"Mr. Timothy…" Dorothy wanted to say more, but the moment she met Irvin's deadly cold gaze, her words caught in her throat.She didn't know why, but even though Irvin was supposedly the fake heir raised in a lowly household outside, he sometimes exuded a presence even more terrifying and condescending than the real Timothy.Just one glance from him was enough to silence her.Irvin walked toward me. "How's Grandma?" he asked.I couldn't bring myself to greet him warmly. After all, this chaos started because of him.He seemed to read my thoughts and instinctively said, "I'm sorry, Emi."Then, he quickly added, "When I heard about Grandma, I rushed over with Professor John, a top expert in this field. Let's have him take a look at her, okay?"There was no way I could turn down something that might help Grandma. So, I led Professor John inside right away.Irvin knew me far too well.Even without seeing me, he could always guess exactly what I was thinking. He knew what he had to d
Dorothy thought that the way Irvin and I acted was proof that we were both raised in lowly households. We were tactless and utterly lacked the grace expected of those in high society.Although Dorothy was a housekeeper, working in one of the most elite families had inflated her sense of importance.To her, true members of high society were always dignified and elegant. Whatever they did, they would first consider the consequences and how their actions might affect their social networks.They would always act with restraint. She had never seen anyone so recklessly crossing the boundaries of social classes. She simply couldn't understand how a low-born girl dared lay hands on someone of higher status.After Dorothy was dragged away, Irvin took my hand and said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."He wanted to protect me, but I wasn't moved by it. If it hadn't been for him, none of this would have happened.I yanked my hand away. "Mr. Hardwell, please remember your identity."He was n
Grace turned to me once Agatha had calmed down.The wildness in her eyes from earlier, after I had hit her, was gone. In its place was a deceptively soft gaze. Despite this, I felt as though there were countless sharp arrows aimed at me. If looks could kill, I would already be full of holes now.Unlike Agatha, who merely wanted to hurt me out of spite, Grace seemed to be after something more.As she looked at Irvin with an aggrieved expression, Grace said, "I just want justice for what she did to me, Tim. If you won't allow me that, I'll go to the police."When she glanced back at me, she looked like a venomous snake in the dark, poised to strike and sink its fangs into me at any moment."You're looking at at least ten years in prison, Ms. Quill, if I report you," she indirectly threatened with her gaze fully on me.Grace had already gotten me arrested once, even though I hadn't pushed her. But this time, I had violently raised my hand against her. Given who she was, she would su
Fabric bunched in Grace's hands as she clenched them underneath her blanket. Unable to keep up appearances anymore, her expression had become frighteningly thunderous.She never anticipated this would happen. Grace had thought she would be able to squash me easily, like I was a bug. Yet, I had turned around and bit her—hard.Agatha was stunned too, like she couldn't believe what was happening either. I wasn't just fearless, but I had even backed Grace into a corner."You all want Irvin to play Timothy and remain in the Hardwell family. Fine then, it's none of my business what you make him do. But from now on, leave me out of it! "Stay away from my grandmother and my mentor! If either of you dares to do anything to them or drag them into this again, we'll all go down together!" I warned.I knew full well that I was no match for the Hardwells. Going up against them would be like trying to stop a bullet with my bare hands. That being said, that only applied under the assumption that
Irvin's words drained the color from Grace's face, and she looked deathly pale.But then, she came to a realization and instantly regained her composure. She even wondered what had been wrong with her these past few days. How had she allowed herself to end up in this situation?Grace had been doing just fine before. So why did she lose her cool just because I said a few sharp words to her?She might have come from a prestigious and powerful family, but her brother was gone. Her stepmother now ruled the Keller family, and her stepbrother was the Keller heir. In fact, Grace barely owned any shares left in the Keller family business.As for the Hardwell family, she would still have a standing in the household if she still had her son—but she didn't. To the Hardwells, she was just a childless widow. So, what else could Grace be to them besides someone who could be discarded at any moment?Irvin wasn't Timothy—he was an impostor. Even so, he was still a Hardwell by blood. Even if he di
But Irvin wasn't finished. "Emilia's grandmother was in the emergency room for hours before they could stabilize her," he said. "She suffered immensely because of the stunt you pulled. As for you? Your physical examination revealed you don't even have a minor injury, despite what Emilia did to you!"Emilia cares about her grandmother the most. So, it makes sense that she lost control and struck you because you hurt one of the people she loves the most. And yet, she still went easy on you because she kept in mind that you just miscarried your son. If anything, she's a lot kinder compared to you!"Irvin never forgot how Timothy had saved his life. That being said, Timothy was his saviour, not Grace. He would help Grace seize back control of the Keller family if she played nicely. However, their deal was off if she didn't."It wasn't me. I didn't—" Grace reflexively tried to defend herself. But before she could finish, Irvin cut her off. His voice was cold as he said, "Don't try
"We've let a wolf in sheep's clothing into our home, Grace!" Agatha lamented.Grace and Agatha had thought they could use Irvin. Yet, not only had they failed to, but he was now even oppressing them. They truly had made a mistake by bringing Irvin back to the family."Yeah…" Grace agreed.She initially wanted to turn Irvin into her greatest pawn—using him to seize back power over the Keller family and then to become the true power holder in the Hardwell family.However, she had forgotten that he was a Hardwell.And once Irvin had gained Magnus' recognition, he would quickly turn things around and be the one calling the shots instead.At first, Grace had set her sights on Irvin because of his business acumen. Now, ironically, she had been beaten by the very thing that had caught her eye.She had always thought she was intelligent. However, it was now clear to Grace that not only was she a fool, she was also incredibly naive.On top of that, she had underestimated Irvin and me. S
Grace was an arrogant woman who was convinced she was untouchable. Yet, I had struck her. Despite this, not only was she unresentful, but she even apologized to me—someone she considered a weed under her heel.It was honestly frightening. Grace truly was ruthless."I also heard Dorothy spoke disrespectfully toward you, Ms. Quill, because of our minor altercation. Although she acted out of concern for me, that doesn't excuse her behavior," Grace said.Then, glancing at Dorothy, she instructed, "Apologize to Ms. Quill right now, Dorothy!"Dorothy instantly teared up at her words. However, her aggrieved tears weren't for herself but for Grace.Grace was dignified, and she was precious to her. Yet, she had to apologize to such a lowly person like me.It broke Dorothy's heart to see this. But then she thought of Grace's grand plan and knew she had to endure this for the bigger picture.Hence, without the slightest hesitation, Dorothy stepped forward and curtsied. "I apologize, Ms. Qu
"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
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