"Irvin, I wasn't trying to accuse Millie," Julianne began. "I just… I just guessed that it was her from the signs…"Before she could finish her sentence, Irvin snapped angrily, "Enough, Julianne! I trust you like family, not for you to treat me as a fool!"They had grown up together, raised by the same mother. He had truly seen her as his sister. Yet she…"Irvin, I really…" Julianne tried to explain.But Irvin didn't want to hear another word from her. He had someone drag her out.I had clearly told him that I was innocent, the sufferings I had endured, and how many times Julianne had deceived him over the years.I also let him know that the reason Julianne had slandered me and manipulated our relationship wasn't solely because she misunderstood and thought I had drugged her.I had never wished her harm. It was she who couldn't stand seeing me happy.Even so, despite knowing everything, Irvin still didn't doubt what had happened back then because they had grown up together. He
Irvin had to let go before he could have another chance. If he didn't make me lower my guard, there would never be any progress between us again. So, he said the same thing I did, "No, I won't reconsider. Thank you."But no matter what, he couldn't say it with a smile like I did. Seeing how determined we were, the staff could only sigh and proceed with the divorce paperwork.Our divorce had been incredibly difficult, dragging on for so long. But now, it was completed in just a matter of minutes.And just like that, Irvin and I were no longer husband and wife.Staring at the divorce certificate in my hand, I was momentarily dazed.Irvin's eyes, however, were red with unshed tears. Even though he never truly wanted to give up on our marriage, he was just letting go temporarily in hopes of a better future.Even so, when we got married, he had never once thought about divorce. He always believed we would grow old together.Who would have thought that in just four years, we had e
Irvin stood there, watching me turn and leave without hesitation. He watched me get into the car and drive away until I was completely out of sight. His heart suddenly felt like it had a hole in it, allowing the wind and snow to rush in. He staggered, almost unable to stand properly.Although he would never allow what he feared to happen, my determination terrified him. He was afraid that after this separation, there would be no more chances between us.He was truly scared of that happening.Snowflakes landed softly on his face.Looking at the snow, he suddenly recalled the Christmas Eve before Julianne returned from abroad. That night, the snowfall was just as heavy as it was now. Since I had always loved the snow, a white Christmas was absolutely perfect. It was so romantic.I insisted on walking to the restaurant to enjoy the scenery along the way. As always, he listened to me and happily held my hand as we walked to the restaurant. The snow was falling heavily. Soon, our
However, Julianne needed money right now.Previously, I had demanded that she return everything Irvin had given her. Irvin had promised that once she returned those things, he would give her something else, something even more than what she had given back.But up until now, he still hadn't given her anything.How was she supposed to survive without money? How?Julianne had always been used to a luxurious life, so even a single day without money felt unbearable to her. She explained, "Irvin, I really wasn't trying to slander Millie. I'm just worried about you two. I know you gave her everything because you feel guilty. But… have you ever thought about how dangerous it is for a woman to have such a huge sum of money? "It's like a kid walking on the street holding gold. It'll only attract trouble for her."Irvin couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of her words. She really just claimed to be worried about me?"Lianne, do you really take me for a fool?" he asked.Did she rea
Irvin had always firmly believed that I was faking my injuries and making a scene. Aside from Travis and my parents telling him I was fine, the main reason was that he thought I had made up the entire kidnapping case just to compete with Julianne for his attention. So, when the kidnappers forced him to choose between us, he picked Julianne without hesitation. After I fell off the cliff, he assumed it was all part of my plan and didn't worry about me at all.Even when he went to the hospital to make me apologize to Julianne and saw how badly I was hurt, he still thought I was faking it. And even if I really was injured, he believed I had brought it upon myself.After all, in his mind, I was the one who had planned it.After realizing that I had truly been seriously injured, he finally understood that the kidnapping wasn't something I had planned.He regretted it so much that the thought overwhelmed him, making it unbearable. Still, he never once suspected that Julianne was the
The news of Julianne's arrest reached me quickly. When Mark told me he could get her sentenced to at least ten years in prison, I raised my glass to toast him.Feeling good, I drank a little more than usual.I walked home, a little tipsy and light-headed. But when I reached my apartment building and saw Irvin standing in the cold wind, my good mood instantly plummeted.Even though he had given me everything he had, I genuinely didn't want to see him ever again, especially not now.Just as I was about to ignore him and head upstairs, Irvin called out to me."Lianne was arrested," he said.I stopped walking and turned back with a cold sneer. "Why? Are you here to beg me to let your dear sister go?"The sarcasm in my eyes pierced his heart. He had no idea how terrible of a person he was to me, that even now, I assumed he had come to plead for Julianne."No, Emi, I came to apologize. I'm sorry, it was my—""Stop apologizing," I cut him off. "I won't forgive you, and I don't want t
Even though my heart had been tampered with countless times, Mom's words still stung a little.She actually said she would cut ties with me. She actually went that far for Julianne.Why? Why was she willing to go to such lengths for an adopted daughter?At first, she didn't even like Julianne. Maybe, over time, she grew to like her more because of her misunderstandings about me, thinking that I was cruel and heartless.But after she learned the truth and realized I didn't do those things, why didn't she feel guilty for misunderstanding me? Why did she continue to treat me this way?Even when there was proof that Julianne was evil and not as nice as she had believed, not only did she not dislike Julianne, but she still tried to do things for her.Why?Why did she still love Julianne so much?Even after being hurt by her so many times, I still couldn't bring myself to cut ties with Mom. And yet, she could. How could she do this?I was overwhelmed with pain and endless spirals of
Mom's eyes widened in shock, as if she never expected me to say that. After a long pause, she finally said, "Millicent, you are completely inhumane!"I chuckled. "Well. I never had a humane mom to begin with."…After knowing Mom could no longer affect me, Julianne started begging Irvin again. When he went to visit her, she bawled her eyes out. "Irvin, I know I was wrong… I really do…"She knew it would be useless to deny it, so she could only plead with Irvin. "I thought that she had drugged me. I hated her so much that I lost control and did something terrible. But I really know I was wrong now…"She sobbed so hard that anyone who saw her would feel their heart breaking.But the man, who had once adored her and couldn't bear to see her suffer even the slightest discomfort, showed no trace of emotion on his cold face. Irvin could understand that she had done the wrong thing out of hatred, but he couldn't forgive her. And he had no right to forgive her.If she hadn't grown up
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