The woman in the painting appeared to be in her thirties. She had a classic oval face, gracefully arched eyebrows, and plump lips that seemed to carry a perpetual, enigmatic smile.But lurking in her eyes was an unmistakable air of ambition, making her appear somewhat unapproachable.Calista's artwork was exceptionally lifelike. It captured every detail, including the faint freckles beside the woman's nose bridge. Hugo furrowed his brows as he examined the woman in the painting."That's how she looked over a decade ago. She should be in her fifties now. Her looks hadn't changed much, but she's gathered a few more wrinkles over the years," Calista remarked.The last time they had been in Apthon, she only managed to glimpse Julia's profile.Worried that her portrayal might not be accurate and could mislead others, Calista had opted to depict Julia in her younger days.Hugo carefully stowed away the painting and replied, "I can't put a name to her face."He was confident this woman
Calista glanced at the document provided by the staff and discovered that the family member on record was Charlene Blake.She was registered as the deceased's sister, and her phone number was recorded.There wasn't much additional information in the records, so Calista snapped a photo of the document and left the office with Hugo.Calista couldn't confirm whether Charlene and Julia were the same person until June 16, the day she intended to pay her respects.Until then, she had to be careful and avoid revealing their investigation too soon. Hugo and Calista returned to their car respectively."I'll look into this woman named Julia that you mentioned. If you're not keen on going abroad, avoid traveling until we've identified the mastermind behind all this," Hugo advised.Calista agreed, "Alright, I appreciate your help."Hugo didn't head straight home but instead went to Jean's house. It was a suburban villa in a relatively new development area constructed over the past few years
Throughout the journey, Calista couldn't shake the thoughts of the tombstone. She pondered whether it was a case of mistaken identity or, indeed, her mother's resting place.If it was the latter, she wondered who had placed it and what purpose it served. Calista unlocked her phone and stared at the numbers while approaching a red traffic light."Charlene ..." she muttered.Suddenly, Lucian's call came through."Hello," Calista answered."Where are you?" Lucian spoke in a deep, indifferent voice."I'm ..."Suddenly, Yara's voice interrupted her urgently, "Calista, you're in trouble. This guy ..."Midway through her sentence, Lucian, on the other end of the line, raised his hand, and Yara fell silent. She had forgotten that Lucian had paid her for changing her mind.Yara started to regret her decision and reluctantly corrected herself through clenched teeth."Mr. Northwood deceived me."Yara's face was contorted by a fierce, seething hatred, as though she longed to rip Lucian
Calista scanned her memory but couldn't recall any significant event associated with June 13th."Is it Father's Day? But isn't that on the third Sunday of June?" she replied.Lucian grumbled, "It's the day we got married."Calista blurted out, "Haven't we already divorced ..."Mid-sentence, Calista realized her reply might not be the most romantic thing to say in this dreamy and romantic setting. Memories of her past came flooding back.Calista was burdened with debts and confined to her home due to online harassment when she married Lucian.She couldn't even remember the exact date of their wedding since getting married had been a spontaneous decision."You remembered," Calista said.She was surprised. Calista's remark wasn't intended to be sarcastic nor to resurface old grievances.She was genuinely surprised as Lucian had never celebrated their anniversary during their three years of marriage."Of course, I remember. It's you who forgets," Lucian snorted, looking somewhat
Lucian was not one to utter sweet nothings, even though he was exceptionally considerate and attentive to Calista now. His rare confessions made them all the more powerful.Calista turned her head, avoiding his gaze that disrupted her thought, and pulled her hand away. However, Lucian didn't loosen his grip. Instead, he held on tighter."After knowing I've had feelings for you all these years, you've got nothing to say?"Lucian appeared calm, but deep down, he was filled with nerves and anxiety as he posed his question. He had waited years for her response.Calista bit her lip, intending to put on a stern face to tease him, but she burst into laughter before continuing her act."You fool. How could you confess to the wrong person?" she commented.Lucian explained, "I saw you there before approaching, but I didn't expect ..."He didn't expect things to turn out that way.Calista rolled her eyes and added sarcastically, "I suppose it's destiny playing tricks on us. That's why we'
Lucian shot Calista a slightly exasperated glance."I'm nothing like the unfaithful guy in the movie. Lily and I never kissed, never slept together, I never made any promises, and we never even got to the stage of considering getting married."Calista remained silent."I was kind to her, not only because of her dad. I wanted to see if it would make you jealous," Lucian explained.However, Lucian observed that Calista showed no signs of jealousy. He was infuriated, feeling like he had made a big mistake.Calista stood up and whispered, "I was jealous.""What?" Lucian asked."How could you be so clueless ..."Suddenly, Lucian abruptly stood up and drew Calista into his embrace from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder before she could finish her sentence."Callie, I heard you," he whispered."So, why did you ask?" Calista retorted."I just wanted to hear it again, you know. You've never spoken any tender words or shown any affection toward me, not even when we were married
Lucian couldn't help but be baffled at Hector's bizarre logic."Why should I be held responsible for letting you borrow my car?" He scoffed."I was still physically impaired at the time. According to traffic laws, I wasn't allowed to drive," Hector commented.Lucian sneered, "So, you're ready to throw me under the bus just to shift the blame, huh?"Calista massaged her forehead in exasperation, wondering if these two men had some sort of grudge from a past life.Every time they were in each other's company, it inevitably led to bickering and arguments."What do you want me to do?" Calista asked Hector.She couldn't possibly bring Allie to Everglade Manor, could she?"Considering her current state, it seems like she's dodging something she doesn't want to deal with. I'm not the right person to convince her, being a big guy and all. So, I thought maybe you could give it a try," Hector explained, believing the car accident wouldn't have caused Allie's amnesia.Calista glanced tow
"I heard that the Micom Group's heir was madly in love with his childhood sweetheart. There was an incident when a rich and influential man harassed her, and he badly hurt that man.""Initially, he was supposed to be charged with assault, but the Micom Group heiress used her influence to keep it quiet. Eventually, he was compelled to marry the heiress, and his childhood sweetheart became his secret lover, hidden from the public eye."Lucian started sharing, and Calista listened with great interest, hoping for more details. However, Lucian's knowledge was limited, and he had already shared all he knew."However, these are just rumors. Only the parties involved know what's going on," Lucian explained.Calista commented, "Forced? He was just after her money, plain and simple. If he can't handle criticism, why even engage in such despicable actions to begin with? It's just an excuse to mask how awful he is."Lucian remained silent, not wanting to argue with her."So, what does this h