Matthew was still recovering when he faintly heard the sound of crying. The noise woke him, and he got up to check. Just as he was about to leave, Esther entered with medicine. "Miss, what's happening outside?" Matthew asked, puzzled."Oh, it's nothing! Please take your medicine!" Esther replied kindly, offering him the medicine. However, Matthew did not want to take it.Ignoring Esther’s attempts to stop him, Matthew rushed outside, and the scene before him left him in shock.An elderly woman was whipping Eugenie with a thin bamboo cane. Eugenie was crying, her face streaked with fresh cuts and blood trickling down along with her tears.Matthew sprinted over to stop the beating. He pulled Eugenie into his arms, too afraid to touch her bruised body, which was covered in wounds.The old woman, seeing Matthew intervene, stopped her strikes. She was panting from exertion."Ma'am, what are you doing? What did Eugenie do wrong?" Matthew asked, bewildered.Too angry to speak, the ol
Esther glanced at Matthew with a troubled expression, then at the old lady. She instantly understood what needed to be done. Matthew also realized that the seemingly close relationship between Esther and Eugenie was not as it appeared—there was something deeper and more strained beneath the surface.Matthew ignored the two of them. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, convincing them was futile. The harsh reality in front of him revealed that blood ties were not all-powerful.He returned to the room, where Eugenie lay in pain. He was utterly helpless. Looking at Eugenie, he was reminded of Lucy and how he never wanted to see her hurt either.Matthew held his head in his hands, sitting on the floor in agony. In the olden days, women valued their purity above all else. If he treated Eugenie’s wounds himself, she would surely feel too ashamed to face anyone, and the villagers would shun her as well.Suddenly, Eugenie stopped making any sounds of pain. The air seemed to freeze, be
The wolf pack howled in unison, advancing toward Matthew. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow as he watched the fierce wolves approach in terror.However, it was a false alarm. The wolves pounced on a different creature.In the distance, Matthew saw a large male bear surrounded by the wolves, who bit and clawed at it. However, the bear fended them off with ease. The bear was massive and strong. Facing it, a single wolf was no more threatening than a chick.With just a few swipes, the bear sent the wolves running, leaving several carcasses behind.Matthew's eyes widened in shock at the scene before him—it was terrifying.The bear dragged a few of the carcasses away and disappeared into the night. Under the moonlight, the remaining carcasses lay still, like dogs killed in battle, resting quietly on the ground.Matthew understood the harsh reality of survival of the fittest, but he had not imagined that the brutality of nature could be so terrifying—especially when it happened rig
In the presidential suite of the Royal Hotel, the entire room was filled with the disgusting smell of sex.Lucy Quinn looked at the two people cuddling with a sarcastic smile on her lips. She clenched her fists because her wedding day was tomorrow. If she had not come over to deliver Timothy Lucas his suit, she would still be completely in the dark about this affair.She wasted five whole years of her youth on that bastard!“Lucy, Tim and I are in love… Please forgive us!” Tears were streaming down Luna Quinn’s ashen face, and she clung to the man while sobbing.Timothy frowned and hugged Luna even tighter as if he could not bear to see her hurt.He patted Luna’s back with a sigh. “Luna, I've told you so many times that you're the one I love. Why are you begging her?"He spoke gently with hints of affection in his voice.His words were like a stab to Lucy’s heart.The next moment, Lucy smirked and said, “Fine, I forgive you!”Luna froze when she heard that, and then she imme
Matthew had a tall nose, thin lips, and arched eyebrows that slanted toward the dark hair on his temples. The contours of his face were flawless. At that moment, his eyebrows were raised, displaying a sort of arrogance and contempt. His deep and brilliant eyes exuded a sharp iciness, making others feel infinitely uneasy.He looked at Lucy's surprised face and continued staring at her until an imperceptible gleam appeared in his eyes.His heart was beating fast.It was the first time in his 28 years of living that he felt something for a woman.His tall figure leaned forward, and his exquisite face came closer to her as he smirked. “Are you attempting fraud?”“You’re the one attempting fraud. I bet your entire family are fraudsters!” Lucy pulled herself together as she cursed at him.Matthew smirked nonchalantly. It was the first time someone ever dared to yell at him, and that someone happened to be a petite woman.He could not decide whether she was brave or just plain foolis
Matthew's lips parted, and he said nonchalantly, “I’ll keep the marriage license with me for now.”Then, he snatched the marriage license from Lucy.Lucy watched the man put aside the document in confusion. Gulping, she asked, “Is your name Matthew Leon?”She saw his name when she looked at the marriage license just now.He shot her a look and hummed in response.“Francis, send Mrs. Leon home.” There was a gleam in his eyes.Lucy blushed when she heard him call her Mrs. Leon.Ignoring the unfamiliar feeling in her heart, she asked, “Will you attend a wedding with me tomorrow?”“Sure.” Matthew got into the car with a smile on his face.She froze as she was not expecting him to agree so easily.Was he easier to talk to now that they had gotten their marriage license?“Get in.” Matthew's deep voice sounded from inside the car.The next moment, Lucy got into the car in a daze. The entire car ride was eerily quiet.After half an hour of driving aimlessly, Francis could not bear
When Lucy was still a child, her parents would ask her to give her dolls to her younger sister because she liked them. They said that she should be nice to Luna because she was ill.Her new clothes would become her sister’s before she even got to wear them.One time, Luna even snatched away an autographed photo of a celebrity she liked.Now, she had taken away the man she loved for five years.Lucy’s heart grew cold at the thought of that.Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stopped them from streaming down. She mustered a bitter smile on her face. “Mom, Dad, when did Luna and Timothy get together?”“The year you went to study abroad.” Feeling guilty, Melanie looked away. Lucy’s heart skipped a beat and her face turned pale when she heard that it had been so long since those two got together!Four years ago, she went to study abroad for three years and did not come back until last year.How stupid of her to not notice they had been fooling around behind her back for four yea
Melanie saw her daughter coming down the stairs and asked, "Lulu, it's so late now. Where are you going at this hour?"Shooting her a cold look, Lucy said, “Where I go is none of your business.”She ignored Melanie’s look of disapproval and walked out of the house.Melanie's face turned pale with anger as she scolded, “The older you get, the more rebellious you become!”Hearing that statement, Lucy merely shook her head and continued walking toward the Lamborghini limousine parked at the door.When Matthew saw Lucy walking toward him, he opened the door for her with a smile.Although she was surprised to see that he actually came to pick her up, she got in the car anyway.As soon as she closed the door, the car sped off.Lucy, who was seated in the passenger seat, turned to look at the man driving the car. She had to admit that he was very handsome, so much so that it was captivating. Even his side profile was enough to make a woman squeal.Not only was he oozing with charisma