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第9章
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My Father Died Waiting, But She Saved Childhood Sweetheart’s Dog First 第10章
The car ran smoothly along the elevated freeway.I watched the skyline slide backward outside the window and let out a long breath.My assistant handed me a file. "Mr. Cole, this is the latest report on the Reid and Marsh cases."I took it and flipped through it.Julian had been formally charged with extortion and with taking part in the misuse of public funds.The relief party he had been so proud of was now hard evidence against him.Vanessa, meanwhile, was facing enormous damages for breach of contract, and criminal charges as well, for dereliction of duty with grave consequences.I heard that in the detention center she scratched my name into the wall with her fingernails every day, and that she was close to breaking down completely.But I didn't care anymore."File it. Don't bring me anything about them again."I handed the file back, calm."Yes, Mr. Cole."That weekend I drove back to my hometown alone.There was no city noise there, only green hills in every direction and clean
My Father Died Waiting, But She Saved Childhood Sweetheart’s Dog First 第9章
A month later the sky finally cleared for good.Under the lights of the downtown convention center, a national charitable rescue fund was formally announced.As its lead founder and the founder of Aegis Capital, I stood on the stage in a well-cut black suit and gave the address."Real rescue work should never be hijacked by anyone's private interests.""Every piece of equipment and every dollar has to go to the lives that need it most."Applause thundered, and countless cameras turned toward me.Meanwhile, outside, Vanessa stood in the packed crowd in faded old clothes, staring blankly at the composed, confident version of me on the big screen.She knew now that the mysterious owner who had given her every privilege and stripped it all away in one night really was the husband she had treated like dirt.The status she was so proud of had been nothing but a sandcastle I built for her without much thought.When she smashed its foundation herself, of course the whole thing blew away.The s
My Father Died Waiting, But She Saved Childhood Sweetheart’s Dog First 第8章
I saw Vanessa on the cemetery steps three days after my father was buried.She looked hollowed out, her hair stuck to her cheeks in strings, wearing a wrinkled coat, with nothing left of the polish and arrogance she used to carry.When she saw me coming down, she scrambled to me and dropped hard onto the stone, both knees hitting at once."Ethan! Ethan, I was wrong!"She clung to my legs and sobbed as if something inside her were tearing apart. "I swear I didn't know your father was that sick that day... I thought you were just picking a fight with me.""Julian lied to me. He used the fact that I felt sorry for him! Forgive me, please?""I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I'll do anything, anything at all..."With trembling hands she held the taped-up letter out to me, as if it were the last thing that could save her.I stopped and looked down at her.Once, I had imagined this a thousand times, her bowing her head, actually facing what I felt.But now that the moment h
My Father Died Waiting, But She Saved Childhood Sweetheart’s Dog First 第7章
Vanessa drifted back to the budget hotel like a ghost.She opened the door to find Julian shoving clothes into a suitcase.The golden retriever was shut in a crate, barking in agitation."What are you doing?"Her voice came out like sandpaper.Julian jumped, and when he turned and saw her, panic flickered in his eyes before he put on a righteous face. "Vanessa, good timing.""The hotel keeps chasing the balance for that party. Go settle it.""I need to take Baby out of town until this blows over. Your dispatch scandal is all over the internet, and I don't want it dragging me down."Vanessa looked at the childhood sweetheart she had sacrificed her savior and betrayed her husband for, and the whole thing struck her as absurd."You don't want it dragging you down?"She laughed coldly. "Julian, you were the one crying and screaming that your dog was claustrophobic. You pushed me into sending that medical boat for you!""Now that it's blown up, you want to just walk away?"Julian raised his
My Father Died Waiting, But She Saved Childhood Sweetheart’s Dog First 第6章
Over the next forty-eight hours, Vanessa's world came apart for real.She tried to work the contacts she had built over the years for any word from inside Aegis, and found that the partners who used to flatter her now avoided her like something venomous.Without Aegis funding and the exclusive equipment licenses, her title of rescue dispatch director became a worthless joke overnight.She had to move out of her luxury apartment, because the rent had been paid through the foundation's books, and the accounts were sealed.While she was scrambling and trying to blame it all on the cruelty of money, her phone rang again.This time it was an unfamiliar landline."Am I speaking with a family member of Mr. Warren Cole?"The voice on the other end was brisk and official. "This is the county Office of Vital Records. The hospital has filed Mr. Cole's death certificate, and we need a family member to come in and close out his records."Her breath stopped. Her pupils shrank to points."What did yo
My Father Died Waiting, But She Saved Childhood Sweetheart’s Dog First 第5章
The ballroom stayed silent for a full three seconds. Then Julian burst out laughing without any restraint."Vanessa, did the shock finally break his brain?""Aegis withdrawal? Does he think he's in a movie?" Julian doubled over laughing, and the dog in his arms barked twice along with him.The shock on Vanessa's face turned quickly into deep disdain. She folded her arms and looked at me coldly. "Ethan, you get more repulsive by the day. You'll put on a ridiculous show like this just to get my attention. Are you leaving or not?"I didn't look at her again and didn't explain a thing. I held my father's urn, turned, and walked back out through those gilded doors.As the doors closed behind me, the music roared back to life inside.Outside the rain was still coming down in sheets. I opened a black umbrella and walked into it.Cold water ran off the ribs of the umbrella, and my heart was strangely calm.Three years of lying to myself washed away in that moment.Ten minutes later I was in th
