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
I was currently treating Louis to a meal when I met someone unexpected.I was seated at a table in a private room for him. When the door was opened, Gideon Stone walked in. He was like a brother to Irvin and one of his closest friends.Before I could speak, Louis said, "Emilia, allow me to introduce you to Gideon Stone. He's one of my former students and has returned to inherit his family business. It was thanks to him that your case was resolved so quickly." Gideon's family owned a chain of pharmacies. It could be said there was one on the corner of every street in Claudevile.In fact, there was a branch across from the hotel where the drugging incident had taken place.It just so happened that the branch had been celebrating its anniversary the day the incident occurred. Because of this, they happened to be holding an event at the time of the incident.As such, the store had captured the moment I left the hotel. This was how they were able to uncover the truth so swiftly."Gi
Julianne remained in her car. She watched as I slid down the slope and attempted to save the people in the car.When she saw how dire the situation was, her eyes narrowed with glee. A cruel gleam flashed through her gaze as she began imagining how the current situation would play out.It was a cold winter night, and I was trying to save the people in the wreckage. However, I wasn't able to because I lacked the strength. Not only that, if the car exploded, I would perish as well.To her, it would be the perfect, most seamless accidental death in the world! Julianne wanted me dead very badly. Hence, her first thought upon seeing such a situation was to imagine how I would die. She was happy because she wouldn't have to get involved.Not only that, but she also thought about how it wouldn't matter if she couldn't be with Irvin once I was dead. With me gone, she would be the only and most important woman in his heart.With a cruel smile, she opened her car door and got out.The fir
I pulled the child out of the car. Picking him up, I was about to move away from the wreckage.Irvin had just placed the pregnant woman on the ground. When I turned, I saw him running toward me, his eyes burning with pure rage.Before I could react, he lunged toward us. We rolled away from the car wrapped in his arms and came to a stop facing away from it. Irvin was shielding us with his broad frame.Then, there was a deafening bang. The car had exploded! It was immediately engulfed in flames.The sound of the explosion and the raging fire triggered a flood of memories in my mind.I flashed back to the beginning of my sophomore year. I was working on an experiment in the university lab when one of the juniors mishandled a substance. This caused an explosion, which created a huge fire.The explosion had knocked over a cabinet, which fell on top of me. Trapped underneath it, I was unable to move. I could only watch as the flames crept closer. I thought I was going to be burned aliv
My past self had always hoped Irvin would choose her for once whenever a situation like this occurred. She had hoped he wouldn't choose Julianne again, who would obviously pretend to faint.However, the current me desperately hoped otherwise. I prayed his heart would break for her just like it always did in the past whenever she fainted. I hoped he would drop everything else, rush over, and sweep her away.That way, I could finally divorce him!Irvin had saved me once before. And he had done it again just now. But no matter what, the harm he had caused me couldn't be wiped clean.I felt conflicted because he had saved me. However, it doesn't change my desire to divorce him.Besides, my past self had also saved him many times before. In fact, if we were keeping score, I had saved him more times than he had. So I didn't owe him a thing.Thus, I prayed he would choose Julianne. This way, our marriage would come to a quick and clean end.However, just like always, he dashed my hop
Fear was written all over Irvin's face.It seemed he couldn't bear to think about what would have happened if he hadn't shown up in time and helped me."Emi, I know you're kind-hearted, so I understand that you can't just stand by and watch when someone's life is in danger. But…" He trailed off again.I looked at Irvin, amused by him saying he knew how kind-hearted I was. The irony wasn't lost on me, and I couldn't hold back my laughter.This was the same man who had called me vicious and malicious. And now, he was calling me kind-hearted?Irvin was stumped by the sight of me laughing. However, he seemed to have realized something and quickly returned to his senses."I'm sorry, Emi. I…" He trailed off yet again.He wasn't good at apologizing, so he didn't know what to say. He also felt his apology would be pointless. The more he thought about it, the more foolish he felt.I was someone who was willing to risk my life to save a complete stranger. Thus, he shouldn't have called m
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