Landon immediately remembered Irvin had thrown me aside without a second thought to save Julianne, and he abruptly went quiet.But right then, Quinton stormed in from outside. He barked, "Lianne was kidnapped and in serious danger. What's wrong with asking you to help save her? Isn't that the least you could've done?"Emilia, stop playing the victim here. If you'd treated LIanne right from the start, we never would've misunderstood you. You brought this on yourself!"Quinton glared at Landon like he was pissed Landon had let a cruel woman like me shut him up so easily.They both grew up with Irvin, meaning they'd also known Julianne their whole lives. Irvin treated Julianne like a princess, so naturally, they did too.And since Julianne often fed them stories about how badly I had treated her, they'd always hated my guts, even before I officially met Irvin.When I first got together with Irvin, Quinton and Landon had initially been respectful, addressing me properly and acting po
But Quinton never even got close. The bodyguards I'd hired with a hefty price rushed into the room, immediately surrounding him.Quinton's brow furrowed in confusion. "Emilia, what the hell are you doing?"What was I doing?I scoffed and said, "Beat his ass and throw him out! Don't worry about breaking anything—I'll pay!"I couldn't understand how the old me had changed so much for the sake of loving one guy. All I knew now was I wasn't that person anymore. Now, I wouldn't put up with anything and never let any insult slide. Although I didn't remember every detail of the humiliation these jerks had put me through, my diary had carefully noted it all.One by one, I would let them have a taste of their own medicine.Quinton stared at me in disbelief. "Emilia, don't you dare!"He couldn't tell if I'd completely lost it or was insane. Not only had I dared to snap at him, but now I was ordering him to get beaten up!I ignored his shouts, calmly waving to my bodyguards to drag him
I found it strange. Noah had clearly outgrown his shyness and social anxiety, so why had Cordelia insisted he was still too anxious to live on campus and needed to stay with me? Noah froze for a second. After having Quinton and Lanson dragged out and beaten, I thought I'd finally get some peace. But before Noah could even respond, Mom's furious voice exploded through the hall. "Millicent, how could you be so heartless?" I frowned and was about to tell Noah to shut the door. I had no interest in seeing my so-called mother, but she was already storming inside. "Millicent, how dare you! Do you have any idea what happened to Julianne because of you?" she shouted. "Because you ran, she was… she was…" Mom choked on her words, so devastated she couldn't even finish her sentence. Meanwhile, Dad—no, Henry—looked like he was about to finish me. Their precious Julianne, the one they'd coddled and protected all her life, had been raped by those kidnappers. The sheer horror of
"You've always known Julianne is fragile. You have no idea what she's going through right now. She's…" Jeremy trailed off, unable to finish.Honestly, he didn't even like Julianne that much. He'd only ever showered her with attention because he was jealous, figuring the nicer he was to Julianne, the more it would hurt me.But now, looking at his conflicted expression, I knew what he was thinking. I was ruthless and cold-hearted. As a woman myself, I should've understood how devastating it was for Julianne to go through something like that. He believed, deep down, I should've let myself be sacrificed to spare her from something like that. His face twisted between guilt and anger.I let out a bitter laugh.Was this really my fault? What did they mean by I ruined Julianne's life? What exactly did I do to her? Was it because she wanted me dead, and I just didn't go through with her plans? Was it because she wanted me to be violated, and I refused to let it happen?Was I a saint or
"As a matter of fact, I think the two of you should be seeking penance!" I snapped. "You should live out the rest of your lives in a chapel—praying for Juianne and repenting for your sins. Only then will both of you be able to make it up to her!"I looked at them, lifting an eyebrow. "So hurry up, get your savings and assets in order, and transfer them over to Julianne. Then, go spend the rest of your lives in penance!" I finished coolly.Mom and Henry both stared at me in disbelief. It was as though I had said something absurd.A long silence followed before Mom finally snapped out of her shock."Are you out of your mind?" she yelled.Her reaction didn't surprise me. After all, if she transferred all her money and assets to Julianne, she would have trouble getting by. Where would she get money to spend? It was one thing to depend on close relatives for money, let alone an adopted daughter. Regardless, she would still prefer to rely on herself.I furrowed my brow in feigned con
"I said that's enough, Emilia!" Jeremy shouted, standing up in anger.I sneered as I looked at him. "You're so unwilling to spare Julianne some money, yet you had the nerve to ask me to trade my life for hers?""Who said you would need to trade your life?" Jeremy retorted irritatedly. "All you had to do was follow Irvin's plan—" He abruptly stopped. He didn't finish because he knew Irvin's plan had gone wrong. In fact, they all knew this. If I hadn't acted first and taken down Ms. Plume, I would likely be dead right now.They kept telling me I shouldn't have escaped and should have just gone along with the exchange. Yet here they were, unwilling to give Julianne their money. They were supposed to be closest to her and loved her the most, so what right did they have to ask me to give up my life for her?They were in the wrong, yet they still had the audacity to blame me. But now that I had turned the moral argument against them, they didn't know how to continue. Just moments ago
Julianne seemed genuinely worried about losing Irvin. Her pleas sounded convincing, and she had even gotten on her knees.Mom and Jeremy were completely unaware of Irvin's condition. They had been caring for Julianne ever since they heard what had happened to her. And once she started to feel better, they immediately came after me.Because of that, they were just now learning that Irvin had gotten injured trying to save me. His injuries weren't severe, but apparently, he was growing weaker because he had lost the will to live. So, when they heard Julianne say he might die, they were shell-shocked.Their heads snapped toward me. It was obvious they wanted me to pay Irvin a visit.I ignored them. Why should I? I wasn't a doctor.None of them thought I would be so heartless toward him. I used to love him so much that I would wish to take on his pain despite my aversion toward it. It didn't matter how severely injured he was, I would gladly take it on for him.Yet now, I was refusi
Julianne stood up and said, "I wouldn't have to threaten you like this if you weren't being so cold-hearted and unfeeling."Those words were probably to maintain her image as an innocent and angelic girl in front of Henry, Mom, and Jeremy. Personally, I felt it was completely unnecessary.Initially, they were dumbfounded to hear that Julianne would be inheriting Irvin's new company should he die. But once they overcame their shock, their goal had clearly shifted.When I had first gotten together with Irvin, Mom and Henry were against our relationship. They disliked Irvin then because he had just been kicked out of his home.At the time, Phillip had wanted one of his illegitimate children to succeed him and take over Sawyer Corporation. Having lost his position as a potential heir, Irvin was seen as nothing in the eyes of others.On top of that, Irvin had a rocky adolescence. He was a spoiled child and had lived a pampered life, which made him flamboyant, arrogant, and reckless. Pl
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