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
Just as I started to wonder who this person might be, Noah called me."Hey, Emi. You don't need to worry about what's happening online. Uncle Will told me he's already found evidence and will take action very soon. I'll be wrapping things up here and heading back soon too, Emi, so you don't have to be afraid of anyone anymore!" he said over the phone.After completing his master's, Noah started managing things for the Ashford family and his maternal grandfather's side of the family.As such, he was always on the go, flying to different countries. This time, he had been gone for over a month and had been in Eutanzia. Because he was so far away, he didn't know William had already exposed the video online as soon as he got it.Noah was so busy, and yet he was still concerned for me. I felt touched."You should focus on what you need to do, Noah, and rest whenever you can," I said. "You don't have to worry about me too much."Cordelia had asked me to look after him. But all this time
I admit that my way of thinking was outdated and too conservative. However, that was who I was, and there was nothing I could do about it, even though I wanted to change.If I could change my personality and loosen up, my life would probably be a lot simpler. There were so many handsome men out there. What could be better than spending time with some of them?I couldn't help sighing as I pondered Noah's borderline obsession with me.Suddenly, my phone rang—it was William calling."Where have you gone? I came to the hospital to visit your grandmother, but you're not here," he said.Hearing this, I told him to wait for me and said I would be there soon.When I arrived at the hospital, William was leaning against a red maple tree and smoking a cigarette.On this crisp autumn day, he was dressed in a camel wool coat. The coat had been tailored perfectly to fit his tall frame, making him appear even more striking.Beautiful people looked good no matter what they did, and William was
Henry was a man of poor character who couldn't do anything right. However, he had a natural talent for creating all sorts of harmful drugs.As mentioned, if these were medieval times, he would surely be exalted as a talented alchemist—known for his ability to craft and cure poison. Truthfully, any drug Henry casually created would definitely be considered illegal.Struck with an idea, I looked up at William and said, "Why don't you talk to Henry directly? Given your status, I'm sure he will happily tell you everything."William looked pleased at my use of the word "happily"."That's actually why I came," he admitted.Then, thinking of something else, I quickly added, "Actually, no. Henry might not happily spill the beans to you. He's very protective of Julianne, so he may lie to you instead. You'll need to be careful discerning which of his words are true."William chuckled. "I know, don't worry. Once I've gotten all the puzzle pieces, and if Julianne is no longer useful, I'll ha
I couldn't stand to even look at Julianne. So when I spotted her approaching, I said my goodbyes to William and left.Not long after I left, William stood up and turned to Julianne."Let's go. It's time to meet your godparents," he said.Julianne was momentarily taken aback before she quickly said, "William, what are you—""Showing my support. You only acknowledged Emilia Quill's parents as your godparents out of spite, didn't you?" William answered.Julianne knew she couldn't hide how much she hated me from William. Hence, she had decided from the get-go not to do so.However, she found herself asking, "Doesn't Noah like Emilia?"Wasn't William only helping me because of Noah?"So what?" William asked, cocking an eyebrow.Julianne's heart involuntarily skipped a beat at the devilish expression on his face.…My family was very excited when they received a phone call from Julianne, saying she would be bringing William to visit them."Isn't Lianne the best! She always thinks
In this world, many mothers didn't love their children, and oftentimes, it was without reason. However, these mothers usually only loved themselves and not anyone else, let alone someone else's child.So, when a mother only loved her adopted daughter and not her biological one, there had to be a reason behind it.Mom answered William's question in a dazed state. William had encountered many strange things in life, but her answer still rendered him speechless.…That same evening, I had given Grandma a sponge bath and watched her until she fell asleep.I was about to go over some data when I received a message from William, saying he was in the hospital's garden.Figuring he had gotten the information he needed, I grabbed my down jacket and rushed downstairs. I was anxious to know what William had learned.As soon as I saw him, I asked, "What did my father say? Did he conduct any drug trials on Julianne?"William stared at me but didn't immediately answer. There was a hint of pi
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