"Can you let go of me?""Nope." Yale gently lowered his hands and then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Roslyn, I messed up."The breeze whispered Yale's words of regret right into Roslyn's ear.Roslyn shivered.Could she have heard that right? Yale, admitting he was wrong? That was unheard of, especially since he was the one who always seemed to look down on her the most.Feeling her tense up in his arms, Yale knew she heard him clearly."I asked Evie what to do if you didn't appreciate someone before and now you're full of regrets. She told me you've got to own up to it."At the mention of Evangeline's name, Roslyn's tension eased. By the time Yale's voice faded, she was already hiding a smile against his chest. "So, you're here to say you're sorry?""Yeah. Wasn't that clear?" Yale's heart raced with uncertainty. "Look, I'm sorry, Roslyn. I'm not good at this. Maybe you could show me how it's done?"'How do you teach someone to apologize?'Roslyn, feeling a
"I can't live like that anymore. So, Roslyn, can you forgive me?"Years of feeling invisible, years of aching hearts, all seemed to come to a halt in that moment, as the first rays of hope broke through the darkness.Yale's deep, searching eyes met Roslyn's, and she gave a small, certain nod."You're not wrong, you know? I've always known that everything you've said was meant to help me."Roslyn was just a teenager, in the springtime of her life, yet she had fallen for a man twice her age. It was the kind of thing that would make anyone question if her feelings were real.She truly understood where Yale was coming from. Her biggest fear was that she might never have had a real place in his heart."I'm going to be a little selfish now." Yale gently took Roslyn's hand and pressed it against his heart. "Believe it or not, you're the only one who's ever been in here. Do you still want it?"Yale had always been the golden boy of the Foster family, the eldest son with the weight of th
However, Walter, her steadfast protector, was a different story. His body was littered with tiny cuts from the stones."Walter, are you okay?"Evangeline did not inspect him closely, just waited for his reply. However, silence hung heavy. She leaned in and her heart sank—Walter had passed out!She remembered the grunts of pain he had made while chaos reigned, and it hit her—Walter had taken the brunt of the falling stones to keep her safe. His wounds were on the inside."Walter, please, wake up!" Panic rising, Evangeline gently slapped his face."Cough..."A faint cough broke the silence. Walter's face stung as he fought to open his eyes, only to lock onto Evangeline's worried gaze."Evangeline, are you... Are you hurt?" His voice was weak, and his chest ached, but he needed to know she was okay."I'm fine, but what about you?" Evangeline asked urgently.She had never seen Walter so frail, his lips white as if drained of life."As long as you're fine..." Walter forced a feebl
Normally, Roslyn's hot temper would have made her retort, demanding to know why he thought she could not take care of her own best friend, Evangeline.However, this time, Roslyn understood. She understood Yale's worry for Evangeline. With a quick, reassuring blink, she led Evangeline away from the crowd."Evie, we're hitting the hospital first."Hank helped the girls into the car and climbed in after them before saying, "Sure, you look okay, but better safe than sorry, right? A quick check-up can't hurt."Roslyn chimed in, though her eyes never left Evangeline, checking her for injuries.Apart from a few scrapes and cuts, Evangeline was unscathed."I'm really okay. Can we skip the hospital, please?" All she wanted was to find Walter, to see for herself how he was doing.He had been knocked out cold. He had to be hurt pretty bad, did he not?Roslyn could easily read Evangeline's thoughts."You might not want to go, but what about everyone else? Do you have any idea how freaked
"But what are you hoping for? It's never going to happen!"Evangeline was his to protect, and he would be darned if he let that jerk get his hands on her again.…At Sunnybrook Medical Center.Walter snapped awake in the middle of his check-up, only to pass out again once he was sure Evangeline was safe.The final verdict? A few cuts and bruises were the least of it—he had a severe concussion and three broken ribs.Evangeline's check-up came back clean with no physical injuries, but she was nonetheless mentally shaken up.Why the severe concussion for Walter?He had used his arms to shield Evangeline instead of his own head.Why would he do such a thing? Evangeline was dying to shake Walter awake and ask him…Why did he go to such lengths to protect her? Did he not value his own life?The danger had been real, and his head had taken quite the beating against the jagged rocks.It was clear that if he had not been holding onto her, he could have dodged the blows…So, it was
In the hospital room, Walter, who was badly hurt, slowly woke up.He saw Evangeline's face, pale and worried, and the memory of their tumble down the hillside hit him like a flash."Evangeline…" he said, breaking into a cough. "Are you okay?"Talking hurt like crazy because of his broken ribs, but he kept on. "Why are you just sitting here? Didn't you get checked out?"Walter was getting anxious, even trying to sit up to make Evangeline go.However, Evangeline, knowing how badly hurt he was, would not let him move recklessly. "Stay put, I'm fine, I got checked out. But you...""Cough, cough! I'm fine."Walter's weak cough brought up a taste of blood, but he swallowed it down as if it were nothing.To him, this pain was nothing compared to Evangeline's worry."What do you mean 'fine'? You've broken three ribs. You need to take it easy, got it?"She was already worried about him, and then she felt guilty since he got hurt because of her."I got it." Walter's response was casua
The sharp words of blame, once as cutting as dueling swords, then seemed to vanish into thin air. Evangeline's heart, which had been still and quiet, began to beat again, softly but surely, as everything around her subtly shifted."I don't need your apology, Walter," said Evangeline, fighting to keep her roiling emotions from showing, trying to seem unaffected. "I brought this upon myself. We've ended up here today, and really, there's no one else to blame."She had thrown herself at him, insisting that Walter leave Julia and marry her. It was only natural that she did not receive the love of her husband in return."However, why are you still here at Aurora Mountain today? Why follow me and Hank? And why, when I tumbled down that slope, did you leap after me to save me?"She was not naive.Her fall was a complete accident, one that even Hank did not see coming. Even so, Walter, who had been at a distance, did not hesitate to jump after her the moment she fell.That only pointed t
"Do you understand why I'm asking you this?"Evangeline dabbed at her tears, sitting stiffly across from Walter.Her eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, and her slightly puffy eyelids could not hide her beauty."After all these years, Walter, I thought... I thought you actually cared about me."'Do you even realize how much your caring means to me?'It might be a tiny fraction of the attention Julia got, but for Evangeline, who had never been the apple of Walter's eye, it was the kind of warmth she had longed for, the kind she had never been able to earn, no matter how hard she tried."You're imagining things."Walter dismissed the idea without a second thought.Memories flooded Walter's mind. Evangeline was supposed to be with Alex, but somehow, she ended up with him. He had the exact same face as Alex, and it was an easy mistake to make.He kept convincing himself that Evangeline was only asking if he cared about her to rub salt in the wound, just like she used to.Evange
"I will handle both matters properly and provide a clear explanation to all shareholders within a week."Walter's working style had always been swift and decisive. With just a few words, he managed to soothe the shareholders' concerns.As soon as he finished, the room erupted in thunderous applause. Praise followed closely behind, ringing out alongside the clapping.This was exactly the effect Walter had intended. With Alex gone and Walter regaining control of the company's management, the shareholders were fully convinced and showed no dissatisfaction.The meeting concluded.Walter was the first to return to his office.Unexpectedly, Emma followed him in without waiting for instructions.After entering the office, she stood across from his desk with her head lowered, looking hesitant as though struggling to find the words to speak.The sight annoyed Walter, and he decided to break the silence. "Ms. Carter, is there something you want to say?"Ever since discovering that Emma
Walter understood—Alex was handing the company over to him.Perhaps Alex finally regretted his decision to ally with a traitorous group.Emma, who had witnessed the entire upheaval, was still in shock. She stood frozen, staring blankly at the people around her, unsure of what to do.Noticing her dazed state, Walter did not seem upset. Instead, he chuckled lightly and reminded her, "Ms. Carter? The unwelcome guest has left. Why don't you close the door now? Our meeting is about to officially begin.""Of course," replied Emma softly with a lowered head. Nonetheless, her actions were swift as she moved to shut the meeting room door.Still, every step she took was unusually heavy, filled with trepidation and caution.For the first time, Walter saw a sense of complete submission in Emma's demeanor. Even so, he did not care about any of that.If it were not for David's severe injuries preventing him from attending the meeting, none of this would have fallen onto Emma's shoulders in th
"Go ahead, play it! Don't just grab some random video online and bring it here to slander me. I won't acknowledge it!"Walter found this response amusing."My dear brother, how can you be so certain that the video I have is just something I found online?"Alex's lips curved into a smirk. "There are no cameras in the CEO's office. Even if I did do something, it wouldn't have been recorded. Really, Walter, waving that USB drive like that—who are you trying to scare?"'Was Alex determined to deny everything until the bitter end?' thought Walter.Before he could respond, Emma stepped forward. "Exactly! I can understand your desire to return to the company, but you can't tarnish our CEO's name for your own selfish motives. Don't you agree?"Walter did not respond immediately.His sharp, dark eyes swept over both Emma and Alex before he calmly inserted the USB drive into the laptop he had prepared in advance.The video quickly appeared on the screen, but instead of projecting it onto
"Impossible! How could Mr. Alex Gordon possibly do such a thing?""Exactly! They're all part of the Gordon family. If Gordon Group collapses, how would that benefit him?""Well, you never know. Don't you remember what happened back then? Mr. Alex Gordon didn't leave Gordon Group voluntarily—he was forced out by Mr. Trey Gordon and Mr. Walter Gordon!"Everything was going smoothly, and then he was suddenly kicked out. Who wouldn't hold a grudge over that?"The crowd buzzed with speculation, including Emma, who had always been loyal to Alex.She looked at Alex in disbelief. "Mr. Gordon, what he said… it's not true, is it?"Her expression was complicated, tinged with visible disappointment.The reason she had helped Alex with those things was because she cared for him. She believed that he had returned to Gordon Group to achieve something great and that Trey and Walter were just thieves who had stolen the fruits of his labor.Walter's revelations seemed to suggest that Alex had be
Alex took a deep breath, his face darkening as he demanded, "Walter, you've been removed from the company. Grandfather personally stripped you of your authority in front of all the shareholders."You have no decision-making power in any company affairs. So, please leave my meeting room immediately. Thank you!"Contrary to expectations, Walter, despite being blatantly dismissed, remained unfazed. He sat firmly in his chair, unmoved."Yes, you and Grandfather forced me out of Gordon Group. But so what? Under your leadership, in these so-called traitor's hands, Gordon Group is on the brink of collapse."As a member of the Gordon family, am I supposed to just stand by and watch you drag Gordon Group into the abyss?"He leaned back slightly, his voice calm but sharp as a blade. "Or should I let these shareholders watch you use their hard-earned money to fill a bottomless pit—one that leads straight to an unmarked grave?"Alex's face paled at the accusation, and his hand trembled as he
"What's the point of all this arguing? Can it bring back the money? In the end, only Mr. Gordon can resolve the issue!"The room fell into a stunned silence. Everyone exchanged uncertain glances before they all turned, almost instinctively, toward Walter.Walter remained calm, casually raising his wrist to check his watch. "There's still one hour before The Bennex Corporation's press conference. Feel free to continue arguing if you'd like."But if you do, I won't stay to keep you company."The shareholders' faces turned pale, and their aggression completely dissipated."No, no, we don't know anything about these matters. You're the expert, sir. Please, tell us what to do."'What's this? Begging someone to help after shoving them out the door? Truly shameless.'Walter chuckled lightly. "I've already been removed from the company. I don't deserve to be called your president. The only reason I'm here today is because Gordon Group represents my grandfather's life's work. Watching it
Emma came along reluctantly, but she had to follow Alex's orders.Even as she stood beside Walter, her loyalty never wavered—she was Alex's person. Every action, every word, was meant to assist Alex, not this usurper Walter!Walter glanced at the woman beside him, his feelings mixed.The fact that Alex sent his personal assistant to him probably meant that he was aware of David's situation—hospitalized and severely injured. If Walter wanted to win this battle in front of the shareholders, he would have to handle everything himself.For the Gordon family, that was far too humiliating.Alex could be frighteningly stubborn sometimes yet inexplicably considerate at others.However, Walter had no interest in what Emma was thinking at this moment because…"Ms. Carter, if you want to help Alex, you'd better listen to me during today's meeting," he advised her, though his tone carried a hint of warning."Why should I?" Emma immediately stiffened, glaring at him defiantly.Walter smile
Alex's attitude had said it all, so why waste more words?Standing in front of Alex, Walter lit a cigarette. He would only smoke when his emotions were about to overwhelm him. Drawing on the cigarette, combined with the swirling smoke, helped calm him."Alex, I'll only ask you one question: how did your legs get injured?"Back when Alex left the Gordon family, he was perfectly healthy. By the time he returned, however, he was somehow wheelchair-bound.For a time, Walter had assumed it was just a ploy to gain sympathy. However, he realized that for a healthy person to willingly confine themselves to a wheelchair, the price was simply too high.He had sent people to investigate Alex's life abroad, but they found nothing. He had no choice but to ask in person.Alex chuckled softly. It seemed as though he had recalled something painful, as his eyes reddened.Suddenly, his expression grew firm. His thin lips curved slightly as he uttered two words:"Northern Montavia."Walter froze
"That's true." Alex chuckled, laughing with genuine amusement.When was the last time he and Walter spoke like this? For a moment, he could not recall."Walter, do you hate me?"Walter was puzzled. "Why would I?"Alex sighed deeply. "There are too many reasons..."Those reasons were Evangeline and the company. Even at this moment, clearly, he was the one who let the Bennisons infiltrate the company, yet his younger brother, Walter, had to clean up after him.As he listed these grievances, Alex felt like he was truly an unforgivable person, though he could not pinpoint exactly what he had done wrong.The feeling was deeply conflicting. Perhaps he would never figure it out in this lifetime.However, Walter swiftly answered, "I don't hate you, Alex. I pity you."His gaze fell on the wheelchair beneath Alex.A man who could walk on his own had to disguise himself as someone partially paralyzed for his own purposes. A man who could rely on himself needed help from others.What ki