I wasn't interested in an auction and was just about to turn him down, but I noticed the auction catalog in his hand.I narrowed my eyes when I spotted something inside. I examined it carefully, and after confirming that it was what I had been searching for, I got up to change my clothes.Noah was happy that I had agreed to go and went to change as well.Perhaps grown men were more conscious of their appearance, because by the time I was already dressed and ready, he still wasn't done.Just as I pulled out my phone and was about to play a game to clear my mind, Noah walked out.As he had put in the effort to dress up, he looked even more strikingly handsome than usual. I couldn't stop looking at him.Although he wasn't my brother, having such a handsome friend made me feel a little proud. Still, I could tell he was trying very hard to appear more mature.He was still a student, yet he was dressed in a suit, and his hair was slicked back, looking like a young CEO.…By the time
I was momentarily stunned. The woman who had placed the bid caught me looking at her. She flashed a smile and provocatively raised the bidding paddle in her hand.That familiar eyes and provocation made me tighten my grip on my own bidding paddle.It was Julianne.She wasn't dead. She was alive.Although that face wasn't exactly Julianne's, it more closely resembled the housekeeper, Julianne's cousin.However, her gaze and expression told me. It was Julianne.Seeing that face out of the blue left me so dazed that I didn't even notice the auctioneer calling out "ten million" for the third time.By the time I snapped out of it, the emerald pendants had already been sold for ten million dollars.I lifted my gaze, looking at her coldly.She wasn't afraid when our eyes met. Instead, she held onto the arm of the man beside her, looking extremely provocative.Only then did I recognize that handsome man. He was the one who had been picked up from the island by nearly a dozen helico
Her gaze and provocation felt like Julianne. However, her voice, directness, and innocence didn't seem like Julianne's.Julianne had always pretended to be delicate and innocent. Whenever she encountered a situation like this, she would whine and claim she was being slandered, unlike now.Was she putting on a new persona? Noah said coldly, "I'm talking about you, Julianne Sinclair! You want to charge me with slander, but do you even dare to call the police?""Julianne? You think I'm Julianne? You've got the wrong person, sir. I'm not my cousin. My name is Lumi Calder, Julianne's cousin," she said.Her words felt a little redundant, but she looked adorable. Even the powerful man beside her couldn't help but chuckle and ruffle her head.Encouraged by his affection, the woman who claimed to be Lumi grew even bolder. "And Julianne isn't a fugitive! She was framed by this wicked woman!"She pointed at me as she said that, her gaze filled with hatred, as if she wanted me dead."You'
"That's not important, and you don't need to know. All you need to know is that I'm keeping her for a reason," his uncle said.Noah frowned, about to say something.But the man's gaze darkened slightly as he continued, "I heard from Edric that you didn't even wait for your grandfather to be discharged from the hospital before rushing back to take care of her."Noah lowered his gaze and remained silent."Noah, I won't object if you want to relive your childhood warmth and fulfill your dream of dating someone you had feelings for. But you should know what your future holds. Don't take this too lightly."Noah's hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides."And you're not a child anymore. When I was your age, I was already carrying the weight of our entire family on my shoulders. Yet, you're still so reckless. "Today, you were affected by the sudden appearance of an insignificant woman. How do you expect to succeed like this? And the worse thing is you don't even realize that yo
After the so-called Lumi came back to her senses, she said, "You evil woman—"But I interrupted with a sneer, "Julianne, how could you wear the face of someone you killed and use it to seek justice for yourself. Aren't you afraid she'll come back to haunt you?"Although I didn't know how Julianne had made it happen, if she was still alive, then that burned corpse had to be her cousin, the real Lumi.She killed her and stole her face and identity.Now, she was even trying to avenge herself using Lumi's identity. If ghosts really existed, Lumi would probably turn into the most vengeful spirit in the world just to haunt her.But she was Julianne, after all, a woman who had the guts to commit murder multiple times and eventually succeeded. She had a terrifyingly tough mentality.Even after hearing what I said, her expression remained completely unchanged. She simply said, "Emilia, you're truly evil! How could you slander my cousin like this after killing her? I was really close with
Not long after Noah's uncle left, my bodyguard arrived. Regardless of whether he had overheard or guessed anything, I still had my bodyguard remove the faucet as planned.Just as we packed up to leave, I heard a voice."Emi."I turned, and it was actually Irvin.I couldn't help but think of how many unexpected things had happened tonight. I had only come to bid for the Quills' heirloom pendants, yet I ended up running into so many people.Seeing the faucet in my bodyguard's hand, Irvin's eyes darkened. Realizing something, I raised an eyebrow. "You must have met Julianne's cousin, Lumi, right?"Irvin didn't respond."You cared so much for Julianne and went to Felys with her countless times. There's no way you wouldn't know Lumi, right?" I continued. "Do you think this Lumi is the same person you met before?"After a brief silence, Irvin said, "Lianne is already dead."I chuckled, ignoring his words and turning to leave.But Irvin grabbed my arm, saying he had some company mat
Noah and I didn't continue the conversation.As we were about to get into the car, Noah's uncle happened to be leaving as well, surrounded by a group of bodyguards in black as he moved to his car.The woman who claimed to be Lumi clung to his arm, staring at me.Noah, who might have been upset with his uncle, remained silent, offering only a slight nod before getting into the car. Since his own nephew didn't say anything to him, I simply smiled at him before getting into the car as well.After we left, Lumi held onto the man's arm as she got into the car. Once inside, she affectionately called out, "William."She was about to say something when she suddenly sensed the chilling air from him, as if he could take her life in an instant. She immediately loosened her grip on his arm, not daring to say another word.The man was too unpredictable. He had always spoiled her, giving her anything she wanted because she had saved his life. Even if she asked for a star in the sky, he would
Irvin was a very handsome man.In fact, he still seemed like the better-looking one, even when compared with Noah's uncle. This was especially so when Irvin was well-dressed because he looked so attractive that it was hard to focus on anything else.The whole world seemed to brighten when he smiled. However, now that his brilliant smile had suddenly disappeared, the world seemed duller. It was enough to make one's heart ache.There was a saying online that good-looking people could never sin. No matter what they did wrong, their faces were enough to make one's mind go blank. Hence, it was advised to avoid falling in love with someone who was too good-looking.My heart ached involuntarily when I saw the happy look on his face shatter and his smile vanish. Perhaps it was because I had been vividly dreaming of our past affection these past few days after being hypnotized.Irvin handed me the flowers.Then, he laughed bitterly and said, "You know, don't you?""Yes," I replied evenly
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