Irvin instinctively smiled when he saw me. Or rather, he tried to. Unfortunately, his facial muscles were stiff from the cold and weren't cooperating.It seemed he wanted me to pity him. It was probably all part of his strategy to win me over.My past self couldn't stand seeing him in any pain. It was agonizing to her if he wasn't even the slightest bit uncomfortable.But now? My current self merely looked at him indifferently. I didn't feel anything for him, not even the least bit of attachment. My heart didn't ache. I didn't feel any love or any hate toward him. There wasn't even anger. There was only detachment.My feeling toward him was colder than the winter frost.He started panicking when he saw this. So much so, that he looked as though he could barely breathe."You must be feeling very disappointed in me. Right, Emi?" he asked.Perhaps he finally had time to reflect after placating Julianne. It seemed he remembered how he had misjudged me over the drugging incident.
I hadn't slept much when I was in the detention center. Now that I was back home, I could finally be completely at ease. I was even able to sleep that night without taking any sleeping pills.I wasn't sure how long I had been asleep. Suddenly, I was rudely awakened by the banging on my door. Before I could even open my eyes, I heard Mom's angry voice outside.Given what had happened, it was expected that she would come looking for me. So, it didn't surprise me.I intentionally took my time getting dressed. Mom's temper was starting to flare as she continued banging on the door. She had been doing so for quite some time yet I hadn't answered the door.Just as she was about to bang harder, I finally opened it."Were you dead or something? What took you so long to answer the door? I've been knocking for ages!" she yelled.I glanced coolly at her. "I know you very badly want to see me dead. But too bad, I'm still alive. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to answer the door."Mom was furi
"You know your father doesn't dare do anything illegal! Also, Lianne definitely didn't frame you. So withdraw the lawsuit right now!" Mom was adamant Dad and Julianne were innocent.I lowered my head upon seeing her conviction.I had no longer expected any maternal love from her. However, that didn't stop me from thinking…She knew I never drugged Julianne. She had also been told that the whole incident had been orchestrated by Dad and Julianne. I thought she would at least feel guilty after knowing the truth. At the very least, she owed me an apology.Yet, just like Irvin, she felt no remorse. They had never once felt they were in the wrong for treating me so unjustly. All they cared about was protecting Julianne.My thoughts wandered back to what she had said earlier—"We're your family. Yet, we don't like you. Even your beloved husband despises you. Can't you reflect on yourself? Stop blaming everyone else!"I couldn't help but wonder if I was truly the problem. Was I not goo
Jeremy truly was the one person on this earth who knew me well. His words hit their mark.Grandma only had three children. The youngest had passed away before reaching adulthood. This left her with an indelible pain in her heart.The year I graduated from university, my aunt passed away from an accident. Having lost another child, Grandma almost couldn't handle the grief.Now, out of her three children, only Dad remained.Dad may not have been kind to me, but he loved Grandma dearly. He would often check on her and rarely went against her wishes. And although Grandma was very upset with what Dad had done to me, he was still her only remaining child. Hence, it wasn't possible for her to stop caring about him.Therefore, she might not be able to bear it If something were to happen to him."We're a family, Emi. No matter what happens, we still need to look out for each other. Didn't I do the same for you?" Jeremy patted my head as he spoke.Mom had no clue what he was referring
The person I was before would have never had the audacity to behave like this."I had almost died," I stated. "It's no surprise that I would change. Otherwise, I don't think I'll ever have the chance to."I had been severely injured after falling off the cliff. Any person would surely change after such a traumatic event.Jeremy considered my words. It seemed he didn't have anything more to say, so he turned to leave."Thank you," I quickly blurted. My gratitude was sincere.I was thanking him for having a moment of compassion. At the time, I had been on the verge of losing my mind. Hence, I was grateful for the important clue he had given me.Upon hearing this, Jeremy froze. He glanced back at me. When he saw the sincerity in my eyes, he suddenly lost his composure.It was as though he was a dam on the verge of breaking, and my words were the final blow that made it burst."'Thank you'? Why are you thanking me? Have I helped you in any way?" he shouted. "Look at yourself! You'r
The childhood sweetheart, who once was treated as the dear younger sister, suddenly became a gold-digging stepmother and a mistress. Then, she went from being a shameless mistress to playing the victim, claiming she wasn't a gold digger but was a victim of sexual assault. And I, who was once the wronged wife, became the perpetrator and was arrested. The media had to keep changing the direction of the narrative. This turned the issue between Irvin, Julianne, and I into a full-blown scandal.Especially the fact that I was arrested.It was safe to say that the entire country knew about it, and everyone was eager to see a wicked woman like me sentenced.After all, I didn't just steal Julianne's childhood sweetheart, but I also drugged her and made her sleep with Irvin's father. I forced a loving couple into the role of a stepmother and stepson, creating an unbridgeable gap between the two so that they could never be together again.I was such a wicked woman! So wicked that it was
When the video evidence of me "drugging" Julianne was first released, Irvin publicly confirmed that I had interfered in his relationship with Julianne, which led to her being sexually assaulted by his father. Everyone was aware of this.I didn't need to say anything more.Irvin instantly became the worst scumbag in history. The internet was filled with criticism and people cursing him."His wife was there for him through thick and thin while he was starting his business. Not only did he fail to appreciate her and have an affair with his stepmother, but he also framed her and claimed she intervened in his relationship with his stepmother! He even tried to send his wife to prison!""I've seen plenty of scumbags, but never one as bad as him! He's so disgusting!""The more I think about it, the scarier it gets. Maybe he only pursued his wife for her money back then!""You don't even need to guess, I'm sure he did! He used his wife's money to succeed, and once he did, he didn't want t
Since I had something to discuss with Irvin, I let him in. I thought he had come at this time to talk about the company. After all, because of my public response, he had become the most well-known scumbag online, which also affected the company's stock. Many shareholders had already expressed their dissatisfaction.Or maybe he was here to offer his sincerity, still wanting to express his so-called "love" for me. He might say that he knew he was wrong, that he wanted to win me back, and that he wanted to beg me for my forgiveness or something.Or perhaps he was infuriated reading the online comments calling him a scumbag, exposing the fact that he never actually liked me, and now he came to lash out at me.To get back on me.That was what I had expected from him.However, I never would have imagined that he didn't come to stabilize the company's stock, nor did he offer his sincerity or try to clear his name.Instead, he had come for Julianne.He wanted to bail her out today. Bu
William wasn't the type to repay a life-saving favor. So, for the past two years, Julianne had always wondered why he treated her so well and was especially attentive to her health.It was only after she returned to Claudeville that she finally understood.It turned out William had a sickly niece he cherished dearly—one whose survival depended on Julianne. Upon learning this, she suddenly felt she had the upper hand again.While she still couldn't figure William out entirely, she had come to understand him somewhat. She knew he would continue to tolerate her—for the sake of his sickly niece—as long as she didn't do anything out of line.To be clear, Julianne made my life difficult because she hated me. But as long as she didn't harm me, she knew no one would hold it against her. After all, William's niece needed her blood to live.The more she thought about this, the more pleased she became.I could see it plainly in her eyes. Her expression seemed to say that even after all thes
Seeing how determined I was, Emma didn't press any further.Just as we were about to leave in the car, another car pulled up beside ours. When I saw who stepped out of it, my eyes widened in shock.Emma saw them too and tugged at my sleeve in surprise. "Emilia, isn't that your ex-husband's brother and sister-in-law?"I was just about to say yes when Grace suddenly collapsed into Irvin's arms. He picked her up and rushed toward the hospital.Seeing this reminded me of how I had wished that Irvin would come and save me when I was drowning.I chuckled mockingly.Noticing something was off with me, Emma turned to me. "Emilia, what's wrong?"I withdrew my gaze. "Nothing."Then I told the driver to start driving.As the car drove out of the hospital, Emma stared at me. She hesitated at first, but then curiosity got the better of her "Emilia, looking at how you reacted to your ex-husband's brother… Is it true that he's actually not Timothy, but Irvin?" she asked.She had been with
Only after our car had driven far into the distance did William finally withdraw his gaze from Noah's car."Was Ms. Quill's assistant rescued?" he asked.Matthew immediately replied, "Yes, she's been taken to the hospital. She's out of danger."William hummed indifferently in response, then got into the car and left.…By the time I woke up in the hospital, night had already fallen.I was surprised to see Noah sitting at my bedside—surprised that I was still alive and that it was Noah who had come to save me.Seeing me awake, Noah stood up excitedly. "Emi, how are you feeling? I'll get the doctor!"I wanted to tell him I was fine, but my voice came out hoarse when I opened my mouth.Suddenly, I remembered something and quickly reached out to grab Noah before he could leave to call the doctor.Before I could even ask, he already knew what I was going to ask. "Your assistant's fine. She woke up even earlier than you," he said. Hearing that, I breathed a sigh of relief.Noah
Emma was also quite smart. Once she calmed down, she immediately understood what I meant. She wanted to say something, but I had already opened the car door and pushed her out.Seeing several people swimming toward us, I shoved her again, urging her to leave quickly.In the face of life and death, survival would become an instinct for everyone. So even though she didn't wish me harm or want to leave me behind, she swam away with tears in her eyes. Not long after she left, those so-called "rescuers" surrounded me.When they noticed someone had swum away, they exchanged hand signals underwater, planning to send some after her and others to capture me. Realizing this, I quickly pointed at myself, trying to tell them that I was the one they were looking for. Then I turned and swam in the opposite direction, hoping to lure them away and buy her more time to escape. But even though they understood my gesture, they didn't believe me. They still sent people after her.They were very
There was only one road from the airport to the city, and William's car was right behind ours.Matthew, who was driving, immediately sensed something was wrong when he saw our car suddenly accelerating at an alarming speed.He quickly said, "Mr. Ashford, something's wrong with Ms. Quill's car!"William, who was busy reading the documents, immediately looked up. His gaze darkened when he saw how recklessly the car in front was moving."Catch up with them!" he ordered. At that moment, his phone rang. It was Noah calling, and he sounded anxious on the other end. "Uncle Will, are you with Emi right now? I just heard that Madeleine is planning to kill her! "I don't know the exact plan, but I heard they're making a move on the way from the airport to the city. You need to be careful! I'm heading to the airport right now!"Noah's words made William's expression grow even darker. …While Emma was still processing the situation, I noticed something strange about the driver. If the
Just like that, we came back alive from the brink of death in an instant. It felt like we were in hell one moment and in heaven the next.Perhaps I was still too scared. So scared that even after the plane had stabilized for a while, I still couldn't find any strength in my body. I was still shaken by the fear and couldn't fully snap out of it.William was also holding me tightly the entire time, not letting go. The softness of my body in his arms stirred something in him that he couldn't describe. He instinctively didn't want to let go.It wasn't until a flight attendant knocked on the door to check on us that I finally returned to my senses.William also let go of me instantly. The sudden emptiness in his arms left him feeling rather hollow.He came to realize something, and his already deep gaze darkened even more, making it even harder to read.After the flight attendant tidied up the cabin and left, William, who had been perfectly fine and warm just moments ago, suddenly tur
The flight attendant knocked on the entrance to the suite to signal her arrival and served our meal. Then, she left swiftly.William and I were eating and discussing our AI chip factory when his face suddenly turned red. He couldn't say a word.The moment I saw that, I immediately realized what was happening and rushed over to him.I moved behind him, wrapped my arms around his abdomen, and clenched my fists. With my palm facing upward, I tightened my arms and pressed my left fist forcefully into his upper abdomen again and again, until he finally spat out the seed of a fruit.He had accidentally swallowed the seed while eating dried fruit, and it had gotten stuck in his throat.William stared at the seed he'd just coughed up, looking flustered. A man like him, who was so strong and composed, had choked while eating. He couldn't believe it had actually happened.Especially in front of me!William, who was usually composed no matter the circumstances, now had a face flushed wit
William handed me a glass of champagne and said, "I heard Grace gave you a hard time again at the airport lounge."I hummed in response, confirming it. At the mention of Grace, a thought struck me, and I turned to him. "Mr. Ashford, many of your company's products seem to compete directly with the Hardwells'."Although most of my focus had been on research, I did know a little about the business world. After all, I had a company myself. "Yes, why?" William raised an eyebrow at me."If you're planning to enter the mainland market, wouldn't the Hardwells be your biggest competitor?" I asked.Upon hearing that, William's dark eyes lit up with interest. "Are you trying to join forces with me against the Hardwells?"I knew that I couldn't hide my intentions from someone like William, so I answered honestly, "I'm just thinking ahead. I wanted to see if you had similar plans. If so, maybe we could work together in the future."Going against the Hardwells alone was definitely impossi
At the same time, the same video was also delivered to Noah's grandfather, Mr. Hull Senior."This is the woman Noah's interested in? He refused a marriage alliance with Ms. Charter because of her?" Mr. Hull Senior questioned incredulously.His butler, who had been by his side for decades, lowered his head respectfully and answered, "Yes."Mr. Hull Senior scoffed. "What kind of judgment does he have? It's no wonder he doesn't measure up to his uncle."Noah might be excellent, but at his age, William had already built up the Ashfords into the wealthiest family in Redwood. In terms of cunning or any other aspect, he was still far behind William.The loyal butler remained silent as he respectfully stood off to the side."If anyone else was still left in this family, I'd never even consider passing it to Noah!" Mr. Hull Senior exclaimed, pounding his cane hard against the floor.The Hulls had built their fortune from casinos. Their business had shady beginnings, which meant they also