However, I underestimated how cautious Julianne would be. She never used her phone to contact Travis. She had also erased all traces of their chat history. For a long time, I didn't gain anything useful from spying on her through her phone.Until today.This recording was the most useful thing I had gotten after monitoring her phone for so long.It wasn't the only thing I had, of course. I also had screenshots of her chat history with Irvin and with me. However, I decided to show only the recording since it was sufficient. It was conclusive enough to nail him for violating our agreement.If he didn't think it was enough evidence, I still had plenty to show him.Irvin's face became gloomier when he heard me say I had more evidence."Where did you get that recording? Did you hire someone to spy on me?" he questioned.He was a smart man, after all. So, it wasn't surprising that he was able to put the pieces together so quickly.I shrugged. "No, I didn't. Someone sent this to me,
He didn't want to let go of me. No matter what, he just couldn't, unless he died.But even if he died, he still didn't want to let go. He wanted to take me with him.He couldn't live without me—not even when he was suffering, and especially not now. I frowned. "Are you trying to disregard the agreement and force me to sue you?"My agreement with Irvin wasn't just a verbal promise. He couldn't go back on his word whenever he pleased.Our agreement was legally binding. If he broke his promise, I could take him to court. With the divorce agreement in hand, the court would grant the divorce and divide the assets according to what was stated in it.He would leave the marriage with nothing!Irvin saw my determination to sue him and the disgust in my gaze. There was no trace of the love I once had for him. The despair in his eyes slowly turned into rage. No matter what, he just couldn't accept that I stopped loving him. And I stopped loving him without hesitation. There were no li
But saying he didn't know me wasn't entirely true. After learning the truth, he knew full well that I intended to divorce him and leave him for good.The so-called chance I gave him was just to make him suffer even more. There was no way I could ever forgive him.So, while I thought I had tricked him, he had already been plotting against me.He had treated me like an enemy, cunningly transferring the shares of the shell company to me while secretly owning a new company that was entirely under his control.If we didn't divorce, our two companies would remain one, and the company in my name would continue to thrive.But the moment we divorced, my company would go bankrupt instantly. Not only would I lose everything, but I would also be drowning in debt, just like what he said.I stared at Irvin as he spoke so genuinely, claiming he never intended to hurt me and never would. And that all he wanted was to be with me.I wanted to say something, but the words never left my lips, becau
As I was too focused on figuring out how to fight my way back in this situation, I completely forgot that night had already fallen.By the time I arrived at Mark's law firm, the building was completely dark.I couldn't help but chuckle. I really had lost my mind after that blow.I was so anxious that I wanted to call Mark to ask what I should do in this situation. I wanted to know whether there were any legal loopholes that I could use to fight back.However, I realized it was already late, and he was probably asleep.I shouldn't disturb his rest. Besides, even if there was a legal way to break through this situation, it wasn't something that could be solved instantly.I put my phone away.Just moments ago, I had been confident that I would have my divorce certificate tomorrow. I would be completely free from this marriage and start focusing on my studies. But after this sudden blow, I couldn't calm myself down no matter how hard I tried.I drove aimlessly through the quiet w
Neither Shaun nor I noticed that someone had taken a picture of us entering the hotel together.Just as I finished washing up and was ready to lie in my bed, Irvin called me. I initially didn't want to answer, but after giving it some thought, I picked up."Emi, why aren't you home?" he asked.Irvin thought I had gone home after leaving. Once he had composed himself, he went to my place but found I wasn't home."Why does it matter to you whether I go home or not?" I replied coldly. I couldn't understand how he could act this way after doing that to me."Emi—""Don't call me that!" I cut him off. "And stop pretending to be all affectionate. Even if you don't find it disgusting, please spare me from it!"Irvin instinctively explained, "Emi, I'm not pretending.""Oh? Then was your brand-new company built in a day? You must have spent quite some time draining your current company, right?"Now that I had calmed down, I had been thinking about it. I answered his call to get informat
After hanging up on Irvin, I lay in bed, my mind racing with thoughts of how to escape. I was wide awake the entire night.As soon as morning arrived, I could finally call Mark and arrange a meeting to discuss the situation.After contemplating it all night, I had come up with a possible loophole, but I wasn't sure if it was feasible. I needed the opinion of a professional lawyer.Mark frowned after hearing everything.He was present when Irvin transferred all his assets to me, reviewing all the relevant documents and ensuring there were no issues. He had assumed Irvin was genuinely remorseful and that he wanted to make up for his mistake. He never imagined the truth to be something like this!He apologized immediately, "I'm sorry, Emilia. I didn't even realize this possibility back then."Sawyer Corporation was one of the country's leading companies with a promising future.Therefore, Mark naturally assumed there was fine. It never occurred to him that there could be an issue
"But he didn't choose to divorce you," Mark pointed out. "Instead, he told you all these to keep you. If that's the case, then he must truly love you."He continued, "He probably didn't intend to harm you but was just desperate to hold onto you. Maybe he was afraid that you'd never forgive him no matter what, so he wanted to bind you to him first. "If you still have feelings for him, and if there's a chance for reconciliation, perhaps you can try to resolve the past and move forward together."If there was a chance for us to reconcile, then there would be no need to waste energy searching for evidence."No way!" I replied without hesitation. "I'll never be with him again!"Not that I believed his love for me was genuine, but even if it was, there was no way I'd ever be with him again!Not all pain and wounds could be healed by love."If you can't be with him again, then… you could use his feelings to your advantage," Mark said. "You can seduce him or lower the hostility between
But I quickly noticed it.And the bodyguards I had hired with a high price noticed it even sooner.They told me about it through their Bluetooth earpieces, informing me that these people had been following me since I left home. They were certain that these people were intending to harm me.I raised an eyebrow. I knew Julianne wouldn't just sit back and do nothing after what I had done to her. I had forced her into the corner not just to divorce Irvin but also to push her into making a move against me.Since it was too difficult to track down Travis, I decided to wait for her second attempt. She had to pay for what she had done!She wanted me dead, so if I continued to pressure and humiliate her, she would only be more determined to kill me.She would think of every possible method and make a move against me. Sure enough, she was coming for me again.I pulled my phone out, pretending to look at it, while using the camera to scan my surroundings. There was more than one person who
These prominent scholars might be able to speak eloquently during academic discussions, but they weren't fond of socializing. Hence, when invited to dinner, their first instinct was to decline.It wasn't until Professor Weiss explained that we would simply be continuing the day's discussion while eating—rather than it being a formal meal—that the scholars finally agreed to join us later that evening.Hungry for more knowledge, my attention was fully focused on these professors. All I could think about was what questions I could ask them over dinner. I was so focused that I didn't even notice Irvin repeatedly glancing at me as we left.We took a shuttle back to the official conference hotel. Then, after saying temporary goodbyes, we headed to our respective rooms to change.Once inside the room, Emma couldn't hold it in any longer."Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "I thought I was pretty smart because I had a high IQ. I had always been a top student and managed to get into one of the to
While I couldn't completely let go of Irvin, I was no longer the person I once was.Back then, I had placed love above all else, so loving Irvin had been the most important thing to me. I'd devoted myself to him and treated him like he was my entire world. He had been the source of all my emotions—from happiness to anger, and from sorrow to joy.Now, my top priority was my studies and research. I would never again give up the academic path I loved so deeply for anyone.…Julianne watched as Mitchell apologized to Professor Weiss and tried to curry favor with him. Then, she saw the way Professor Weiss treated me with warmth and respect. Hatred simmered behind her eyes. She felt life was so unfair. She had to work hard for everything she wanted, and yet those very things seemed to fall effortlessly into my lap. She didn't want to take any more risks. But despite this, she was so furious that she couldn't resist the urge to. She wanted to destroy me once and for all.Grace obse
Mitchell felt humiliated from having to apologize to me so publicly, so he was already in a bad mood. And when he heard the tone Julienne used with him, his expression soured even more."Who told you Ms. Quill is an academic fraud, Ms. Calder?" he shot back.Julianne clearly hadn't expected that. She was caught off guard by the question. Then, as though sensing someone's gaze on her, she turned her head. And when she spotted Irvin, she froze.Julianne had kept tabs on Irvin, but they hadn't seen each other face-to-face ever since she faked her death. So, their sudden encounter shook her.I lowered my gaze when I saw Julianne and Irvin lock eyes.I had recognized Julianne the moment I saw her. My family had too. Thus, I believed it would be the same for Irvin as well.Our relationship problems started because of Julianne, so they should end with her too.Having grown up together with Irvin, she knew she couldn't hide who she really was from him. Regardless, she couldn't admit she
"Ms. Quill, you—" Grace sputtered.From her expression, I could tell she wanted to say, "You really will say anything to save your pride. How will you get in if you won't follow us?"Just then, a few people walked out of the hall. At the lead was an elderly man with white hair.Upon seeing me, the elderly man's stern expression morphed into a smile. "Emilia! You're here!"I returned the smile and walked up to greet him, "Hello, Professor Weiss."I had met several influential figures during the Global Technology Forum in Lestoria. Among them, I had gotten along best with this man, Professor Richard Weiss.After exchanging pleasantries, Professor Weiss turned to Mitchell and asked, "Who is this man? What gives him the right to bar you from attending the conference and call you an academic fraud?"Professor Weiss was the biggest name in the physics field. He was someone everyone respected and dared not offend.Hearing this, Mitchell quickly explained, "It was a misunderstanding! I
"Of course!" Grace said.Moving to my side, she linked her arm with mine in a friendly gesture. It was as though we were on very good terms.She continued, "Not only is she an incredibly skilled researcher, but she's also my sister-in-law—which means she's also a member of the Hardwell family. So, Mr. Slate, any accusations of her being an academic fraud must be a misunderstanding!"Upon hearing how solemn Grace was, Mitchell couldn't help but look at me."If you aren't an academic fraud, then why would Ms. Calder say that about you?" he asked.I coolly returned his gaze. "That's a question for Ms. Calder, not me."Mitchell frowned and looked displeased. He clearly hadn't expected that answer.Grace turned to me and said, "Alright, Emi. Let's go inside together!"Her expression read, "Come on. I'll bring you in."Irvin didn't understand why I hadn't been allowed in despite having an invitation. He also didn't know why I had been mistaken for an academic fraud and was being bar
I looked down at my phone and was zooming in on the image of the data. But before I could even take a good look at it, Emma squeezed my arm."Holy crap! Emilia. Isn't that your ex-husband's brother!" she exclaimed.I instinctively looked up—just in time to see Irvin opening the car door and courteously helping Grace get down.Grace flashed a gentle smile at Irvin, then linked arms with him. To onlookers, that intimate gesture made them look like a loving married couple.I thought back to how Irvin had been near tears when we had met on the first snowfall of the season. Yet now, he was holding another woman's arm and playing the role of her devoted husband.I couldn't even describe how I felt at that moment.Then, I recalled how much Irvin had despised Grace before. Yet, in just a month, he managed to make it look like they were happily married. I feared it wouldn't be long before he began to feel sympathy for her. And then, per Grace's scheme, Irvin would eventually truly becom
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