FAZER LOGINDEVON The look on Alice's face was unexpected. It was obvious that she was surprised by my words, but beneath that, I could tell she was also shaken by how close she had come to making a huge mistake in that locker room. She had not expected me to find the guy who made the post so fast, but no one stays hidden for long when Alma starts tracking digital footprints. "I did some checks and gave the data to a friend of mine to find him," I explained, shoving my hands into my jacket pockets as I stood tall in front of her. "She was able to track down the guy, and the police are questioning him right now to find out who paid him." Alice lowered her gaze to the pavement, taking a quiet breath. "Thank goodness," she mumbled. When she looked back up at me, her eyes were filled with tears, but her chin stayed lifted. "I did not know you were working on it." "That is because you keep trying to do everything by yourself," I told her, keeping my tone firm so she understood the reality of
ALICETears filled my eyes as I lowered my gaze to the floor, trying to hide my face from Gerald's phone camera aimed directly at me."I do not think I have to repeat myself for you to know what to say," Dominic said with a smug chuckle, tapping his foot on the bench."Maybe she needs a reminder," Gerald said, clicking his tongue in satisfaction. "Man, this video is gold. The look on Devon's face when he sees his wife on her knees is going to be so satisfying.""Yeah, it is," Dominic agreed.He exchanged a quick hand slap with Gerald before crouching down right in front of me, bending his head to stare into my face. He must have caught the wet shine in my eyes because he pouted his lips in mock pity."Or maybe she is about to cry," Dominic mocked, turning his head toward the rest of the room. "Someone tell her that crying is not going to save her mommy's little business.""Dominic, stop this right now," one of the players said, stepping out from his locker.He walked over to where I w
ALICE Cherry said something to my mom in a quiet tone. My mom stopped trying to talk to the officers, lowered her gaze, and turned around to walk away. From where I was standing, I could see how much my mom was hurting inside. She was trying her best to hold herself together, but seeing her in that weak state broke what was left of my heart. I knew how hard she had struggled to build her life back up, and now everything was crashing down just because Dominic and his family wanted to get back at me. I watched as Cherry assisted my mom into a cab she had flagged down. They got inside, and the car pulled away. The police officers finished taping up the doors and left shortly after. The ache in my chest grew worse than before. I did not know what to feel at that moment, anger or deep sadness. I had tried so hard to pull myself together ever since I was reborn. I had tried to convince myself that I had to be strong so no one would ever be able to break me. But standing on the empty si
ALICE I rested my hand flat on my chest as I stared up at the dark ceiling. My mind ran through every possible move I could make to save my mom's boutique. The fact that they had to close it for the day because of the angry crowd made me even more worried about what would happen the next day. I had to do something to stop the boutique from shutting down for good. I bit my lower lip, lost in deep thought. My body felt weak from exhaustion, but I forced my brain to keep working, trying to come up with a solid plan. First, if the identity of the person who posted that lie online could be tracked down and interrogated, it would be much easier for the cops to arrest the person who paid him to do it. That would give us proof. With that evidence in hand, I could step forward, call out the Steven family, and expose their dirty tricks to the public. I turned over on the bed, laying on my side as I pulled the blanket up to my chin. A sharp pain throbbed against my temple, reminding me
DEVON"Devon," Alice muttered, staring at me in shock. It was obvious she was still finding it hard to believe I was the one standing right behind her chair.But her shock was not the main issue. It was what she had just said to Brea. I could not believe my own ears. A part of me tried to tell me I had misunderstood her words, but deep down inside, I knew I heard every single word right.I had been on my way up to her mom's hospital ward to check on her. After finalizing everything with Edward and getting the information about her location from her mom's assistant, I walked through the main doors and spotted her heading to the café across the street with Brea.Her face looked pale, like she had been crying for hours. Even the way she was walking lacked the strong confidence she usually pulled off so well. I did not know what to think. I felt she needed some time to relax, and I knew that barging in to demand she come home right that second would not work with a woman like her.I had t
ALICE"Alice, what happened?" my mom mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes. She looked toward my direction as I held her hand in mine."You are in a hospital," I told her with a small, gentle smile. "You fainted back at the store, and we had to bring you here."She let out a breath, as she tried to sit up in the bed. "What about the boutique? I need to go back and check what needs to be done to fix this misunderstanding.""No, Mom, please," I said, standing up to press my hands against her shoulders to keep her still. "The doctor said your blood pressure is high. You need to rest and stop worrying."She rested her back against the pillows, her chest moving with heavy breaths. "How can I rest when someone is out there trying to ruin my boutique?" She sniffled, and it broke my heart to see her in such a weak state.I had sat beside her bed for almost an hour, hoping and praying that she would wake up soon. But deep in my heart, I could not get rid of the dull pain in my chest when I tho







