"Are you sure you want to return to your house, Amora?"Emma Adams watched as Amora packed some of her personal belongings into a suitcase. She tried to persuade Amora to stay with her.One week has passed since the threats from the unknown perpetrators. It has also been one week since Amora and her son stayed at Emma Adams' house. This afternoon, Amora decided to return to her own home. She didn’t want to continue burdening Emma.Although Emma didn’t feel burdened at all, Amora still didn’t want to rely on her especially since she heard that Emma’s son would be visiting her this weekend.As someone without a blood relation to Emma Adams, Amora felt uncomfortable if Emma’s son asked about her presence in the house. She thought it would be better to leave today.Amora took an afternoon shift to handle her personal matters. She had finished packing her
The sound of the bell ringing throughout Marionette International School was the most anticipated moment for all the students. Several luxury cars lined up neatly in front of the school entrance, ready to pick up the elite students.Today, all the students were dismissed early because they had just finished their midterm exams. It was no wonder the parking lot was much more crowded than usual.Mark Carter was standing in front of the entrance. His eyes scanned the faces of the students who were starting to exit the school building one by one.His gaze stopped at a teenage girl laughing and joking with her friends.“Miss,” Mark called out when their eyes met.The smile on Alicia Lorenzo’s face immediately faded. She stopped and stared sharply at her brother’s assistant.“Ugh, why are you the one picking me up?” Alicia grumbled.“The master had some business today. So the young master was asked to pick you up, and I had to get out of the car to greet you, Miss,” Mark explained.Alicia r
A meaningful smile spread across Alicia's lips. Her captivating blue eyes sparkled as she read the incoming message on her phone.The message was from Amora, sent about fifteen minutes ago, but Alicia had just opened it. She quickly replied to the message.[Wait there. I'm on my way.]Of course, Alicia was lying. She had just passed the café where they were supposed to meet and hadn’t asked Mark or her brother to stop there for a moment.Soon, Alicia received a reply.[Will it be long, Miss? I have other things to do.]Alicia clicked her tongue in annoyance. She thought for a moment and then typed another reply.[Just wait. You better be there when I arrive!]A sly grin appeared on the corner of Alicia's lips. She was very satisfied with her response. She was sure Amora wouldn’t leave until she arrived.As expected, Amora replied again. [Alright, I'll wait.]‘Ha! Serves you right. Who told you to make me wait last time,’ Alicia muttered to herself.She was still upset about what had h
"I don't know either," Alicia replied.Regis's eagle-eyed gaze immediately honed in sharply on his sister. "You don't know?"The girl rolled her eyes lazily. She snatched her phone back from her brother's hand and said, "Seriously annoying! Do I have no privacy left at all?"Alicia's protest went unnoticed by Regis."I'm almost 18, Brother. Stop treating me like a child!" Alicia continued, her face contorted with resentment."Still two months to go," Regis retorted, turning his sister's earlier statement around.Alicia grunted in frustration. She had no intention of explaining what she was doing to her brother.Her lips pursed in a sour expression, she simply stared at her phone screen to avoid looking at her brother.Regis's eyebrows furrowed."You're not dating a girl, are you, Alicia?" Regis queried with doubt, concerned that his sister might have deviant behavior.Alicia's blue eyes widened.Her gaze reminded Regis of their late mother, who had passed away when Alicia was about the
"He's Johannes Brown, my husband."A young woman with an extravagant appearance, dressed provocatively, suddenly interrupted the conversation to introduce the man standing next to her.The woman was Lisa Taylor, the mother of Benjamin Brown, who had previously clashed with Amora. She proudly introduced her husband and flirtatiously smiled at Regis.Johannes frowned. His face showed slight displeasure at his wife's overly flirtatious behavior."Mr. Brown is my deputy, Mr. Lorenzo," Larry explained with a cheerful smile."My father is David Brown. You must know him as he has met you at several meetings," Johannes said confidently.Regis didn't respond. He just looked at Larry sharply, making it clear that he didn't like the couple blocking his way and view."Mrs. Brown, let's sit down and talk," Larry quickly suggested, clearing his throat as a signal to Johannes.Seeing this, Johannes retracted his ignored hand and pulled his wife aside to make way for Regis and Larry.Without a word,
Larry was shocked by Regis's statement about the missing student. He looked back at his assistant and asked sharply, "Miss Smith, didn't you see him clearly earlier?"Eva jumped in surprise. She nervously wrung her hands, her face pale as a sheet of paper."E-earlier, there was a boy who left. He said he wasn't feeling well and asked to go to the restroom. I thought he didn't want the scholarship because his parents weren't here either," Eva replied anxiously.Regis raised an eyebrow. He indeed hadn't seen Amora in the room. He had hoped to meet both of them on the way to the school, but that hope vanished due to the school's negligence.Regis felt something was off about Amora and Rayden. He suspected someone was trying to prevent them from meeting him.Earlier, Rayden Lysander, Amora's son, had been in the room. Regis had seen him correctly.However, unbeknownst to Regis, Lisa had kicked the boy out. Johannes Brown's wife was disgusted by Rayden's presence.Before Regis arrived, Lis
Larry looked blankly at the boy still smiling brightly in front of Regis."What is this boy's name?"Larry asked his assistant, Eva Smith, about the boy who dared to call Regis "Uncle Iron Man." He was utterly shocked and embarrassed to have shown something so inappropriate to his distinguished guest."His name is Rayden Lysander, a first-grader," Eva whispered."Ahem! Rayden Lysander," Larry called to the boy.Rayden's attention shifted from Regis to the middle-aged man. His eyes blinked in confusion."What did you just say? Haven't your parents taught you any manners on how to address others?" Larry asked, immediately judging the boy.The smile on Rayden's face slowly faded. The light in his eyes dimmed. He didn't answer the question, fearing his response would spark more rumors around him.Lisa's lips curled into a
Although he had been directly shouted at and expelled, Amora's son still raised his face and stared sharply at Benjamin's parents.The boy knew that everyone, especially Benjamin's mother, must be very happy to see him humiliated and kicked out in such a disgraceful manner."I will leave. I don't want a scholarship that judges someone based on one-sided statements like this!"Alicia's blue eyes widened. Reflexively, the girl stood up and gave a loud round of applause for Rayden's words.Alicia gave a double thumbs-up for the boy's defiant attitude. She liked Rayden's defiance against the adults who had cornered him.She deeply understood Rayden's position because she also disliked being treated badly and humiliated like this. In Alicia's observation, the school foundation's officials were overreacting.Alicia felt the officials had no right to give a public warning in front of everyone to a child who was still struggling to understand the good and bad of the situation.She thought the
Seeing the deep regret on Amora’s face, Regis let out a sharp sigh. He hadn’t meant to scold her. He just wanted her to understand how her actions affected them both.Regis tried to keep his emotions in check, not wanting to lash out. He knew Amora was clearly torn and dealing with a difficult inner conflict.“Haven’t I told you time and time again not to carry everything on your own, Amora?” Regis reminded her gently.Amora didn’t respond. Her head remained lowered until Regis reached out, cupped her chin, and lifted her face so their eyes could meet again.The look in Regis's eyes, which looked shady and sad, made Amora feel both comforted and hurt because she felt guilty for hurting him with the divorce papers she’d filed.“I’m your husband, Amora. Didn’t we agree to face all our struggles together? Can’t you give me just a little time to prove that I can turn this around without asking you to sacrifice everything?” Regis asked, his voice soft but full of emotion.He still believed
Regis and Amora had just entered their rented house, but Regis was still gripping his wife’s wrist tightly, causing her to wince in pain.“Regis, didn’t you hear me? Let go of my hand!” Amora snapped, clearly annoyed at being dragged around by her husband.The sound of the bedroom door slamming made Amora jump. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the fury in Regis’s eyes.Amora swallowed hard and muttered, “That hurts, Regis.”Seeing how helpless she looked, Regis finally let go of her wrist. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the red marks left by his grip.Even though guilt started to creep in, Regis didn’t say anything. He still couldn’t bring himself to forgive what Amora had done.His lips curled into a bitter smirk as he glanced at the small suitcase behind her. “So you’re leaving, huh? Who told you to do that?”His voice was laced with a mix of anger and disappointment. Amora nervously bit her lip, slowly lowering her gaze, unable to meet his eyes.“Why are you quiet? A
“Did you bring what my boss asked for?” Pablo asked, his expression completely unchanged.Amora looked down at the document in her hands, her heart heavy. The papers were divorce papers—something she had prepared at Diego’s request, and a requirement to get Rayden accepted into the Lorenzo family.The truth was, she still wasn’t ready to divorce Regis. But the pressure and threats from Diego had completely worn her down. Unlike Diego, she held no power. And more than anything, she didn’t want to see Regis crushed under the weight of his own father.“Miss, my boss isn’t someone who breaks his promises. He’ll accept your son as part of the Lorenzo family, just like he said. Your sacrifice won’t be in vain,” Pablo assured her on his employer’s behalf.Hearing that, Amora felt something heavy lift from her chest. ‘I’m sorry, Ray. I know I made this decision on my own, but I believe one day, you’ll understand this was the best thing I could do for you,’ she thought.Amora handed the docume
"See you later, Mom. Don’t forget to come, okay?" Rayden said as he said goodbye to his mother.They had just finished breakfast, and Regis was the one taking their son to school. Amora had claimed she needed to finish some housework first so she could fully enjoy the event Rayden was participating in later.Amora only gave a small nod to her son’s words. She kissed his forehead lightly and murmured, "Take care of yourself, Ray."Rayden frowned. "I’m not gonna hurt myself, Mom," he replied, assuming she was still worried about his archery performance later.Amora gave a faint smile. Her eyes shifted to Regis, who was looking at her with a meaningful gaze. But she quickly looked away and said, "Go on, or you'll be late.""Come on, Dad! Let’s go!" Rayden called out as he grabbed his backpack."What is it?" Amora asked, puzzled, when she noticed Regis still hadn’t moved from his spot, even though their son had already jogged toward the door."Aren’t you forgetting something?" Regis asked
“Maybe Albert and the others were right. The more I stay silent, the more Father will keep using his power to pressure Amora. I need to put a stop to this—fast,” Regis thought to himself.His face was filled with distress. His mind was racing with plans he had crafted with his loyal subordinates. He’d originally planned to check in on his wife, but changed his mind and stood up, needing to confirm something first before taking any action.Meanwhile, Amora sat silently on the edge of her bed, staring at her phone screen, her thoughts consumed by the message she had just received.Tears streamed steadily down her cheeks. She covered her mouth with one hand to muffle her sobs so no one outside her room could hear her crying.She quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand and looked again at the message on her screen. It was from Chris. He had saved her number without her knowing.[Amora, I’m not sure if you’ve found out yet or not … but I just want to say congratulations. Accordin
The sky had already turned dark. Xavier had just left after having dinner with Regis’ small family.Now, Amora was cleaning up the dishes from their meal in the kitchen. Her body felt better after a full day of rest and some vitamins prescribed by the hospital.But mentally, she was still drained. Diego’s threats continued to haunt her, clouding her thoughts with anxiety and emotional exhaustion.She felt trapped. She had no choice if she wanted to protect her grandmother, but the idea of leaving Regis tore her apart.Part of her wanted to tell Regis everything. But deep down, she feared what he might do if he found out. If he confronted Diego, things could spiral out of control. And the one thing she couldn’t risk … was her grandmother’s life.‘What am I supposed to do? Should I leave Regis, just for a while, and make sure Grandma is safe first? But if Mr. Lorenzo finds out I’m lying… he might—'Amora took a deep breath and shook her head hard. ‘No. It’s too risky to lie to him. That
"Albert’s still handling it. But there are a few things that need a deeper review," Regis replied, referring to something he had done behind his family’s back.Yesterday, Regis held a closed-door meeting with several Royal Dragon subordinates—at their own request. Albert was the one who arranged the secret meeting. Yes, that man had survived the pursuit of Diego's subordinates.Pedro had also made it out alive, but he wasn’t as lucky. He’d suffered serious injuries and was still recovering. Both men were saved by loyal Royal Dragon members who still supported Regis. To them, Diego’s recent actions had gone way too far.Lately, Diego had become increasingly authoritarian and ruthless, especially toward those who remained loyal to Regis. Many of them felt like they were living under constant threat.Eventually, they decided to take a stand. They begged Regis to return and reclaim control of the Royal Dragon. They just couldn’t stand watching Diego abuse their fellow members any longer.
“Thank goodness you’re okay, Amora.”Regis’s voice echoed in Amora’s ears, followed by the sound of his relieved sigh.Amora had just arrived in front of her rental house. But before her feet even touched the yard, her husband came running out of nowhere and wrapped her in a tight hug.Amora froze in place, confused. She hadn’t even seen his face clearly yet, but from the way he held her, she knew Regis had been seriously worried about her.“R-Regis … I can’t breathe,” Amora squeaked as he tightened the hug even more.Regis slowly loosened his hold and stepped back. “Sorry … I guess I got too excited seeing you.”Amora smiled gently and shook her head. “Where were you coming from?” she asked him.“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” Regis shot back, narrowing his eyes at her.Amora swallowed hard. She had expected him to question her. Thankfully, she’d already come up with an excuse.“Do you have any idea how worried I was when Ray told me you—”Regis stopped mid-sentence. He had
"Really?" Amora murmured, clearly seeing through the man's lie."So what if I am? You want to see her or something?" Chris shot back, turning the question on her."No, I was just curious. I heard the Lysander family went bankrupt. She must be devastated, seeing her parents like that," Amora replied softly.Chris fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, the Lysander family is beyond saving. I never thought my father-in-law would embezzle that much money. Even my dad doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore," he explained.Bianca’s position as the Walden family’s daughter-in-law had taken a serious hit ever since the Lysander Group scandal broke out. Cassandra Winston and her husband were embarrassed to be related to the Lysanders, so they didn’t care when Chris mentioned he was thinking of divorcing Bianca.Amora gave Chris a sidelong glance. He clearly didn’t want to go into detail about Bianca, but from what he said, she could tell things weren’t going well for Bianca in t