The guard immediately called for assistance using his radio and instructed them to head to the man's rescue.Seeing this, I stopped worrying about the man I had saved. I hurried back to the villa to shower and change my clothes.As I had been in the water and then stood in the cold wind, Cordelia worried I would catch a cold. Hence, she asked our in-house butler to make a large bowl of stew for me while I was showering.I was about to drink the bowl of hot stew when the head of hotel security knocked on our door. He told us they couldn't find anyone at the spot I had mentioned.The news shocked me. While the man's life was no longer in danger, I was sure he was still unconscious when I left. It was impossible for him to wake up and leave on his own in such a short amount of time.Plus, I had moved him so far up the beach that he was almost at the path leading to the hotel's garden. It was also low tide now, so he definitely wasn't pulled back out to sea. So, how could he have disa
I was so shocked that I spilled my drink.When I snapped out of my shock, I realized the figure was Irvin. He had his fist raised and was about to swing it again. Seeing this, I quickly rushed forward and grabbed his arm."What are you doing!" I sternly scolded.Irvin had looked like a raging wild beast. However, he instantly looked aggrieved when he heard me reprimand him."But he was harassing you, babe," he whined in protest.He had hurt me repeatedly, and we were already divorced. So, I didn't understand how he had the gall to still call me "babe" and behave this way.His behaviour irked me.Irvin kept claiming he loved me and was miserable. Yet, he still kept going to such lengths to help Julianne. This made me never want to see him again. And now that I had, I went from feeling like I was floating in heaven to feeling like I had descended into hell.I flung Irvin's hand away as I couldn't be bothered to deal with him. Instead, I strode up to Blondie, who was still on the
Ultimately, Irvin had a dominant personality.He knew he shouldn't and couldn't force me to do anything. So, his rationality had been suppressing his overwhelming urge to confine me against my will. But then, he heard I was bringing Noah with me on my island holiday. So, he followed after me.Irvin had rushed to my hotel immediately after getting off the plane. Then, before he could catch his breath, he saw Blondie standing close to me. His rationality immediately went out the window at the sight of this. That was why he lost control and charged at him.I scoffed at his words."We're divorced, Irvin. How's there an issue? Don't tell me you expect me to remain loyal to you for the rest of my life just because we were once married?" I retorted.Did he even understand what a divorce meant? It meant a man and woman were no longer involved with each other! It didn't matter that I currently didn't plan to get into another relationship. Besides, even if I were to get married right now,
Irvin's gaze was determined as he looked at me. Against my will, I recalled the way I had involuntarily felt when we were getting divorced. This thought filled me with unease.I was afraid. I feared everything he said would come true—that I would brainlessly love him again once I regained my memories.I could never accept this!My first thought once I got away from him was to have a one-night stand with a good-looking man.I knew myself. Having been raised by Grandma, I inherited the old-fashioned views of the older generation. I didn't love easily, but once I did, I would do so wholeheartedly.Hence, there was no way I would get back together with Irvin if I had slept with another man. It wouldn't matter how seriously lovesick I was, how much I wanted him back, or how much I wanted to love him again—I would never be with him ever again.Let's say I did love him again after somehow recovering my memories. Even if he could accept that I had slept with another man, we wouldn't be h
I glanced at Irvin but didn't respond.Irvin knew what I cared about most. So, he knew I wouldn't carelessly go against him after the threat he just made. Thus, he didn't stop me from leaving.When I returned to the party, I saw Cordelia holding a drink to the lips of a chiseled stud. Judging by the rosiness of her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes, she was having a great time.She immediately released the man when she saw me walking over to her."Where have you been, darling? Don't tell me you've already picked a guy so fast? Sure, all the men here are hot, but even so, you still need to be cautious. At least check if they're disease-free—STDs are so rampant nowadays," Cordelia said.She had always been very cautious and made sure to use protection despite her wanton lifestyle. That was why I never worried about her when it came to this.I smiled and told her that wasn't the case—I had just gone to the washroom earlier. I didn't tell her about what happened with Irvin because I
I feared rushing into things would backfire and cause my memories to return. Hence, I abandoned my plan to get closer to the Hottie the next day.Instead, I focused on spending time with Grandma. At the same time, I also found an issue at the company that required Irvin to go back and handle it.Right now, I was so afraid of going back to being a lovesick fool again that I didn't even want to breathe the same air as him.Seeing that I was behaving and Noah wasn't around, Irvin decided to return to Claudeville. The issue I had found at the company was quite serious and really needed his attention anyway. So, after taking one last look at me from afar, he left.I instantly felt lighter once he did.Cordelia had a one-month break from work, so we planned on staying in Daiti for more than half of it. We would head back to Claudeville when it was almost time for her to resume work.I thought of proceeding with my plan before we went back—provided I didn't have any dreams like the one
Cordelia chuckled. "That's true."The big shot—who owned the fleet of helicopters—was about to leave the hotel when we went back. Word had it that the hotel's CEO had even specially flown in so he could personally see the big shot off."Come on! Let's go see what this VVIP looks like!" Cordelia excitedly urged.She had always loved joining in on the excitement, so she grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs by the side of the building. She was eager to see the person who commanded a fleet of helicopters just to pick him up.Dozens of bodyguards in black emerged just as we reached the third floor. They swiftly formed two neat rows, creating a path between them. Then, a smaller group of elite-looking guards respectfully created a perimeter around the big shot as he walked out of one of the villas.The big shot was exceptionally tall, even for a Cavashan man, that he stood out even among the men surrounding him. He had great posture and carried himself with the authority of someone
However, Cordelia said, "I can't tell."Perhaps she had met Julianne too few times, so she didn't see the resemblance."You don't think she's Julianne, do you? Do you still think Julianne faked her death and is still alive?" she asked.I was about to say that was exactly what I thought, but Cordelia spoke again."But I heard the housekeeper has been working at this hotel for over a year when I asked around earlier. Hasn't Julianne been dead for less than half a month?" she asked.I didn't know what to say because she had a point.Then, Cordelia added, "Besides, she wouldn't dare show up in such a place if she did fake her death, would she?"As a fugitive who had faked her death, Julianne should be hiding in some dark corner because she was too afraid to appear in broad daylight. She surely shouldn't be in a place like this."You have a point…" I was going to say more when my phone rang.It was Grandma. She told me she had a bad case of food poisoning and was having diarrhea
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