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
As Julianne saw that Irvin showed signs of wavering, she cried even harder. "Irvin, I didn't! I didn't mean to kill her! I just wanted to make her angry. It was really an accident that she fell off the cliff and got so badly hurt."She continued, "If I really wanted to kill her, I would have let them do it when they kidnapped her. Why would I wait until you arrived? "And you know that cliff isn't even that high. Why would I choose such a short one if I wanted her dead? I really, really didn't mean for her to die. That was just an accident…"Julianne sobbed pitifully. It was such a heartbreaking sight that even the coldest person would feel sorry for her. Let alone Irvin, who had pampered her so much that it had become a natural instinct to him.Moreover, deep down, he had always believed that she wasn't truly evil. And so, he believed her. He believed that Julianne never intended to kill me.That she didn't do those things out of malice but because she was mentally unstable, beli
I hadn't even taken my exam, and I already promised to buy two meals.Noah insisted on accompanying me to the exam center after we finished eating. He claimed he had nothing to do at home, so I agreed.We soon arrived at the exam center. Once we alighted from the car, I told him to find a café and wait for me there. I would call him once I was done with the exam.As soon as I finished speaking, someone else butted into our conversation."Exam? No way, Emilia! Don't tell me you're talking about the exam for grad school? Why would someone like you even try getting into one?" said a female voice.I turned toward the direction of the voice with my brow furrowed. It belonged to Lily's mother, Susan Walter.I involuntarily grimaced as I recalled our last encounter. She had incessantly tried to set me up with that nephew of hers—I think he had a Ph.D."No offense, Emilia, but aren't you too old for that?" Susan asked without waiting for a response. "Why are you trying to get into grad
Following the direction Landon was pointing at, Irvin spotted Noah. His eyes darkened, but he didn't respond.Landon said, "Emilia is beautiful and wealthy. She'll be swarmed by suitors very soon now that she's divorced. I really think you were too impulsive when you gave all your assets to her. If you want to have a chance of winning her back, I suggest you figure out how to get some cash on hand, Irvin."Otherwise, you won't be able to win her back. Not only that, you'll have to watch helplessly as another man snatches her away. Or worse, she might even be scammed out of her money and love."Landon genuinely felt Irvin had made the wrong move. Regardless of how remorseful he was, he still shouldn't have transferred all his assets to me.We lived in a capitalistic era, so what could Irvin possibly have without money? Without it, he had nothing and was a nobody. Forget about getting me back, he would probably have no choice but to watch as I was snatched away by someone else.Irvi
My exam spanned two days.Irvin stood outside the exam center and watched me the entire time. His gaze was so intense that his buddies even felt heartbroken for him. Thus, they found a way to let me know what he had been doing in hopes I would feel sorry for him.However, I didn't feel sorry for Irvin when I found out he had been following me this whole time. Instead, I thought he was a stalker and passed him a warning through his buddies. I told them to tell him I would call the police if he continued following me.His buddies were taken aback by my reaction. Having witnessed how strongly I had loved Irvin, they couldn't believe I was completely unsympathetic. In fact, they were shocked when I had even threatened to call the police.…I went through my answers with Mr. Holland after the exam was over. Once I had confirmed I had no issues passing it, I finally relaxed.Coincidentally, it was just in time for Julianne's criminal trial for my near-death kidnapping.Mom and Henry h
I felt the heat from a malicious glare the moment I entered the courtroom.Upon meeting Julianne's hateful gaze, I could tell she wished I was dead. Smiling arrogantly, I challengingly cocked an eyebrow at her.The look on my face seemed to say, "Oh? You want me dead? I'm not the one who's finished right now—you are!"Julianne's hatred instantly intensified at my cocky provocation. She had never wanted me dead as much as she did in this moment. However, her fervent wishes were all in vain. She knew she was no longer a match for me now. I was no longer the dirty doormat beneath her shoe.Julianne knew she would be lucky if she could walk away from this criminal trial unscathed. She also knew she couldn't make any mistakes during the trial session. Thus, she didn't glance my way again. Even so, she couldn't stop her hatred for me from brewing. She absolutely despised me.Julianne had received praise for her looks since she was young.When she joined the Quill family, she had di
I continued ignoring Henry and Mom. I acted as though I didn't hear a thing no matter how they cussed at me.After the trial was adjourned, Mark and I immediately busied ourselves with finding a breakthrough in this case.We needed to convince our key witness to stick to our original agreement. In addition to re-identifying Julianne as the mastermind, we also wanted him to testify that Irvin had interfered with the judicial process.As we were in the midst of figuring out how to do this, we suddenly received news from the detention center—Julianne was dead!She had always had a sickly body. Additionally, she had lived a pampered lifestyle. Thus, she couldn't bear the conditions in the detention center.On the third day after Julianne had been detained, she started to feel unwell. Then, she fell seriously ill by the fifth day. She had also been sick yesterday. As the doctors at the detention center weren't equipped to treat her, she had been sent to the nearest hospital to receive
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