Having thought of that, Hannah turned cold, and her previously pink face grew pale. âIâm fine. I think I should go back.â She answered coldly.âGo back? So early?â Ralph was astounded. He had made many arrangements to make sure they would make love, but everything would go to waste if she went back now.âYes.â Hannah strode out of the lift and planned to call someone to pick her up, as her car was still at the office.Ralph noticed she was serious and hurriedly held her wrist. âAnnie, whatâs the matter? Didnât you say weâre going to spend a romantic night together? YouâĶâHannah looked away, worried she would change her mind if she glanced at him. She knew if she stayed any longer, her sister would get angry. She shuddered as she thought about the possible consequences.Ralph felt her shiver and quickly took off his jacket to put it on her. âAre you cold? Itâs freezing out here. Why donât you have some rest in my cozy suite upstairs? Iâll drive you back later.ââNo, I canât stay a
Ralph recognized the man to be Heatherâs assistant and the car belonged to the Riggs family. However, he did not bother about it. âIf Heather refuses to leave, so what if the car is here to pick her up?â He waved the man off. âIâll take her back later. Go home and wait for further instructions.âHe tried to put his arm around her waist but missed. Biting her lips, Hannah took a step forward, and Ralphâs jacket fell off her shoulder to the ground. âAnnieâĶâ Ralph whispered in surprise and wanted to hold her back. However, Hannah simply looked over her shoulder at him with a forced smile. âGo home, I have to go. LetâsâĶ keep in touch.â She got into the car and the door was shut. âAnnie! Annie!â Ralph rushed forward to open the door, but the assistant blocked his way. âPlease behave, Mr. Russell.â The man got back into the front passenger seat, and the car swiftly moved away. Standing where he was, Ralph could only stare as the car disappeared from his sight. He
Wanting to spend quality time with his wife, Alexander did not expect to bump into the two people when they arrived at the hotel. As they had made a reservation beforehand, the dishes were served quickly after they were seated, and they ate quietly as if they were hungry. However, they were not gobbling up the food. After a moment of silence, Lily asked despite herself, âDonât you feel that thereâs something off about Ms. Riggs just now?ââYou felt it too?â Alexander looked up at her, not surprised by her observation. âItâs not odd that she shares my thought, as she has an observant eye. Whatâs bizarre is that Ms. Riggs was somewhat different than what she used to be.ââSo I didnât get the wrong impression.âHaving her observation confirmed by him, Lily nodded. Since she was not close to Heather and had never met her before, she assumed she was imagining things. However, since Alexander agreed with her, then the woman was indeed different. âShe did not have that threateni
Alexander grew thoughtful. âIs she getting jealous?âSeeing her smiling eyes, he knew she was just teasing him.He patiently cut off a small slice of steak that was of the perfect size and offered it near her lips with his fork. âWhich type she belongs to has nothing to do with me. What I do know is that if I donât feed you well, youâre going to cry that youâre hungry on our way back!ââYouâre complaining that I eat a lot, huh?â She threw him a side glance but ate the steak as he wanted. Juicy and flavorful, the taste was just right. âNo way. Iâd rather you eat more,â he said smilingly.Exchanging a smile, they shared a sweet and tender moment. However, Lily grew slightly worried despite herself. âAssuming youâre right and Ms. Riggs is truly in such a situation, thereâs bound to be trouble.â âWhy is that?ââIf she truly has dissociative identity disorder, her other self would sometimes not know what she does. Weâll have no idea which identity she would assume. For ex
Without thinking, Hannah dropped to her knees, almost in reflex.Heather got up, walked over, and stopped beside Hannah. Then she stared down without a word.Hannah kept her head down and pursed her lips tightly. She could feel Heatherâs glare. She had prepared herself for punishment when she ate a meal with Ralph. Hannah felt calm instead now that she was about to be punished.âYou think youâre a full-fledged bird now, donât you?â Heather said casually and rested her hand on Hannahâs shoulder. âThat youâre ready to fly solo?âPain shot through Hannaâs shoulder. No matter how much she looked like her sister, she was no match for Heather in terms of strength.Hannah had learned kickboxing when she was young but never had firm footing and muscles like her sister. Without Heatherâs strength and learning ability, Hannah knew she could never become as powerful as Heather, no matter how hard she tried.She had grown even weaker, having stayed in the basement for a long time and could o
Heatherâs expression changed. As a kickboxer, she knew how to exert strength well, but she had gotten so mad that she had accidentally cracked Hannahâs bones, which was not good for Heather.Chump, on the sidelines, said, âMiss?âHe stood there calmly. Besides Heather, he did not care about anyone else, even someone who looked like her.Speechless, Heather gazed down at the young woman lying on the floor and grew irritated, seeing how much she looked like her. âCarry herâĶâSuddenly, a gleam dazzled in her eyes before she could finish instructing Chump to bring Hannah inside. She looked at the sparkle and saw a diamond ring on Hannahâs finger. The diamond was not big, but its glimmer had a dazzling effect.The anger in her rekindled as she bent over and tried to remove it from Hannah. Although Hannahâs finger was slender, Heather had to tug it twice as the finger was curved, and its joint stopped it from coming out.She grew even more infuriated. âThis wretched girl has passed out
Hannahâs words shocked Heather as it was the first time Hannah had asked back for something she had taken.âHannah never dared to claim anything since she was young. When did she become daring enough to demand things from me? Is this ringâno, is that man so important to her?âThinking so, Heather became thoughtful and diverted her gaze from the ring to her sister. âWhat did you say? Repeat it since I didnât hear you correctly.âFrom Heatherâs demeanor, Hannah knew her sister had gotten mad, and she should not repeat it. The pain in her shoulder also reminded her not to do it.However, when she saw the ring, Hannah thought about Ralphâs face and what he said about living happily ever after with her. It was the first time she had wanted so much to spend the rest of her life with someone.âSince Iâve come this far, thereâs no use being afraid. Can being afraid make a difference?âShe bit her lip and said weakly yet firmly, âHeather, I know youâre upset, and I shouldnât be saying thi
As if what mattered most to her was being destroyed before her eyes, Hannah bawled as she spoke.Seeing the tears on her sisterâs face, Heatherâs anger reached its peak instead. âWhen has she ever cried like this? I had beaten her and locked her up for half a year, and she had never cried and made a scene like now. As a mere substitute and a shadow of mine, she shouldnât have her own thoughts, and yet she is begging me to let her have the stupid ring!ââWith her shoulder injured, she canât even lift her arm. What kind of power pushes her to grab my hand for the ring?â Heather thought she was wrong to underestimate Ralph Russell's influence over Hannah. She never expected that a d*uchebag like him could undo her years of nurturing Hannah and make her rebel against her. âI must never let her keep the ring!âHaving made the decision, her gaze turned grim, and she jerked her hand before kicking Hannah. âF*ck off!â The impact was so severe that Hannah flew and crashed heavily onto
Lily tilted her head up to fight back her tears, saying, âThereâs something I find strange.ââWhat is it?â Mike asked after comforting his son.âInstead of detaining Prince Ross, Her Majesty has sent him back to Yudonia. If so, why couldnât we reach him?âAfter some thought, Mike answered, âThere are two possibilities. Itâs probably due to poor signals, or he doesnât want us to contact him.âThe two shared a look, knowing what each other was wondering.âWhy canât we contact Ross? Is he planning something?ââĶThree days later, Lily inserted the last needle into the queenâs leg and looked up at her, saying, âYou should start feeling your legs tomorrow. Still, itâll take some time before you can stand.âSuddenly, Lily chuckled.âWhy are you laughing?â Yasmin touched her legs. She had begun to regain sensation in her legs over the last two days. She then began to believe that she could get up. However, the queen was hesitant when the queen heard Lily chuckle.Lily shook her head
Lily straightened up and said without resentment, âOf course, you wouldnât.ââThatâsâĶ quite a pity,â the queen murmured thoughtfully.âWell, thereâs a price to pay for everything. Thatâs how the world balances itself,â Lily continued, âI canât stop you if you must carry on with R10. Still, I wonât witness whether or not it succeeds. I just wish the outcome isnât something youâll regret.âLily smiled and turned to head out the door.Rick heard their conversation as he stood guard outside. After exchanging looks with Lily as she brushed past him, he entered the room and saw the needles in Yasminâs legs. âYour Majesty, those needlesââThe queen waved dismissively. âItâs okay. Lily will remove them later.âEven so, Rick was wary. âYouâre being too careless, Your Majesty. What if that womanâââShe wouldnât,â Yasmin interjected, shaking her head."Why do you trust her so much?" Rick asked despite himself. The queen fell silent. If Rick had not asked her that, she would not have rea
Lily took out a cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of silver needles inside. Yasmin was surprised she carried the needles with her.âTell me. What do you want?â The queen took a deep breath to calm herself. She then reminded herself that she could always say no to Lilyâs request. Still, Yasmin was cautious about Lily trying to trick her.Lily casually said, "I left because Prince Ross wanted to help me. I hope you donât punish him.""That's it?" Yasmin thought she had misheard Lily. 'Is she trying to talk terms with me just so that I won't punish my son?' she wondered in disbelief."Ross is my son. I won't harm him. Don't you think you've wasted an opportunity by making such a request?" The queen shook her head. "I wasnât sure if youâd blame him, but he did rescue me once. If I don't do anything, it would be ungrateful of me," Lily said gently, "Also, didnât you already lock him up?"Yasmin was puzzled. "No, I only sent him back to Yudonia. He kept trying to get me to sto
"Three days," Lily replied.âThatâs it?!â Yasmin was in disbelief. She thought Lily would try to buy some more time and suspected she would say the process would take several months or even years.âI havenât felt my legs for over a decade. I wouldnât mind waiting for three more days.ââAre you sure I can get up and walk in just three days?â Yasmin pressed her legs hard but felt nothing. She would have treated her legs long ago if it were that easy.The queen had visited many famous doctors from various countries, but they could only stop her legs from getting weaker. However, Lily confidently told Yasmin that she could fix her legs so quickly.Yasmin wanted to believe it.After some consideration, Lily said, âI canât guarantee that youâll walk as fast as you once could. After all, you havenât used your legs for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied. Still, youâll recover slowly.âYasmin nodded repeatedly, thinking it was good enough. She never dreamed of walking as well a
âBecause only our opinions matter." Lily thought of something and said, "Unless you choose to believe Rhea.""IâĶ don't trust anyone." Yasminâs expression stiffened as she turned her wheelchair away."Your Majesty, I know you're dedicated to the experiment, but there are other things in life. Have you ever considered letting go of your burden to sightsee? Youâve done enough as a queen over the last few decades. Arenât you tired of living a lonely life?âLily gently spoke as she gazed at Yasminâs back.The older woman caressed her knees with both hands and stared down at her legs, murmuring, âSightsee, huh? Iâve forgotten what thatâs like.âYasmin had not used her legs for many years. Initially, she could still stand up and sometimes took a few steps. However, she could no longer get to her feet.She had grown accustomed to sitting in a wheelchair, but she felt a pang of sorrow after hearing Lilyâs suggestion.Lily asked, âWhat if I can help you stand again? What if you can walk a
"Yes, I returned not just for him but also for you," Lily said, "I'm sure you were anxious for my return, weren't you?"Yasmin scoffed dismissively. "Why would I be? I have my bargaining chip. Besides, did you honestly think I couldnât bring you back?""Bargaining chip? Do you mean Nick?" Lily shook her head with a smile. "Don't forget that he's not my son. Do you think he'll be much of a bargaining chip to you if I choose to ignore him for my three children?"She did not wait for Yasmin to reply and continued, "Besides, Nick still has a father whoâs willing to die for him. If Mike decides to take drastic action against youâ Yes, you're a queen, and you don't care much about an insignificant businessman.âHowever, don't forget that his business spans worldwide. There's no guarantee what he might do. Who knows, he might spread information that can affect Your Majesty and Yudonia's reputation?""YouâĶ" The queen was exasperated but could not retort.Lily noticed it and casually said
Rick could only remain silent at that moment.Yasmin then turned her wheelchair around and blandly said, âBring Lily over. Iâd like to see what excuses that sly woman can come up with.â"Your Majesty?" Rick was puzzled. "You know she'll just lie to you. Why must youâ"Yasmin interjected, "I'd like to hear what she has to say."Rick had no choice but to leave and do as she said.As Lily was about to doze off, she heard noises from outside and opened her eyes. Immediately after, the door opened, and Rick appeared. He glared at her and spoke coldly, âHer Majesty wants to see you.âLily glanced at Rick calmly and stood up as if she had expected his appearance. On the other hand, Mike rose before her and headed out.However, Rick stopped him as he reached the door. âYou stay.â"But we came together!" Mike glanced over his shoulder at Lily, signaling her to persuade the man. Rick added, "The queen doesnât wish to see you. Just stay here!"Lily patted Mike's shoulder and said gentl
Everyone was shocked when Lily returned to the embassy with Mike. One of the staff members quickly left to report the news to Queen Yasmin.Meanwhile, Lily saw people peering at her and Mike from the corner. Afterward, several guarded-looking men appeared. Lilt recognized them as the queenâs attendants. They brought Mike and Lily inside and then gave the duo a thorough search.The men only relaxed after finding nothing suspicious about the duo. Even so, Lily could not see the queen as the men told her to wait in an innermost room instead.After returning to the embassy, Lily felt a sense of strange familiarity. Although she knew the place well, her mindset had changed.She previously hated the embassy and simply wanted to escape. However, she had returned with a critical mission. Not only did she have to complete it, but she also needed to leave the place in one piece.While she was calm, Mike was somewhat anxious. He clasped his hands on his knees and glanced around as he sat dow
"I promise I'll do anything you want, okay?" Mike begged. He was desperate to see his son, so he decided to follow Lily when she insisted on returning to the embassy.Mike continued, âIf any of you go with her, they might stop or suspect you. They wonât do that to me. Itâs natural for me to want to see and rescue my son. Iâm the best candidate because it makes sense for me to sacrifice myself for him.âAfter a short silence, Lily said, âYouâre right.â She then looked at Alexander, who pondered before slowly raising his head and saying, âMe too.âDominic tapped the table. "So do I."Cameron thought for a moment before saying, "I've no objections."Seeing this, Austin spread his arms and said, "Since you all agree, what else can I say? Let's do it!"It did not matter whether or not he agreed, but he just wanted to support Mike. The latter nodded and became emotional, saying, âThanks, you guys!â"Why are you thanking us? Just be careful, and donât be rash like you promised," Aust