Miles took my hand and pulled me up. âLetâs go somewhere else.âWithout sparing Julian or Chloe a single glance, he strode out of the restaurant, leading me along with him.I couldnât help but glance back.Julian and Chloe were still at the table, awkwardly arguing with the restaurant manager, their frustration clear.They had probably planned a perfectly romantic eveningâreserved the best table to order a fine mealâonly to find themselves abruptly unwelcome.But could such a prestigious restaurant really just close early like that, just to get rid of them?I followed Miles.He walked fast, his grip on my hand firm, unwavering.We left the main dining area, but instead of exiting the building, he led me up a staircase on the side.I was caught off guard, not knowing what he was up to.When we reached the second floor, impeccably dressed staff were already waiting. They guided us to a private terraceâintimate, elegant, with a breathtaking view of the city skyline.I peered down through
I kept my head down, quietly eating for a while.Then, a sudden thought hit meâJulian never really knew me. He didnât even know my likes, dislikes, or dietary restrictions.An empty feeling settled in my chest, and before I could stop myself, I muttered, âThen what were those five years of marriage for?âMiles took a slow sip of his champagne, his voice unhurried. âA sincere heart, wasted on a bastard.âI choked.âĶThe next morning, I woke up early and checked my phone, only to find dozens of new messages.Most of them were from buyers on the resale app, inquiring about prices.I carefully responded to a few interested ones.Some trusted the listings, while others were skeptical about luxury goods being sold at such steep discounts.I wasnât familiar with how online sales worked nowadaysâmy last memory of the internet was back when social messenger had just launched.Typing out responses one by one was slow and exhausting, and before I knew it, the entire morning had passed.By the ti
Mary gave me a knowing smile, as if she understood but wouldnât say anything. "Oh, I wasnât talking about that. I just meant youâre too skinny," she said while carrying the empty bowls and dishes into the kitchen. I was so full I could barely move, so I paced around the spacious apartment, trying to digest. Feeling bored, I wandered into the kitchen and saw Mary handling a sink full of chicken, duck, and fish. I gaped. "Mary, are you cooking all of this for me? I canât eat that much by myself tonight." She didnât even look up. "Of course not. Mr. Wynn is coming for dinner too. Itâs my first time cooking for your employerâI have to make my best dishes." I froze. "Heâs coming too?" She smiled. "Yes, doesnât Mr. Wynn live here?" Panic surged through me. "No, no, no! MilâMr. Wynn doesnât live here. I donât live with him!" She didnât seem to care, waving a hand dismissively as she continued cleaning the poultry. I wanted to leave but hesitated.Then I turned back to expl
Mary chuckled. "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. That must be Mr. Wynn." But when she opened the door, it wasnât Milesâit was another bouquet, this time a massive arrangement of pink oriental lilies. Lilies had much larger blooms than roses, making the bouquet look even more extravagant. Both Mary and I were stunned. The delivery guy handed over a form for us to sign, chatting as I signed for it. "A lot of people were staring on my way here. Is it someoneâs birthday?" I was completely baffled. "Are you sure these are for me? Could they have been delivered to the wrong address?" The delivery guy asked, "Are you Evelyn White?" I nodded. He double-checked the address and my name, then smiled. "Then thereâs no mistake. Gotta runânext deliveryâs waiting." With that, he was gone. Mary and I stared at the two giant bouquets, speechless. Before she could say anything, I quickly cut in, "These arenât from Mr. Wynn." Without wasting another second, I went back to
Thinking it was Julian calling from another number, I answered without even looking and immediately snapped, "Julian Moore, you disgusting scumbag! Call me again, and Iâll report you for harassment!"The person on the other end paused for two seconds.Then, after a brief silence, Milesâ voice came through, filled with helplessness. "Eve, are you fighting with him again? What happened this time?"âĶBy the time Miles arrived, the living room was filled with five different bouquets, each a striking shade of pink.Every single one was fresh, vibrant, exquisitely wrapped, and looked expensive.The atmosphere in the room felt a little strange.I held a card Iâd found tucked inside one of the bouquets. It read: "Do you like these flowers?"The senderâs name was "Everlasting Gaze."What a psychopath!Furious, I ripped the cards to shreds.Miles walked over to the windows and opened them, letting in a rush of fresh air.Then he signaled to the security guard who had come up. "Take all of these
Mary quickly checked me over. "Oh dear, Miss White, stop washing already! Go on, wash your hands and keep Mr. Wynn company in the living room." She shot me a series of exaggerated winks. Hearing the commotion, Miles walked over. Before I could react, Mary suddenly shoved me toward him. "Mr. Wynn, take Miss White out of here. Sheâs not meant for this kind of rough work!" Caught off guard, I stumbled straight into Milesâs arms. Mortified, I stiffened. Mary really didnât know how to control her strength!Miles steadied me, his gaze flicking to my clothes, damp from the splashing water. He took my wrist and led me away. "Go change into something dry." Still in a daze, I nodded. "OhâĶ okay." Then I obediently went to my room to change. By the time I came back, Miles was already seated on the couch, watching the news. Feeling awkward, I hesitated for a moment before moving to sit on the opposite end of the sofa, not too far from him. To be honest, Miles wasnât as cold or
Dolly suddenly called. "Eve, what happened between you and Julian? He somehow got my number today and completely lost it on me."Just hearing Julianâs name was enough to give me PTSD.I quickly stepped onto the balcony and answered, "Why was he mad?"Dolly let out an exasperated sigh. "He swears Iâm the one who put these ideas in your head and turned you against him."I scoffed. "Does he really not know what he did? Blaming everyone elseâheâs shameless.""I told him exactly that, and guess what happened?"I frowned. "What did he do?"She sighed. "He called my boss and put me on unpaid leave.""What?!" I was stunned. "That lowlife actually did that?"Dolly sounded unfazed. "Itâs just unpaid leave. I donât really care. I was thinking about taking some time off and traveling anyway."But I knew better.I felt guilty. Dolly was dragged into this mess because of me. If it truly didnât affect her, she wouldnât have bothered callingâshe wouldâve just sucked it up in silence."Come stay with
I realized that Miles had a habit of ruffling my hair, like he was soothing a bristling cat.He said, "If you need anything while Iâm away, call my assistant, Patrick Cooke. And remember not to get into trouble.""Mm, got it," I promised.With that, he picked up his suit jacket, ready to leave.Just as he was heading out, Mary came out from the kitchen and called after him. "Mr. Wynn, youâre leaving already? Why not stay and rest a bit?"I stiffened.Miles gave her a polite smile. "No, I have to go. Iâll be away on a business trip for the next few days, so Iâll have to trouble you to take care of Eve."Mary beamed at him like a mother sizing up a promising son-in-law. "No need to worry, Mr. Wynn! Miss White is just like my own daughterâso pretty and well-behaved. Even if you didnât ask, Iâd take good care of her."Miles smiled and turned to me, lowering his voice. "Be good. Wait for me to come back."My ears burned instantly.After he left, Mary kept gushing. "Mr. Wynn is such a gentle
I let out a breath of relief. "Good. I guess Iâll stop taking baths from now on. Who knew something so relaxing could nearly kill me?"I tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but neither Miles nor Joseph smiled.Forcing a small grin, I added, "JustâĶ donât tell my brother, okay?"Miles gave a warm smile. "I wonât."Joseph glanced at him, then said, "Iâve checked everythingâsheâs fine. Just be careful not to catch a cold."Miles walked him out.When he returned to the room, I was already sitting up against the headboard, my expression uneasy.The mattress dipped slightly beside me as Miles sat down. He looked at me gently. "Eve, whatâs wrong?"My voice was low. "Miles... I had a dream about Julian."Miles let out a quiet breath. "Thatâs normal. I was worried it might be something worse."I shook my head, a flicker of panic rising in my eyes. "But Iâve never dreamed about him since the memory loss. And this timeâĶ I saw the first time I met him."My hands trembled slightly. "I shouldnât r
Warm water swirled gently around me, and the weight of exhaustion began to pull me under.Sleep crept in, soft and heavy....âEve, come on! I heard the campus heartthrobâs here today!âI looked up, my vision blurry.Where was I?Dollyâs face appeared in front of me, lit with excitement. âHurry! If weâre late, we wonât get a good view. The clubâs short on people, so they brought in the heartthrob to help out. Come on, everyoneâs rushing over.âI reached out and grabbed her arm. âNo, Iâm not going.âShe gave me a puzzled look. âWhy not? Thatâs Julian Moore! Heâs literally the most popular guy on campus. Heâs good looking and comes from a wealthy family.âSomething caught in my throat. I wanted to speak but couldnât get the words out.Dolly, getting impatient, tugged at my hand and started dragging me forward.There were people everywhere, too many to count.Eventually, we arrived at the small rehearsal theater.I looked around in confusion. There were crowds all around, but no one I re
But what did she say?Julianâs grip tightened around the charm, his fingers curling into it as pain filled his eyes...."Julian, I know thereâs nothing I can do for youâĶ Just keep this charm. They say the priest there is the real deal. Youâre not supposed to throw it away once itâs been blessed.""Julian, I donât care if you ever become rich or powerful. I just want you to be safe."That foolish woman had clutched the charm in her hands, smiling at him with such innocence and blind faith....The knot dug into his palm, sharp enough to hurt. Julian opened his hand, then closed it tightly around it again.Chloe, who had been rambling on, finally noticed something was off.She caught sight of the charm in his hand and scoffed. "What is that? It looks so tacky."She reached over, trying to take a closer look.Julian quickly slipped it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.Chloeâs eyes narrowed. "Did she give you that?"He started the car, his voice flat. "No. I got it myself. Some p
Julian looked at me, confused.I took a deep breath. "Julian, stop. I know why you're apologizing. You're doing this for Chloeâs child, right? You just donât want things to get ugly."He lowered his head, then gave a small nod. "Yes, thatâs part of it... but I reallyâĶ"I cut him off quickly. "Donât. Goodbye, Mr. Moore."Without looking back, I turned and got into the car.Miles noticed something was off the moment he saw my face. "What did he say?"I steadied myself. "He wants to settle everything privately. He doesnât want it to go to court."Miles glanced toward Julianâs lonely figure in the distance, his eyes flickering."You okay?" he asked.I shook my head. "Iâm fine."He paused, then handed me a tissue. "If it hurts, just cry."I looked at him, my eyes dry. "I canât cry. But why do I still feel so awful?"His gaze softened. "Julian's pulling all this to protect his pride because of Chloeâs child, isnât he?"I drew in a shaky breath. "Yeah. He apologized, but in the end, itâs still
Julian's expression darkened as he stared at me. "Evelyn, I thought you said you loved me? And yet here you are with Miles alreadyâwhat, were you two sneaking around while we were together?"Without thinking, I slapped him.He grabbed my wrist, sneering coldly. "Did I strike a nerve?"I laughed in anger. "I shouldnât have let Miles in the car earlier. If I hadnât, the one slapping you right now wouldâve been him."Julian let go of my hand and said coolly, "Enough nonsense. Evelyn, dragging this to court would just be a spectacle. After five years of marriage, I donât want things to end like this."Was he trying to reconcile?I forced down my fury and asked, "What do you have in mind?"Julian hesitated, his gaze complicated. "Iâll return everything that belongs to you... just give me some time."I was stunned.I hadnât expected Julian, who always seemed so tough, to willingly give up fighting and hand over what I deserved.I went quiet. "Alright. How much time do you need?"Julian tugged
Julian blurted out, âWhat?!âThen, snapping out of his shock, his face twisted with fury. âMiles Wynn, what the hell do you mean by that?!âMiles smiled, calm and unbothered. âNothing more than the truth.âJulianâs voice rose, livid. âTruth? This is nothing but one of your dirty tricks!âMiles raised a brow, pretending to be confused. âDirty? Hmm. Iâd actually call it a fresh idea.âJulianâs already dark expression grew stormier.Chloe stood beside him, jaw clenched, eyes locked on us with thinly veiled rage. Suddenly, she cut in sharply, âBut wasnât it Miss White who transferred the 1.2 million to Elmwood?âDolly stepped forward without missing a beat. âThat money was loaned to Eve by me. Got a problem with that?âThat shut them both up.I felt a wave of satisfaction rise in my chest. But I also knew Julian wasnât going to let this slide so easily.Sure enough, he turned to me, eyes cold. âEve, this is going to court anyway. You can spin the story however you want. Weâll see what the
The moment I saw that elegant, refined face, so striking it felt almost divine, every bit of the frustration Iâd buried surged to the surface.Without a second thought, I rushed into his arms. âMiles!âWarmth enveloped me, and the familiar clean scent of pine wrapped around my senses. My eyes stung instantly.Miles lowered his head, chuckling softly. âWhatâs wrong? You look like a little bunny with those red eyes.âFeeling embarrassed, I gave his chest a light smack. âWhy are you here?âHe studied my face carefully, then gently brushed his fingers across my cheek. âI heard someone was picking on my darling, so I came running.âThat warmth spread through my chest, overflowing, making it hard to hold back tears.He leaned down, his voice low in my ear. âDonât cry, silly girl.âThen he straightened and looked around the room.His gaze passed over Sarah and Dolly, finally landing on Julian.Julian instinctively straightened his back.He stepped forward, voice laced with sarcasm. âWhat brin
I turned to Sarah with an apologetic expression. âIâm sorry, Miss Care. It seems Iâm not in a position to work with your company until I sort out my personal matters.âSarah shook her head regretfully. âPlease donât apologize. Our company is moving forward with expansion this year. Weâve already allocated the available investment slots. If you decide not to investâĶ weâll have to open the opportunity to others.âShe gave me a sympathetic look. âIâm sorry, Miss White. But once this window closes, there will be no further opportunity.âI offered a bitter smile and nodded. âI understand.âDolly was so angry, she could barely hold back a choked sob. âThat shameless bastardâĶ absolutely shameless!âI squeezed her hand, silently telling her it was time to go.Julian stepped in front of us, blocking the way. His expression was conflicted, and when he spoke, his voice was softer than Iâd ever heard it.âEve, maybe we can talk this through.ââJulian, youâĶ youâre still not done?â Chloeâs voice r
The moment I heard those words, a rush of blood surged to my head.My ears rang, and that all-too-familiar wave of dizziness came crashing back.I barely registered Dolly's voice rising in fury. âJulian Moore, do you have no shame? You really dare say that was marital property?! Eve paid for it herself! YouâĶ you're absolutely disgusting!âI could barely stay on my feet, the world tilting around me.âDollyâĶ IâĶâ I whispered weakly.She quickly caught me and helped me sit down.I took a few deep breaths to steady myself, then looked up at Julian. And for a split second, though maybe it was the dizziness playing tricks on me, I thought I saw a flicker of concern flash through his eyes.Sarah noticed something was off and immediately stepped in. âMiss White, donât worry. We can take this slowly.âI fought to calm my pounding heart and spoke, voice steady but cold. âWhat exactly is it that you want, Mr. Moore?âJulian hesitated for a moment, but soon the polished businessman returned to his