Adora Matthews was abducted and trapped in the mountains for three years, tortured to the brink of death before she was finally rescued. The officers who found her drove her home. As Adora stepped out of the car, she stared at the grand estate before her, an unfamiliar glint in her eyes. It fel
Adora felt a sharp sting in her chest at her mother’s reaction. She knew she smelled terrible, but how could she not? Three years of sleeping in a pigsty embedded the stench into her very skin, sinking deep into her pores. The female officer who accompanied her had helped her wash her hair and
Adora suddenly remembered that Eugene had an uncle who was only five years older than him, a child born unexpectedly to his grandparents when they were nearly fifty. It was said that because he was a late-in-life child, he was spoiled beyond reason.He grew up with a nasty temper—moody, unpredicta
Lilian shot a brief glance at her eldest daughter, keeping her distance as she spoke in a clipped, indifferent tone."Adora… it’s just you. That should be more than enough space."Adora remained silent.Not in her worst nightmares had she imagined this—spending three years locked in a pigsty, only t
Ruby's heart skipped a beat as she touched the ruby necklace around her neck. She looked helplessly at Lilian, tears immediately welling up in her eyes."Sister, I'm sorry, it's not that I don't want to give it to you... but this is a token of love from Eugene," Ruby said weakly, tears falling stea
The most recent activity was from three years ago—a stock analysis she posted that was featured as a highlighted thread by the forum.The comments in that thread initially discussed the stock market.But as she scrolled down further, there were more and more people asking: Where has Madame Lee gone?
Those words hit Adora right where she was most vulnerable.She stared at Louis, her eyes instantly turning ice-cold, her face completely expressionless.For this statement alone, she and the man before her had become mortal enemies!They were strangers who simply didn't see eye to eye, but he went t
Moments later, the store manager and sales team, now beaming with enthusiasm, bowed deeply and personally escorted her to the door. By the time Adora returned home, the sun had already begun to set. Lilian’s expression remained unreadable as she took in her daughter’s appearance. Adora’s hair
Thinking of her son’s future, Lilian’s resolve hardened.If cutting ties with her eldest daughter would bring peace back to their home and secure happy, stable marriages for her other two children—then she felt the sacrifice was justified.…Adora’s head injury still hadn’t fully healed when her ski
Lilian paused, brushing it off casually. "When it comes down to it, a car crash is simply an accident. What more is there to ask?""Not necessarily. My brakes were tampered with. The fact that I’m still alive is nothing short of a miracle.""What are you saying? Someone tried to hurt you?" Lilian’s
"Something like that..." Eugene muttered."I thought Adora didn’t even move back to stay with the Matthews. How could she have possibly done anything to Ruby?"Eugene lifted his eyes and explained, "A while back, she brought home a snake and treated it as a pet. She even named it 'Ruby.'"Louis rais
Eugene grabbed his arm. "Uncle Louis, can you talk to Ruby? She won’t listen to me."Louis looked thoroughly annoyed, his tone sharp with sarcasm. "She’s your woman. If she won’t listen to you, why the hell would she listen to me?""Uncle…"Before they could argue any further, a nurse burst out from
The information between the two of them was exactly the same, like it had been copy-pasted.Even Adora couldn’t help but find it oddly coincidental, a ripple of intrigue stirring in her heart.Louis had indeed just taken a call from Eugene.After Ruby was rushed to the hospital, the doctors conclude
Adora held the phone away from her ear, letting her father’s furious shouting run its course. Once the yelling subsided, she brought it back and said calmly, “What’s done is done. Yelling won’t change that. Where’s my snake?”“The fire department killed it!”“Killed it?” Her eyes widened as fury fl
Elliot: What’s that supposed to mean, White-Coat? Sounds like there’s something we don’t know.Miles: Yeah, I’m picking up on that vibe too. Did you two have a private chat or something?Adora stared at her phone, brows slightly furrowed.How was she supposed to explain this?A while back, she’d mes
In the living room downstairs, the Matthews family was in the middle of discussing how to arrange things for Adora when a sharp scream suddenly rang out from upstairs. The three of them jumped to their feet in shock.Before they could even ask what had happened, Ruby came bursting out, then tumbled
Ruby's joy came to an abrupt halt the moment she heard the news."She’s not dead?" The words slipped out before she realized how wrong they sounded.Sure enough, Eugene looked at her in shock. "Ruby, are you really hoping for your sister’s death?""No... I… I'm just worried about her," she stammere