“Yes,” he replied rather recklessly. He then said, “It’s not easy holding a wedding ceremony. It’s only once in a lifetime. We need to be serious about it.” His words sounded like a sarcastic remark to her. She raised her eyebrows and sneered. Then, she retorted firmly, “I’m so sorry, but I’ve been through that once, so excuse me for not being as excited as you.” Surprisingly, he was not angry. He peeked at her and asked, “Then, do you have any regrets? I can compensate for it this time arou
Master Levin snorted. Even if the assassination was a success and he didn’t leave any traces behind, would Edward not point an accusing finger at him? Regardless of dealing with her head-on or in the dark, he would certainly become the top suspect on Edward’s list. He sneered frigidly. If things really had developed to that point, he would rather perish together with Edward than have him destroy the Levin family. He hung up the phone and got up from the chair with the help of a stick albeit tr
Seth was pulled out of his thoughts. His brain was a stifled mess, so he just said the first thing that came into his mind, “I’ve been a little tight on money, so I figured I could get some from you.” “How much do you need?” Edward asked. “$10 million.” Seth just simply blurted out a number. Just when he was about to make up an excuse to fob him off, Edward replied, “Sure.” He paused for a moment and then continued in a harsh voice, “Don’t take drugs or gamble. You can have as many one-night
Both the door and the safe were protected by a digital door lock. Edward continued to instruct Vivian through the phone, “The password for the door is 0329.” Vivian was familiar with the four digits. It was the day when “Sean Jackson” was executed. She pressed her lips together, unable to peel her gaze away from the iron safe. It was only now that she saw the light why she couldn’t find the USB even though she turned the entire study upside down. She reckoned that Edward must have kept it insi
Fearing that those people might catch up with her, Vivian didn't stay for long. She quickly walked towards the exit as Edward instructed. The exit of the residence was located at a secluded side street. The street was flanked by ranks of trees so huge that they shielded the entire street under their thick foliage. It was the afternoon, and there were very few pedestrians on the street, so she didn't run into many people along the way. She stood beside the road, and just when she didn't know what
The words stunned Edward into momentary silence.After a while, he blurted out, “Vee, I don’t share any intimate relationship with the Levins. Whatever weight the killing of one’s predecessors carries doesn’t burden me.”He was not saying it to please her. Had any harm come to Vivian back there, Edward would have launched a rampage to pay blood unto blood. Even now, despite her apparent safety, he was boiling with rage. Anyone who dared to lay a finger on his woman and his child would be guarant
Edward’s lips curled before he strode inside at a lackadaisical pace. After stopping by the foot of the stairs to peek into his study through its ajar door, he finally turned to Master Levin and chuckled lightly. “According to you, killing my wife and unborn child is what’s best for me, eh, Gramps? Is that it?”“Eat sh*t!” Master Levin spat.Edward responded with an unbothered smile and continued his steady steps toward his grandfather. Sensing only placidness in his gait, everyone in the room r
He raised his head and stared at Edward, stunned. Then, his eyes gradually reddened before he mustered a whimper, “E-Edward?”No words came out of his cousin’s lips. Instead, Edward shot Seth a stone-cold glare, his lips thinning slightly.“F*ck it! I’m done!” Master Levin exhaled a long, exasperated sigh and shakily rose to his feet with his cane. “I blame only myself for keeping a monster around me and believing that I could tame him,” he proclaimed. “You’ll have your wish, boy. I’ll leave Gol
Did you know, Vee?I’ve thought of this more than once. If only our beginning from that night wasn’t so unbearable, how wonderful would it be?… The light from the setting sun spilled towards her from the side, casting a glow on the piece of paper, illuminating the words on it, and giving them a slight shimmer. Just like last year, when she emerged from the ultrasound room in the maternity hospital, weak after a mere two steps, she had to lean against the corridor. She covered her mouth with
Vivian arrived home a little late. She parked the car at the side of the road first, then collected her subscribed newspapers and magazines from the mailbox at her gate. She flipped through the mail as she walked in. To her surprise, she found a letter. It was an envelope made from kraft paper with her name on it.It was a rare handwritten letter with the faint print of a bamboo tree, drawn with Chinese calligraphy ink. The bamboo was tall, straight, and fierce just like the script on the lette
“It’s been three months now, why isn’t the little one moving? When will the baby quicken?” he asked her, “Can it hear me? Will it remember my voice?”He even asked, “Who do you think it’ll look like, Vee? Will it be a girl or a boy?”She knew very well that he was harboring evil intentions, but she gave into him and crumbled anyway. She sobbed and screamed, “Kill me, Sean Jackson. Kill me. I will never give birth to this child even if I die! Never!”He soothed her, “Alright. Don’t give birth
His lower jaw tightened. The lines on his face stiffened icily like the cold edges of a knife. In reality, he had given up long ago. His heart was as dead as ash. However, refusing to accept this, he grasped at everything, hoping to find a straw that could save a life, not to save himself but to save his child’s life. That was how well he knew her. He knew that once she escaped, she would never spare his child. Did he hate her? Yes. He hated how he couldn’t shoot her dead. Love triumphed over ha
“Then, what should we do?” his aide asked.A hero’s end was, inevitably, death. He wasn’t afraid of death, but he was simply plagued with remaining grievances. After a bout of silence, Edward calmly said, “Do something for me. Once that’s done, just slip away. There are no lives in your hands and you aren’t in the cops’ database. No one will notice you.”This aide had received a great debt of gratitude from Edward once, so he was solely loyal to him. He became distressed when he heard this, so
“You deserve it for all of the crimes you’ve committed!” Vivian screamed, losing control. Her emotions felt strangely steady after that scream. She threw the gun away as her sparkling, dark eyes were filled with renewed determination. She stared at him and spoke, enunciating every word, “Sean Jackson and those brothers of yours, you’ve all got your justice. Beaten to death, right? Arrested, was it? But when you willfully hurt others and view their lives as nothing more than weeds, you should hav
She hadn’t slept the entire night, and she was extremely high-strung. However, she was feeling slightly fatigued. Perhaps because of the comforting glow from the brightening day outside, she lay down on the bed with her clothes on after a bout of hesitation. She had only intended on taking a nap but unexpectedly fell into a deep sleep.Vivian suddenly woke up, startled. She had lost track of how long she had been asleep. She found a figure standing in front of her bed when she awoke and was gre
Vivian was taken aback by his question. “You haven’t caught him?” she exclaimed in astonishment. She thought that they had already apprehended Edward based on the expression on Jake’s face.“Our men have surrounded the condominium,” he answered simply, “He and Wade seized a hostage and hid inside the study. Both sides were caught in a deadlock for a while, but when they burst the study door open, they only found Wade and that hostage inside.”Vivian trembled uncontrollably as she listened to h
The wedding day was drawing to a close. Vivian stayed at the condominium until the day before the wedding. Then, she moved to Edward’s villa by the lake to wait for the wedding ceremony. Edward drove her there himself, feeling reluctant before he left. He turned around and looked at her, then softly said, “Wait for me. I’ll come for you tomorrow, first thing in the morning.”Vivian didn’t respond and simply stood at the doorway, quietly watching him.For some reason, the sight of her like this