasy, "To visit her.""Albion, I'm the only family you have left. Don't do anything foolish," Clarissa's voice was choked with emotion.Calvert waved his hand without turning around and walked away.He bought a bunch of flower and went to the cemetery. In the
Clarissa had dreamed countless times that Luana was doing well in another world, much better than in the real one.She thought it was better that Luana didn't come back.After all, everyone must die eventually. Luana had just taken an earlier step.When her life ended, she would also go to that world to find Luana.Just as Luana had said in her dream, she would build a house there, waiting to welcome Albion and Clarissa when their lives in this world came to an end.Then, like after leaving the orphanage, the three of them would live in the same house, loving and taking care of each other.This way, the regrets they left in this life could be mended in another world...Clarissa came to her senses and looked at the letter Luana had left her, softly responding, "Alright..."She would live this life to the fullest and then find Luana in another world. She wanted to be sisters with Luana forever, never parting.Just as Clari
Gath traced the belt marks on her cheek with his fingertip in a mocking tone, "Came to see you... You've been doing so 'well' after leaving the Titlington family."Eva avoided his touch and coldly said, "You've seen enough, now go. I need to rest."Gath suddenly gripped her chin with a force that made her wince, "Eva, you're getting bold, huh? Speaking to me like that."Eva winced, but Gath let go as suddenly as he had grabbed her. She looked up and caught him avoiding her gaze."Gath, I'm hungry. Could you get me something to eat?" Eva softened her voice."Who do you think you are to order me around?" Gath raised an eyebrow."Someone you've been with. Does that count?" Eva fired back.Gath fell silent for a moment, then got up and left the ward.Eva watched him leave, her smile fading, her eyes cold and filled with loathing.'Gath, if you ever fall for me, I'll make you pay for all the pain you've caused!'No soo
"Do you know who she is? She's Sidney from the Preston family! You can't afford to tangle with her, so scram—"Zander let out a cold laugh, and the others joined in. "What a coincidence, she's exactly who we're looking for."Amid their eerie laughter, the man immediately abandoned Sidney, pushing through the crowd to flee.But he had barely taken two steps when a man in a black mask yanked him back.With a judo throw, the black-masked man sent him crashing to the ground, rendering him unconscious on the spot.Zander turned to Cline, "Sir, what shall we do with her?"Cline lowered his head, massaging his right hand that was oozing blood, as hatred surged within him.He was the cause of Luana's fatal injury, and now Sidney and Runa, who had humiliated her, deserved no less.He narrowed his eyes, his voice icy, "First, give her a hundred slaps, then..."He paused, his tone turning vicious, "Throw her into 'Nightfall'
Cline entered the study, unlocked a drawer, and retrieved a gold-bronze mask and a bottle of grey plant juice.He picked up a brush and carefully painted a wolf pattern on his neck.After finishing, he made a call.The recipient answered promptly, addressing him respectfully.Cline, gazing at the night outside, said coldly, "Tonight's targets are Sidney and Runa."The recipient responded promptly, "Yes, I'll come to pick you up right away."Cline hung up, his eyes cold and filled with malice as he looked at the manor lit by streetlights.Through the lights, he seemed to see the old mansion of the Preston family, and his eyes blazed with hatred.'Sheila, I promised my father I wouldn't kill you, but you've destroyed what I care about, so I'll destroy what you care about.''If you want to play, I'll play along...'Cline rewound the blood-soaked bandage on his hand and put on a pair of black leather gloves.He
Back then, he was young and naive, thinking that by attempting suicide, his mother would show him some kindness.But he soon realized that not all women who have given birth deserve the title of "mother."Ironically, the woman who wanted to torture him to death wasn't a wicked stepmother but his biological mother.The Moriarty family treated him with care, while the Preston family, his mother's side, devised ways to torment him.He had once doubted whether he was his mother's biological son, but investigations proved otherwise. He was her son, a plaything she intended to torture to death.His mother's method of torture was to force him to live and watch everything he cared about be destroyed before his eyes.Cline's lips curled into a bitter smile. He had once believed that all mothers loved their children and had yearned for maternal love.Now, he knew better. Cline lifted his hate-filled eyes and coldly regarded the woman in the whe
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