Upon hearing Magnus agree to her plan, Grace lowered her gaze to hide her satisfaction.Irvin had used his favored status with Magnus to threaten her. Well, she would see how well he fared when he had to go up against Magnus instead.Irvin was just her chosen pawn, and there was no such thing as a pawn turning on its master.Magnus had always been a man of action. So, he immediately called Irvin to the room. Once Irvin arrived, Magnus explained Grace's plan.Upon hearing what they wanted him to do, Irvin wanted to laugh. He had always thought of Magnus as one of the better people in this family, but now, he realized he had thought too highly of him."Agatha and Grace created this mess. Yet, they want Emilia to take the blame for it and expect me to be the one to condemn her? What do you take me for, Magnus? A mentally impaired idiot?" Irvin asked derisively.Magnus frowned. "Watch what you're saying, Tim. Can't you see the public's doubts and their effect on Hardwell Group's stoc
"If you refuse to do this, Tim, don't blame me for taking action!" Magnus threatened.He didn't want to deal with me. I was just a young woman, and he felt someone as insignificant as me wasn't worthy of his time. However, if Irvin insisted on being stubborn and believing I was more important than the family's interests, I would then be an obstacle. Magnus had no qualms about eliminating any pesky obstacles."If you dare lay a hand on Emilia, then I will reveal to the world that I'm not Timothy! Then we'll see just how unstable Hardwell Group's stock prices will be and how the shares will be redistributed."We'll also see if your brother, who has been waiting in the shadows all this while, will use this chance to take over. I'm sure you know better than I do what the outcomes will be, Magnus," Irvin threatened back.Magnus knew Irvin was brave, but he didn't realize he was so bold. Not only did Irvin refuse to obey him, but he had also dared to threaten him.Furious, Magnus slam
Grace handed her phone to Agatha."Noah Ashford's grandfather wants him to marry the Charters' daughter to form an alliance between the families. Ms. Charter is also quite fond of him, but he absolutely refuses to marry her. Right now, both Noah's grandfather and the Charters are very displeased with his refusal," she explained.Then, she asked, "If we let them know the reason behind Noah's refusal, what do you think these powerful people will do, Agatha?"Agatha hardly paid attention to external affairs since Timothy's passing. So, she didn't even know who Noah was.Seeing her frown, Grace quickly realized she didn't recognize Noah's name."Noah Ashford is William Ashford's nephew. He is also the only grandson of Mr. Griffin Hull, the sole patriarch of the Hull family. Currently, Noah is the sole heir to both the Hulls and Redwood's Ashfords," Grace explained.Agatha recognized the two families. "Now, that's an impressive background."The Hardwells could rival the Ashfords, but
If only…If only Irvin had hurt me a little less. Then, I would've forgiven him and gotten back together with him without hesitation. That was how much I loved him and how much I desired to grow old with him.However, time and time again, he had deeply stabbed me in the heart. So, despite my desire to love Irvin, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bring myself to let go of that pain.Irvin smiled softly at me when he spotted me stepping out."I'll take you to the airport," he offered.Collecting my thoughts, I said, "No need. Didn't we agree back then to avoid seeing each other as much as possible until you can fully drop the guise of being Timothy Hardwell?""Yes, and I will do my best to stay away from you. But today is an exception," Irvin answered.I couldn't help feeling a flicker of irritation as I stared at him. I didn't want to see him because I no longer wanted to feel conflicted toward him."I didn't need you to fly all the way here from Lestoria just to send
Irvin stared at me, feeling lost. He didn't know how to answer my question—and I wasn't alone in my feelings.Sometimes, his memories and emotions would resurface in the middle of the night, and he would jolt awake. And when this happened, he also couldn't help but ask himself the same thing. How could he have done all those things to me?Irvin wanted to understand it himself too. Were his actions born out of habit?Because of all the misunderstandings and hatred between us, he wanted me to suffer as much as he did. So, Irvin had gotten used to abusing me emotionally and hurting me. He had also gotten used to treating me as unimportant.And then, it had eventually become a habit for him."I always felt Julianne was the one you truly loved," I said. "You always had an excuse for her actions, regardless of what she did. I continued, "Plus, you always pampered her, always softened toward her, and always wanted to help her. You never once doubted her, and you still accepted her, eve
Irvin waited for the little boy to pick up his ball and waddle away.Then, he looked at me and said, "Let me take you to the airport first, Emi. Then, as promised, I won't appear in front of you unless absolutely necessary. We'll leave everything up to time and let it wear down the feelings we're clinging to."Things can change quickly, after all. So, why don't we just set aside what we can't solve right now? And who knows—maybe some time later, we'll both be able to work through these feelings again."I knew someone as stubborn as Irvin wouldn't let go of his fixation on getting back together with me over a simple plea. And since it really was time for me to leave for the airport, I didn't argue with him any further."There's no need for you to take me—my driver is already waiting," I said.With that, I walked past him and got into my car. However, Irvin didn't leave. Instead, he followed behind my car the entire way.The sheer size of the Hardwells' affairs kept Irvin incredibl
"Well? Say something!" the woman yelled. "If he wasn't Timothy, and you're not a homewrecker, then who was he? Can't say it, can you? Since you can't, it just proves you're a homewrecker!"You're just a social-climbing snake! You saw that the Hardwells were wealthier, so you used your dead ex-husband's likeness with Timothy as an excuse to try and latch onto them! You're so outrageous and vile!"I had never been insulted or cursed like this in my entire life. But I also didn't know how to fight back. This was yet another trouble Irvin had brought upon me, and the thought of this only made me resent him even more.Hearing the certainty in the woman's tone, the people around us began casting strange glances in my direction. After all, I hadn't said anything to defend myself, either.Just then, Grace walked over, looking regal and elegant."Stop it, Lisa. Ms. Quill isn't a homewrecker. Back then, she was just still in too much grief over the death of her ex-husband and mistook Tim fo
Lowering her head, Grace forcibly suppressed the murderous impulse rising in her chest. When she lifted it back up, her gaze was utterly apologetic."I'm truly sorry, Ms. Quill. My friend really did misunderstand you. Tim actually dropped me off earlier—that was why he was here," she said.Then, she turned to Lisa and said, "There's really nothing going on between Ms. Quill and Tim, Lisa. Tim was just dropping me off earlier. "When I went to the restroom, he happened to run into Ms. Quill. And because she was his brother's ex-wife, they exchanged greetings. That's all it was, so you jumped to the wrong conclusion."Plus, Ms. Quill is the one who cured Tim's legs, so we Hardwells owe her a great debt. She's definitely not a homewrecker! So, if you ever call her that again or anything of the sort, our friendship will be over!"Catching the message in Grace's gaze, Lisa immediately put on a sincere expression and apologized to me. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Quill, for completely misundersta
These prominent scholars might be able to speak eloquently during academic discussions, but they weren't fond of socializing. Hence, when invited to dinner, their first instinct was to decline.It wasn't until Professor Weiss explained that we would simply be continuing the day's discussion while eating—rather than it being a formal meal—that the scholars finally agreed to join us later that evening.Hungry for more knowledge, my attention was fully focused on these professors. All I could think about was what questions I could ask them over dinner. I was so focused that I didn't even notice Irvin repeatedly glancing at me as we left.We took a shuttle back to the official conference hotel. Then, after saying temporary goodbyes, we headed to our respective rooms to change.Once inside the room, Emma couldn't hold it in any longer."Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "I thought I was pretty smart because I had a high IQ. I had always been a top student and managed to get into one of the to
While I couldn't completely let go of Irvin, I was no longer the person I once was.Back then, I had placed love above all else, so loving Irvin had been the most important thing to me. I'd devoted myself to him and treated him like he was my entire world. He had been the source of all my emotions—from happiness to anger, and from sorrow to joy.Now, my top priority was my studies and research. I would never again give up the academic path I loved so deeply for anyone.…Julianne watched as Mitchell apologized to Professor Weiss and tried to curry favor with him. Then, she saw the way Professor Weiss treated me with warmth and respect. Hatred simmered behind her eyes. She felt life was so unfair. She had to work hard for everything she wanted, and yet those very things seemed to fall effortlessly into my lap. She didn't want to take any more risks. But despite this, she was so furious that she couldn't resist the urge to. She wanted to destroy me once and for all.Grace obse
Mitchell felt humiliated from having to apologize to me so publicly, so he was already in a bad mood. And when he heard the tone Julienne used with him, his expression soured even more."Who told you Ms. Quill is an academic fraud, Ms. Calder?" he shot back.Julianne clearly hadn't expected that. She was caught off guard by the question. Then, as though sensing someone's gaze on her, she turned her head. And when she spotted Irvin, she froze.Julianne had kept tabs on Irvin, but they hadn't seen each other face-to-face ever since she faked her death. So, their sudden encounter shook her.I lowered my gaze when I saw Julianne and Irvin lock eyes.I had recognized Julianne the moment I saw her. My family had too. Thus, I believed it would be the same for Irvin as well.Our relationship problems started because of Julianne, so they should end with her too.Having grown up together with Irvin, she knew she couldn't hide who she really was from him. Regardless, she couldn't admit she
"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