Grace looked utterly weak, hurt, and innocent. However, Irvin knew how terrifying she actually was.Despite her fragile and sorrowful appearance, he knew what she truly meant by her words was, "So what if you have evidence that my child needed to be terminated? What does it matter that you can prove I had intentionally tried to frame Emilia Quill? "Can you sue me with that evidence? Can you use it to prove Emilia didn't push me and that she's innocent?"Irvin forced himself to calm down before asking, "What do you want?"Grace knew his patience was running out. She was also aware that her innocent and pitiful act might backfire if she kept it up.She stopped pretending and plainly said, "I believe you've already looked into me thoroughly by now and know about my family situation."Yes, Irvin did.Grace continued, "My husband is dead, and I've lost my child. So, I can forget about being the future matriarch of the Hardwell family because very soon, I will mean nothing to them, g
Irvin didn't answer me the entire ride.Once we reached where I was staying, I couldn't help asking him again.Only then did he finally reply, "I had to agree to a deal.""What deal?" I asked."I have to keep pretending to be Timothy and be in a nominal marriage with Grace until she takes back control of the Keller family."Then, Irvin gave me a rough explanation of the Kellers' situation.I didn't know what to say in response, so I was silent for a long time.Suddenly, Irvin gripped my hand and begged, "Please wait for me, babe."He needed to play Timothy, who was married to Grace. So, naturally, he couldn't continue being intimate with me.Because of this, Irvin hoped I could wait until he helped Grace succeed with her plan. He also hoped I could wait until he had taken full control of the Hardwell family too. That way, no one could threaten us again.But did I want to? No, I didn't, and I wouldn't.In fact, I even felt like God was helping with my indecisiveness because i
Tears instantly welled up in Irvin's eyes."But, babe… Haven't we been getting along well?" he argued.It was true. We had been getting along when he still had amnesia from the hypnosis."You said you'd consider getting back together with me once my legs healed. And I only agreed to Grace's deal because I had no other choice. I did it for you, babe!" Irvin continued, sounding wronged.He had only accepted Grace's deal to get me released. Yet, now that I had been, I was casting him aside."I won't be grateful to you for getting me released from police custody, Irvin, because you're the reason I was in there in the first place," I flatly stated."If you feel that I'm being unfair to you, you can always break your deal with her and let her put me back in," I added. "I have other ways to get out, so I don't need you to sacrifice yourself for me."The person my lawyer contacted had already gotten back to me. He owned a company group that had a research lab. So, if I agreed to join th
"My deal with Grace is a win-win situation!" Irvin reasoned.Then, as though thinking of something else, he added, "Actually, it's more than that. I'd also be repaying the debt I owe Timothy. I haven't told you yet, but Timothy really did give his life to save mine, even though he had never met me before!"Maybe it was because of our blood bond, but he seemed to know who I was when he saw I looked identical to him. And when Timothy realized we were twins, he didn't hesitate for a second to sacrifice himself to save me."More tears pooled in Irvin's eyes. He couldn't help recalling how Timothy had shielded him and died for him.William was emotionally detached because he had grown up in a cold and harsh world.Unlike him, Irvin had been raised in a bubble of love and privilege. Later on, he became a powerful CEO and even experienced all sorts of hardships. Despite this, he was still slightly childish, sincere toward others, and valued relationships.And because of this, Irvin woul
Mr. Holland's health hadn't been great lately, so I didn't dare let him know that I had been arrested yet again.The entire time I had been in the detention center, what I worried about most was that he would be discharged the next day. And if I didn't show up at the hospital to pick him up, Mr. Holland might start overthinking.But now that I had been released, I was no longer worried about that. So, I slept soundly that night for the first time in a while.Early the next day, I headed to the hospital to pick Mr. Holland up.However, I didn't expect to run into Grace soon after arriving. She had always been slim, but she looked so wraith-like now that a gust of wind could knock her over. It was apparent she had been through an ordeal this time.Grace smiled faintly when she spotted me. "Can we talk for a minute, Ms. Quill?""No, thank you," I curtly replied.I honestly felt there was nothing for us to talk about, so I turned to leave.But then, I heard her softly say, "You sti
Following my success at the Global Technology Forum, the AI chip and frequency-based therapy device I had developed had caught the interest of several countries. That meant I would need to scale up the production of these inventions because the prototypes we had put together in our lab weren't enough.In other words, we needed to look into mass manufacturing them in order to cater to demand.Naturally, when such an obvious profit-making venture hit the radar, many came knocking on my door after the summit.From there, I had entered into a partnership with a quality manufacturer. However, after only three production batches, they already wanted to hike up their prices and asked for a bigger cut of the profits.This wasn't the kind of company I could build a long-term partnership with, so I was about to start scouting for potential new partners. But I didn't expect William to already know about it.Hence, I looked at him in astonishment.William smirked and raised his wine glass to
Without thinking, I jumped in her path to grab the blade in her hand.Just as I was about to, the woman was suddenly kicked away. The force was terrifying, and it had happened so fast too. In the blink of an eye, she was already flying backward.Then, my hands were yanked to the side hard.William's handsome face was frighteningly stormy as he scanned my hands for any injuries. His furious expression only eased slightly upon confirming I hadn't been hurt.Then, he berated me like I was an idiot while still holding my hands. "Are you out of your mind? You just tried to grab a knife with your bare hands! What if your hands had gotten permanently damaged? What then?"I blinked blankly at him. Given that his life had been on the line, I didn't have time to think. And what were my hands compared to his life? So, of course, I would prioritize protecting his life over preserving them.Still…"Why are you so upset with me? I was just trying to save your life," I shot back.William scof
Before I could say anything, William said, "Someone will hand the child over to the police."Then, he instructed his driver to depart.We traveled some distance before William turned to me."If I really did intentionally destroy that man's family like he claimed, would you think I deserved to die?" he asked.I was caught off guard. I hadn't expected him to ask that kind of question.When I didn't respond right away, William pressed, "Well?"Seeing that he really wanted an answer, I thought it over for a moment and then said, "I don't know how to judge whether or not you deserve to die. To me, you're a good person, Mr. Ashford. "You've raised Noah well too. That alone makes me think you're not someone who would intentionally destroy another family. Even if you did, I'm sure you must have had your reasons."William huffed. "You think I'm a good person?"It seemed this was the first time someone had said that about him."You do know the only reason I've helped you is because of
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