LOGIN"There's really no need to drag an ordinary relationship into his family's power struggle," Sharon said to Julliard. "Don't you agree, Julliard?"Julliard wasn't stupid. He immediately caught the warning in Sharon's words.Just because Sharon hadn't said it outright didn't mean she didn't know. Anyone who thought about it for even a moment could figure out what had happened between him and Vince. Even without her spelling it out, Julliard knew exactly what she meant.Julliard said in a low voice, "Sharon, I understand... It's just that when I found out, it was so sudden. I didn't know how to tell you. And besides..."He paused a while, then went on, "I know that because of what happened with Thomas, you don't trust me as much anymore."If I'd suddenly come to you and told you about Thomas, you might not have believed me. The only way was to let you see it with your own eyes."Thomas is airtight in everything he does, and he's a very good liar. He might really have been able to fo
Julliard didn't find out until the next day that Sharon had been hospitalized with a fever.By the time he rushed to the hospital, Sharon was already getting ready to be discharged. Johanna was helping her pack up her things, and Jamie was helping her carry some of them. Wendy had gone to take care of Sharon's discharge paperwork.When Julliard walked into the hospital room, out of breath, he saw Jamie. His expression gradually darkened, and the look he gave Jamie turned hostile."Jamie, what are you doing here?"Jamie turned toward Julliard, his tone cool. "I'm getting treatment on my hand here. Is there a problem?"After Jamie left the country previously, Julliard had stopped paying any attention to him. He was just a washed-up painter Julliard had kicked out of the game. He might even end up disabled. There was no way he would ever amount to anything.Even if his hand was saved by some stroke of luck, with damage that severe, painting again was out of the question.A poor,
In the study, Thomas leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed.His temples had started throbbing again, the familiar dull ache creeping along his nerves.Just then, the phone lying nearby vibrated softly. It was a message from Liam confirming his schedule.The original plan was for him to take Carmen to meet several of the Ferrero family elders first thing tomorrow morning, after today's marriage was settled.Thomas stared at the message for two seconds, then replied with a single word. "Cancel."...Meanwhile, in Vince's study.His assistant came in to report. "Sir, Thomas has canceled tomorrow's plan to take Carmen to meet the elders."Vince was brewing tea. His hands didn't stop at the news. He just smiled. "Canceled?""Yes. According to our intel, Carmen has left the Ferrero estate. From the looks of it, they won't be getting married anytime soon.""No wedding, huh..." Vince poured the tea into a cup, unhurried. "Looks like that was the right move. So even Thomas can
Sharon had known Jamie and his sister, Johanna, for quite a while now, so they all called each other by their first names.Sharon said, "I'm fine. Sorry for all the trouble today.""You've helped Jamie and me so much," Johanna said. "This is nothing."Johanna and Wendy were both outgoing, and with the two of them lightening the mood, Sharon visibly cheered up....At the Ferrero estate, in Thomas's residence.Carmen found Thomas, holding the half-finished marriage paperwork.Thomas was sitting back on the sofa with his head lowered, making it impossible to read his expression."Thomas." Carmen walked over. "Vince brought Sharon here today on purpose. He didn't just want to sabotage our marriage. He also wanted to test how much she means to you."You chased after her today in front of so many people, and it's already drawn a lot of attention."If we don't finalize the marriage right away, Vince will definitely make a big deal out of it."Thomas said nothing.Carmen took a de
Wendy continued, "It was just too cruel to Sharon. But then I thought about it more carefully. If I'd found out the truth, would I tell her as her friend? I probably would have."Something like this can't stay hidden forever. Sharon was going to find out eventually."Besides, Vince's whole goal was to get Sharon to ruin Thomas's wedding. Even if Julliard hadn't told her, Vince would've shown up in front of her sooner or later and told her himself."Honestly, even I can't think of a good way to make it hurt Sharon less."At this point, Wendy looked up at Jamie. "Jamie, if you were the one who found out, what would you have done?""If it were me, I'd probably have gone to Thomas first," Jamie said.Wendy was taken aback. "Gone to Thomas first?""Yeah. I'd go to Thomas first and have him talk to Sharon himself. Once we already know the truth, Thomas wouldn't dare lie to Sharon."Also... once he realized he couldn't keep it hidden, he might change his mind."Hearing it from someon
Jamie said, "With the Ferrero family in that situation, do you think Sharon's family would agree to let her marry him?"Wendy fell silent. Forget a wealthy family like Sharon's. Even an ordinary family wouldn't marry their daughter into a family like that.Wendy sighed. "Looks like I really was being naive. No wonder Thomas never brought any of this up with Sharon. He knew all along that there was no way Sharon could ever marry him."Jamie said, "He's very smart, and he sees things clearly. Until he becomes head of the family, Sharon isn't actually a good fit for him."Besides the resistance from Sharon's family, there's also plenty of resistance on his end. He needs a wife who won't leave him with anything to worry about."But from the way things look now, the Ferreros have clearly set their sights on Sharon and are using her to hold Thomas back. With something like this happening, the simplest, quickest move was to marry Carmen right away."Wendy's expression shifted again and
Thomas twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding Julliard's shot, but the bullet grazed his leg.Julliard's dark eyes tightened. Holding Theo made aiming difficult, throwing off the precision he usually relied on. He was about to fire again when the boy in his arms stirred.Theo called out in a whisp
Toni's strange laugh cut off mid-sentence. Thomas could hear Toni's sharp breaths and a small panic that crept into the pauses. Toni found himself glancing over his shoulder, searching the dark behind him. Doubt gnawed at him: what if Thomas was playing him?He forced himself to steady his voice,
The ringtone suddenly stopped.A second later, a message appeared on the screen.John: [Sharon, I've gone over the plan to hijack Jamie's shipment. Are you sure you want Thomas to be the one rescuing Wendy? The Walton family grounds are dangerous. I'm worried he won't be able to handle it.Jullia
When Julliard stepped out of Sharon's office building, the smile on his face vanished.He hadn't been gone long. Already Thomas had woven himself into Sharon's life so thoroughly that the thought prickled Julliard's skin. He ground his teeth; his expression darkened. No, he couldn't wait any long







