After a prolonged silence, I finally found the words. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ashford. Like I said earlier, I just want to focus on my children and research moving forward. I have no interest in getting married or romance."William was breathtakingly handsome. When someone like him confessed so sincerely, it was hard not to be moved.If I had never been with Irvin, in the face of this kind of confession, I probably would've fallen for William in a heartbeat.But I had loved Irvin deeply. So, even though I had let that go, it didn't mean I could love that way again.Plus, I also couldn't start a new relationship so soon. Right now, all I wanted was to give birth safely and dedicate myself to my research.William wasn't surprised by my rejection, nor did he acknowledge it. Instead, he said confidently, "You're carrying Irvin's babies. These couple of days, you've been looking for someone who resembles him. It's because he doesn't know your babies are his, am I right?"I had kept my pregnan
"Yes," I answered.William stared at me—just stared unreadably at me for a long while. Suddenly, his expression broke into a devastatingly charming smile."Then, let's get married," he said.I was taken aback at first. Then, my eyes widened in shock. It was as though I had just heard the most ridiculous suggestion.No, I really had! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined something like this happening.I stood frozen for a very long time before I returned to my senses."You must be joking, Mr. Ashford," I said.Naturally, I assumed William was kidding. Never mind everything else—he had just been trying to persuade me to give Noah a chance. So, how could he possibly turn around and want to marry me now? Hence, no matter how I looked at it, William was just joking with me.I looked at him with a gaze that said not to make jokes like this.However, when William met my gaze, he spoke with complete seriousness. "I'm not joking—I meant every word."I was stunned again by h
When I had seen how stubbornly Noah loved me, I did once consider being with him, just as William had suggested. Maybe once Noah had me, he would finally stop obsessing over me and want me no more than he would boiled chicken.However, I couldn't even imagine having a romantic relationship with someone I viewed as a younger brother, let alone going through with it in reality."I'm sorry, Noah. I'm truly sorry," I said.I was about to turn away and leave when he suddenly grabbed my arm."Could you try again, Emi? Please? Please try giving me a chance! Even if you're pregnant with someone else's children, please just try being with me. I really just want to be with you, Emi. If I can't be with you, then I don't know what meaning my life has left," Noah begged.Being kidnapped as a child had psychologically traumatized him. Because of this, Noah's emotional development was a little unhealthy. Even though he had grown into a strong man, he still hadn't completely healed from that trau
Irvin's position within Hardwell Group was becoming increasingly important. That being said, he still wasn't on par with Magnus, who had true power.Magnus knew far more than Irvin did. It was only thanks to his protection and cover-ups that Agatha and Grace had managed to keep Irvin in the dark."This is the last time I'm warning you! You better watch yourself!" Magnus threatened coldly.Then, he turned and stormed off to the study.Agatha's hands balled into fists at her side. Her hands were clenched so tightly that her long nails dug into her palms and drew blood. But she didn't feel a thing.…Finding someone young who looked like Irvin wasn't easy, especially when time was running out.I started to wonder if I might need to give up on the idea and go abroad early to give birth in secret. Just then, Noah returned.He had probably seen the news report about Irvin and Grace's pregnancy. As such, he knew there was no future between me and Irvin, and that it was time for me to
Magnus favored and protected Irvin. However, the more he did so, the more Agatha's hatred for Irvin intensified. She hated how easily he had replaced her precious Timothy and felt it was unfair to her son.Timothy had worked so hard from a young age. Yet, he had never received any praise from Magnus. So why did Irvin? Why him?"Tim is also your son, Magnus!" Agatha yelled.Right now, Magnus couldn't bear to hear Agatha mention Timothy anymore—especially in that tone."Yes, Timothy is my son. But he's gone!" he snapped impatiently. "He's dead! What do you want me to do when he's no longer here? Join him underground? Then, why don't you go do that instead?""I'm not saying you should join him—I just want you to be more fair!" Agatha retorted. "Tim had to work so, so hard to earn everything he had and your recognition. How could you forget about him and move on to Irvin so easily?"How could you allow Irvin to take Tim's place and let him take everything that was Tim's so easily? Ti
Irvin's unexpected smile caught Agatha by surprise. She feared he had figured out her plan. After all, those who did bad things couldn't help being afraid of getting caught."What are you smiling about, Tim?" she asked.Irvin's smile only grew wider at her question. "Your actions, of course. I'm happy you care so much about my health, Agatha."Irvin's smile was so full of joy. When Agatha saw this, her heart was filled with an indescribable feeling.Back then, Irvin's birth had been delayed. Because of it, Agatha had to endure an unbearable wave of pain when she had already been at her limit. Then, when she had been given the choice, she had chosen to abandon him without hesitation.All these years, Agatha had been so afraid that people would find out she had given birth to identical instead of fraternal twins. So, she never checked in on Irvin once.Then, to ease her guilt, she had brainwashed herself into believing he had been born just to torment her. She had convinced herse