"Why did I give birth to someone like you!"Just as Mom was about to grab me, Shaun stepped forward, placing himself in between us. As he stood in front of Mom with his tall frame, she felt intimidated and didn't dare to move."Mrs. Quill, Emi and I are just classmates. Please don't insult your own daughter like this! If she's a shameless cheater, what does that make you?" He added, "And did she say something wrong online? Aren't you just like that? To be honest, I'm curious like everyone else. Why would you help an adopted daughter and harm your very own?"Shaun really was curious like the other netizens, wanting to know Mom's reasoning. He couldn't understand how she could treat the daughter she carried in her womb for ten months this way.Mom instinctively snapped back, "I never helped Lianne harm her! She's the one who's so wicked and…"As she spoke, her voice gradually softened. It was as if she suddenly realized I had never actually done any of the horrible things she said
Although I believed that Irvin had an ulterior motive when he said he would transfer all his assets to me, he most likely thought that I was still the same as before and couldn't bear to see him being treated unfairly. He might have thought that as long as he showed me enough love, I would give in and listen to him without needing him to actually do anything. That I would do whatever he asked me to do.In the end, he wouldn't have to pay any price to have me withdraw the lawsuit and publicly declare that Julianne was innocent.He never truly intended to give me all his assets.However, this wouldn't stop me from my sweet goal of making sure he would leave our marriage with nothing to his name. Both he and Julianne would suffer in misery. As I listened to music, I drifted to sleep in a great mood.I felt that no matter what Irvin was plotting, I wouldn't be losing out on this. However, I forgot that whenever Irvin told me to wait, it had never led to something good.Just like
I was deep in thought after learning all this new information. "Who sent the video to Julianne?" I asked. "What was their purpose?"I refused to believe Julianne wasn't the one behind it. "The man who sent the video died in a car accident last year," Mark replied. "Because of that, we have no way to verify if he had edited the surveillance video himself. We also can't determine his purpose behind sending the video to her." This lead turned out to be a dead end.I fell silent again.A short while later, I asked, "What about the other evidence? Like the one where Mr. Sawyer had drugged Julianne? Is it authentic?""It is. We've verified its authenticity," Mark responded.I didn't know what to say.Mark was the best lawyer around—sharp and meticulous. If he had verified the evidence, there was no doubting its legitimacy. Had I really misunderstood Julianne? Was she truly not the culprit?All this time, I thought that she had intentionally conspired with Dad to have me appear
Upon seeing the look in Julianne's eyes, I was sure of my suspicions.She definitely did try to set me up all those years ago. She just hadn't anticipated that I would suddenly regain awareness and leave the hotel.Julianne had always been meticulous. As such, the depths of her mind were unfathomable.Right now, she had failed to harm me and ended up harming herself instead. Still, it was possible she had anticipated this current outcome when she schemed to gain control over Phillip.Her goal had been to climb into his bed, and she needed to figure out a way to do so. In the end, Phillip had unknowingly helped her by drugging and seducing her.Regardless of how she achieved her goal, she was going to make herself out to be the victim.And given this, she probably figured she would harm me in the process if she could. Even if she couldn't, she would still walk away from this situation unscathed.I had to admit, Julianne really had thought everything out thoroughly. Every step was
I was feeling extremely frustrated by the whole situation.And somehow, Irvin chose this exact momIn her eyes, Emilia wanting the divorce was perfect.ent to bother me at my home.With Julianne acquitted, I no longer had any bargaining leverage over him. Everything we had discussed was now moot.Unless it was about collecting our divorce certificate, I didn't want to say another word to him.Oblivious to my frustration, he said, "I told you Lianne wouldn't intentionally hurt you! But you refused to believe me!"It was obvious Irvin was especially relieved by the outcome of the investigation. He was glad Julianne hadn't hurt me on purpose. Otherwise, he wouldn't know how to face me.I looked at him in exasperation.Just as I was about to ask him to get lost, he spoke again. "I've calculated all the assets under my name, babe. Here's the voluntary asset transfer memorandum. And this is the newly drafted divorce agreement per your request. "I've already signed it, so only your s
Irvin grew worried when I suddenly began throwing up."What's wrong? Is it something you ate?" he asked in a panic as he approached me.He wanted to pat my back. However, the closer he got, the more nauseated I felt. This only made me want to vomit even more.I couldn't speak, so all I could do was wave my hand, signaling him to stay away.The room was very warm despite the cold weather outside. As such, I was only wearing a thin silk nightgown. The sleeve of my nightgown slid up when I waved my arm, exposing my scar.Irvin was about to say something. However, he froze when he saw my scar.He grabbed my wrist forcefully."Why do you have a scar on your arm?" he demanded. "When did you get it? Why didn't you tell me about it?"He knew I feared getting injured and that I couldn't handle pain. Yet, I had such a large scar. He couldn't imagine how much pain I must have been in. He also didn't understand why I had kept it from him.As he spoke, he thought of pushing the sleeve up
It had finally sunk in for Irvin.It was clear to him now how much I despised and abhorred him. He also realized my laughter had been filled with sadness and hurt.The more he thought about it, the more panicked and terrified he became."Please don't be like this, Emi. Whatever it is, let's talk it out. I know I'm at fault for everything before. I…" His voice trailed off as he stepped forward to hug me.He wanted to fill the terrifying emptiness and fear he felt in his heart. And to him, the only way to do so was to hug me tightly.However, he stopped when he saw I had picked up the fruit knife off the table. He didn't dare move any closer."Careful not to hurt yourself, Emi," he said, his voice tense.It turned out he wasn't afraid of me hurting him. Instead, he was worried I might harm myself."Get out!" I repeated.I truly didn't want to see him anymore. I wanted him to disappear from my sight right this instant.He had never understood or believed me in the past. But this
The vase Julianne had broken wasn't even worth 50 dollars.However, the shopkeeper keyed it in as an antique vase from the Rhovan Empire. Then, he priced it at five million before charging Irvin's card.Irvin never had to worry about money. And since they were in an antique shop, he naturally assumed she had broken an antique vase. Besides, he believed Julianne wouldn't have called him if it were for a small amount.Hence, he didn't even question anything and simply completed the payment. After getting his card back, hurriedly left for work.The shopkeeper turned to face Julianne after Irvin had left."Mr. Sawyer treats you so well, Ms. Sinclair. He just paid the five million dollars without asking a single question!" the shopkeeper exclaimed.He was extremely envious of Julianne.However, Julianne only scoffed in response.It didn't matter how much Irvin was willing to spend on her. At the end of the day, the money was still his. She could only spend it if he allowed her to. E
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