"Cecily, thank you for not abandoning me."When Austin's gentle voice rang out, Cecily finally shuddered as she came to her senses.Amid the fireworks and the rain of flowers, Cecily slowly lowered her head and looked at Austin, who was kneeling on one knee.At that moment, Cecily felt as if she and Austin were the only people left in this world.Even the roaring sounds of the five helicopters above them had disappeared from her senses."You have waited for three years, and your long-lasting love finally has an answer."Austin was very earnest, and his voice was extremely gentle.He spoke steadily, and his voice had an attractive quality to it. Cecily was enamored."I've said this before. You've used your whole life as a wager, so how could I bear to let you lose?"From today onward, I hope that you'll always be by my side!"When he said the last sentence, Austin took out the diamond ring he had already prepared early on.Under the brilliant lights, he slowly opened the box.
This scene easily trumped the various scenes preceding it.The dazzling light lit up the whole place."Sir… what are you waiting for?"Under the curtain of light, Ezra reminded Austin, who was still awestruck.Austin smiled. He hastily put the ring on Cecily's ring finger.After getting up, he pulled Cecily into his embrace. He smiled gently, saying, "From today onward, you belong only to me."Cecily watched everything play out before her eyes in fascination.Everything that had happened tonight made her feel like she was in a dream.The roar of the fighter jets combined with the various colors of light reminded her of a rainbow.She only ever dared to fantasize about such things in her dreams.She had imagined a knight in shining armor coming over to marry her while riding on a horse that trotted along a rainbow bridge.But now, it had turned into reality!Austin wasn't wearing armor, but he was wearing a suit and leather shoes.But the rainbow truly existed in front of h
When the darkness faded and Edward could finally see Ezra clearly, Edward felt like he was struck by lightning. He was instantly shocked.In that fleeting moment, his mind turned blank, and huge waves crashed in his heart.This person was… Ezra Lockwood?In the past few years, Edward had wished to meet the head of the Campbell family countless times.But in the end, when he stood before the gates of the Campbell residence, Ezra had always been the one who dealt with him.He knew Ezra well enough.Ezra was the trusted household staff member of the head of the Campbell family!But… Why was Ezra here?Edward was dazed, and his face turned red.His breaths quickened, and he panted heavily.Suddenly, he tripped and almost fell to the floor. But fortunately, Rachel helped him up.Somewhere nearby, Derrick was shocked when he saw that scene.Timothy and Samuel simply exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.As Edward's best friends, of course, they knew that Edward had wished to m
"Mr. Lockwood, I never thought that I'd meet you here."He behaved in an extremely respectful manner.Austin and the others were shocked when they saw that. They were completely frozen.Derrick, who was standing at the edge of the stage nearby, shuddered. He said in reprimand, "What is Edward doing? He's supposed to meet his daughter's mother-in-law, so why did he greet the old man at the side instead?""There's more to that old man than meets the eye!" Timothy smiled calmly.Onstage, Rachel was the first to return to her senses. She hastily faked a cough and said, "Edward, mind your manners."They had originally gone onstage to meet Austin's mother.But instead of greeting Dahlia, Edward greeted the old man in front of him first. This was an extremely rude thing to do!However, Edward put on a stern expression as he said, "You know nothing, Rachel."Rachel's pretty face turned pale, and she was at a loss for words.Ezra glanced awkwardly at Austin and Dahlia. Then, he smiled
Rachel was caught off guard, and she didn't know what to do.Edward glared at her. "If you don't hit me, I'll hit you instead!"The slap rang loud and clear in the air.Covering his cheek, Edward whirled around. He almost tripped and fell to the ground.Edward covered his red and swollen cheek. Instead of getting angry, he laughed. "Haha… It's real! It's all real!""You were the one who told me to hit you!"Rachel felt anxious as she watched Edward laugh. "Cecily, has your dad gone crazy?"Cecily was shocked as well, and she was extremely worried.Just then, Timothy and the others approached them.When Edward saw Timothy and Samuel, he suddenly smiled as he walked over to them. He gave them a firm hug."Timothy, Samuel, thank you so much for advising me back then!"He meant every word he said, and he didn't even hide his elation.For the past few years, he was never allowed entry into the Campbell family. But to his surprise, in the blink of an eye, his daughter had brought
Cecily Enterprises had reached a bottleneck in their development. No matter how they thrived internationally, they still couldn't make it past the bottleneck!And the Campbells were the best choice for Cecily Enterprises to break through!In an instant, Cecily felt something buzzing in her mind. Her pretty eyes shimmered as she took in a sharp breath.She thought, "Austin… is from that Campbell family? Goodness! How long has that silly Austin kept this from me?""Come, let's leave this place first. The journalists at the foot of the mountain are probably losing it."Edward waved his hand, leading the way to the car. "Our family is truly blessed to have received a godlike son-in-law. The events today must be known to all!"…The whole city was paying attention to the goings-on in Heavensgate Hill.The grand fireworks, the rain of flowers brought by the helicopters, and the rainbow bridge that was constructed along with the roar of the fighter jets were all shocking enough.The
The night passed in silence.The shocking scene on Heavensgate Hill attracted the attention of the entire city.Many women who were filled with envy stayed up all night.As the morning sun rose, Austin had already finished his grueling training and returned home with Aldus, just in time to find Ezra watching the morning news."Sir, they're broadcasting what happened last night," Ezra informed enthusiastically. Austin shrugged as he replied, "They probably won't show much. There's nothing worth seeing."Ezra chuckled and picked up his phone."The media may not have much to show, but these anchors can certainly come up with something," he hummed.Hearing that, Austin got closer to him to take a look, only to burst into laughter."Shocking News! Heavensgate Hill's Overnight Scandal: Mysterious Protagonist Sparks Speculations!"While what happened on Heavensgate Hill was true, the subsequent reports about Austin, the party involved, were entirely fabricated.Some even indulged
Boom!Edward and Rachel felt as if they had been struck by lightning.Being part of a prestigious family, they understood the importance of legitimacy within the upper echelons of society.For the Campbells who wielded immense wealth and power, legitimacy was even more paramount.In essence, an illegitimate child not acknowledged by the family was a hopeless person who only bore the family name in vain.They wouldn't even be considered one of the Campbells.Timothy clearly noticed the shock on Edward and Rachel's faces. However, their reaction was within his expectations. He knew what Edward was after. That was why it felt like a given for him to see such expressions from Edward and Rachel after he revealed Austin's true identity.It was as if he had extinguished the flames of hope that had just been ignited in Edward's heart.Timothy paused for a moment before continuing, "However, despite being an illegitimate child, Austin is different from ordinary bastards. His father is
Austin never expected that Nancy would come back.As he returned to the Tetra Club, he remained sullen, his eyes dark with unresolved anger.Seeing Austin like this, Cecily felt a pang of sadness.She gently tried to comfort him, "It's all in the past now, isn't it? I'm here with you, and we have our baby on the way.""I can't just let it go," Austin shook his head."The best I can do is not seek revenge against them, but to truly forgive and forget—I can't do that."The actions of Nancy's family were still fresh in his memory.Austin wasn't someone who sought revenge for every slight, but he was far from the kind of person who could simply forgive and forget, moving on with a carefree "Hallelujah."Dahlia's despair as she lay in bed, the arrogance and cruelty of the Welch family…In the eyes of the Welch family, Dahlia's life wasn't worth as much as Harvey's wedding.Even when the time had passed and he was about to finally be happy with Cecily, the Welch family not only dem
After leaving this city, Nancy put in a tremendous amount of effort to "rebirth" herself.Meeting Ethan had shown her a different side of life.While he wasn't part of the uppermost echelons of wealth and power, he had enough. Most importantly, he treated her with the utmost respect.She understood Ethan's background, which made that respect all the more valuable.A man of his stature could have any woman he wanted in his bed the same night.Yet Ethan had shown her incredible patience, making her question whether the rumors about him were true.Tonight, returning to this city was her way of bidding farewell to the past and embracing the future.After all, people need to look forward, don't they?Meanwhile, Ethan was feeling more dejected than he'd ever been.Lying in his luxurious bed in Brook Villa, he couldn't sleep, tossing and turning restlessly.He had hoped to establish a connection with Austin. A figure like him would be incredibly valuable to have on his side.He tho
The river breeze was cool, and the lights reflected on the water flickered softly.The figure in front of them wore a long black coat, standing quietly by the railing. Her fair, delicate profile, partially obscured by a few strands of windblown hair, carried a hint of melancholy."Sir, Mrs. Campbell, is something wrong?" Aldus noticed the change and quickly stepped forward to inquire."Let's go home," Austin suddenly said, his previously cheerful expression now somber, with a touch of disdain.Go home? They had just arrived.Aldus was surprised and quickly followed Austin's gaze. When he saw what Austin was looking at, he immediately understood.Without a word, he turned to leave with Austin.But a soft hand gently grabbed Austin's arm."It's been so many years, aren't you going to say hello?" Cecily asked."I have no desire to greet her," Austin said, his disdain clear and unhidden.Three years of marriage, filled with nothing but pain.Even when Dahlia was gravely ill, Nan
After a busy day, just as Austin was about to finish up, a new invitation appeared on his desk."Who delivered this?" Austin asked."Ethan," Wolf replied.Austin chuckled, didn't bother opening the invitation, and instead tossed it directly into the trash."I've got to get home to Cecily."When he returned to the Bamboo Parlor at Tetra Club, Raquel had already prepared a delicious dinner.The dishes were beautifully presented, with vibrant colors and enticing aromas.After dinner, Austin and Ezra stepped out into the courtyard."Mr. Lockwood, any news from the Campbells about my dad?" Austin asked, the text message from Walter still weighing heavily on his mind.Considering the Campbells' efforts to find Walter, and given their intelligence resources, they should have been some leads by now.But Ezra shook his head. "Nothing, Not a trace.""The Campbells' intelligence network has never been this weak, has it?" Austin frowned, speaking in a low tone.Ezra gave a wry smile. "
"Childhood?"Austin stopped his workout, wiped the sweat from his face, and smiled bitterly.His childhood had been bleak.Only Dahlia had brought some light into the darkness.Seeing Austin's pained smile, Aldus immediately realized his mistake.He quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Sir. I spoke without thinking. You don't need to answer that.""It's fine," Austin replied, gesturing towards a nearby bench, and inviting Aldus to sit with him.Once they were seated, Austin slowly began to speak. "There's not much to tell about my childhood. It was mostly just being called an 'illegitimate child' and living day to day, never knowing where my next meal would come from."If it weren't for my mom fighting tooth and nail to raise me, I'd probably be dead by now."With just a few simple words, he conveyed a world of suffering.Aldus felt a wave of guilt. He had only been trying to find clues from Austin's past that might explain his exceptional combat instincts and incredible physical
Austin's gaze softened as warmth flooded his heart.Who hasn't longed for a light left on just for them in a sea of lights? But in reality, how many actually have that?Cecily did that for him.Given her background, the fact that she went to such lengths truly surprised Austin.In the three years he spent in the past, he had never experienced something like this.His nose tingled with emotion as he pulled Cecily into his arms, speaking softly, "Thank you. Marrying you is the greatest fortune of my life.""Alright, alright, I asked Raquel to prepare breakfast earlier this morning. You go to the dining room, and I'll have her bring it over," Cecily said as she gently slipped out of Austin's embrace, her graceful smile lighting up her eyes."Doesn't Bamboo Parlor have a kitchen?" Austin asked, curious.Cecily gave him a playful look. "The chairs in the living room are so hard, and you spent the whole night on one—how could you have slept well? If Raquel had been clattering around
The room fell into a heavy silence."Deactivating the phone number… was Dad trying to prevent me from tracking his location?" Austin murmured with a frown.Ezra pondered for a moment, his voice low and serious. "Perhaps he was more concerned about someone else tracking him."Austin's eyes widened in realization.Of course—if Walter could send him a message to let him know he was safe, he wouldn't be worried about Austin tracking himDeactivating the phone was likely to prevent others from tracing his location."But who is he trying to avoid?"Ezra shook his head, remaining silent.Having followed Walter for many years, he knew the man's temperament and habits. But this time, he was truly baffled.He couldn't even begin to piece together a clue.Taking a deep breath, Ezra forced a bitter smile. "I'm afraid I'm at a loss this time, sir. There's no sign of anything unusual from the Campbells either."This statement only deepened Austin's confusion.If there were anyone who cou
Austin knocked softly on the door.Almost immediately, he heard the sound of shuffling from inside.Ezra opened the door, his face full of curiosity. "Sir, what's going on?"Austin quickly made a shushing gesture, worried about disturbing Cecily.Then he gently pushed Ezra back into the room."Sorry to bother you so late, Mr. Lockwood," Austin said.Ezra smiled. "It's no trouble at all. The older you get, the less you need. I was just reading."Austin glanced at the book on Ezra's bedside table and couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated.This old rascal!Ezra blushed and quickly shoved the book under his pillow.Austin sat on the bed and pulled up the text message from Walter, showing it to Ezra."I just received this message."When Ezra read the text, his eyes lit up with a sharp gleam, and he was overjoyed. "This is from Mr. Walter!"Austin nodded, his expression serious. "But I've sent several messages back, and there's been no reply. I called twice—once it was immedi
"The underground king of Eastbrook bows down."This news swept through Eastbrook like a storm.Ethan knew that by doing this, he would become the laughingstock of the entire city. But he also knew he had no choice—he had to do it!Even if he became a joke, he would remain the underground king. But if he refused to lower his head, he would end up a dead man.He understood the situation perfectly.In fact, that very night, a message was released from Brook Villa.No one is to compete for the land!This is a clear warning to all real estate companies in Eastbrook. It was also a gesture of goodwill toward Austin.But Austin didn't pay it much mind.If not for Derrick's involvement, he had no idea how Ethan would have responded—but Austin knew his response would have been much tougher.A mere city's underground king? He didn't even compare to the richest man in Basin City or the capital—he wasn't even worthy of carrying their shoes!After leaving Brook Villa, Austin didn't linger