The next morning, someone came to see me. I thought it would be my lawyer, Mr. Stern, coming to work on my release. But no—it was Irvin. He looked like he hadn't slept a single minute. His usually sharp, magnetic eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed more disheveled and drained than I felt after spending a long, sleepless night in a holding cell. When his gaze landed on my pale face, there was a flicker of something in his expression—regret, perhaps? Before I could say anything, he spoke. "I hope you've had time to cool off," he said, his tone measured. "It's not too late to do the right thing. Apologize now, and we can end this." Hearing those words made me think back to the last time he'd cornered me like this, saying, "It's been three months, and you still haven't learned and reflected on yourself?" It was almost funny. In his mind, he wasn't punishing me—he was indulging me. Giving me chance after chance to "correct my mistakes" to be "grateful" for his supp
Irvin fell silent. He didn't deny it. Other than that incident, I had never done anything wrong. Nothing immoral, nothing illegal. "Eight years," I said, my voice firm. "We've known each other for eight years. Loved each other for seven. And yet, you never once trusted me. Someone shows you a video, and instead of investigating, you just believe it. You accept that I'm capable of something so disgusting. If someone like you claims to love me, am I not supposed to feel disgusted?"From the way his attitude toward me shifted after Julianne showed him the video, it was clear he hadn't bothered to dig deeper. He just accepted it as the truth. Irvin tugged at his tie, his frustration showing. "Emilia, you can't keep blaming others when things go wrong. It's not just about trust—it's about the choices you've made. Sure, you've never done anything immoral or illegal before. You're a good person, kind to everyone. But that doesn't mean you'd treat Julianne the same way. It doesn't me
Irvin seemed genuinely baffled, almost annoyed, by my sudden push for him to be with Julianne. His frustration spilled over as he snapped, "Emilia, how many times do I have to tell you? There's nothing between Julianne and me. There's never been anything like that, and there never will be. Why do you keep dragging me into this nonsense with her?" I almost laughed at his words. I wanted to tell him it was because he was in love with her. Truly, deeply, stupidly in love. So much so that he didn't even care about her history, wasn't that what true love was all about? It was just like how Mom thought—if celebrities could marry their ex's parent, why couldn't Irvin?If Irvin really wanted to clear Julianne's name, he'd stop pretending and just marry her. That would do far more for her reputation than forcing me to publicly take the fall for something I didn't do. But I didn't bother saying any of that. Irvin wouldn't admit it. He refused to acknowledge what was obvious to
After Mr. Stern left to handle my bail paperwork, I returned to the holding cell. There wasn't much to do—nothing to pack—so I decided to lie down on the narrow cot and rest my mind for a bit. Before I could even close my eyes, someone lunged at me. The steel shelving behind me left no room to move. Even someone in perfect health would've been injured if they were shoved into it. And me? With steel plates and screws holding my body together, a hit like that could easily cripple me—if not kill me outright. I'd been caught completely off guard, too distracted by my thoughts to notice her approach. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge. Just as I braced for the worst, I felt a strong hand yank me backward. One of the women in the cell—the one who looked the most intimidating—grabbed me and pulled me out of the way. Her timing was perfect; I was inches away from colliding with the shelf. Before I could process what had just happened, she l
Some mothers didn't care about their own daughters, and there were mothers like her—willing to do anything for their children. I respected her. I respected her honesty. "Don't worry," I told her firmly. "No matter what happens to me, I'll make sure you and your daughter are taken care of for the rest of your lives." Her eyes reddened instantly, and I could see how much those words meant to her. She was a good mother—through and through. When she offered to protect me while I was here, saying she was willing to risk everything as long as I promised to help her daughter, I refused. I didn't want her to take unnecessary risks. She deserved a chance to live peacefully with her daughter without jeopardizing her future. Besides, I had my own way of handling things. I returned to my cot, but before lying down, I turned to the room. A few of the other women were already eyeing me, their expressions full of ill intent. "I don't care what anyone promised you or how muc
Mr. Stern handed his phone to me as he spoke, showing me the situation online.Juliane had paid off online trolls and even hired influencers to talk about the situation. The story of a "sister's" sudden turn into a stepmother was already scandalous enough. But with influencers talking about it, it quickly went viral.In the beginning, netizens' hate comments were directed only at Julianne. This was thanks to the effort of her army of trolls. Some called her shameless for treating Irvin as a brother when she was his stepmother. Some labeled her a gold digger who was willing to sleep with anyone for money. There were also comments saying it was bad enough that Julianne had left the son in favor of sleeping with his old man for the sake of money. But now the old man was dead, and the son was successful, she doubled back and wanted to be with the son despite already having been married once.She was criticized for being utterly shameless.There were even netizens who felt someone lik
Mr. Stern couldn't help but look at me with pity. I could already guess what he was thinking.What a tragedy. I had wasted a fortune supporting a man who turned out to be a scumbag. Even worse, my own family teamed up with the public in wishing for my death.But I wasn't affected by this at all because I had already anticipated it.Julianne had always hated seeing me happy after all. Yet, despite having a video that could ruin me, she hadn't exposed it earlier. Besides using the video to get my parents to hate me, I guessed she also wanted Irvin to think of me as a malicious person. That way, he would feel more remorseful toward her. He would then spoil her unconditionally to make up for it.Most importantly, Julianne didn't want anyone to know that she had once been with Irvin's father. This was so she could still have a chance to be with Irvin. But now everyone already knew about it, and she could no longer play the "childhood sweetheart" card. It also meant it was no longer
Irvin looked more tired than he did this morning. He was still wearing the same suit from the press conference. Yet, instead of looking noble and aloof, he looked worn out and impatient.He tugged on his already fully loosened tie and said, "I believe Mr. Stern has informed you of the current situation outside this place and how serious it is, Emilia.""Yes." My reply was calm and indifferent. He clearly didn't expect me to behave this way at this point."What are you thinking, Emilia?" he blurted. "Do you truly understand the severity of the situation right now? Even if you were to publicly apologize to Lianne now, It's already too late! Do you even understand this!""Yup," I responded with a single word.It made him so furious. He slammed his hand on the table so hard I thought he might break it.I didn't understand why he was angry. "Isn't this what you wanted?" I asked curiously.He was taken aback. "How is this something I wanted?" he quickly retorted."Didn't you tell the
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