Although Candice felt as if her stomach was turning upside down, from where she was sitting she could clearly see every move Rex made while closing the cabin door—and she noticed something unusual.She squeezed Sophia’s hand.“Hm?”Sophia thought she was feeling sick.Candice shot her a meaningful glance.With their tacit understanding, Sophia immediately understood. She straightened up, then casually turned her head toward Rex without drawing attention.Following his line of sight outward, however, there was nothing unusual around the helipad…“Mr. Tang, we should take off now,” the pilot reminded.Rex turned his head, arms folded. “I forgot something.”Pilot: “What is it?”Rex: “The code.”The pilot froze.Rex arched a brow. “Didn’t Mr. Lawrence tell you? If the code doesn’t match, this chopper doesn&rs
Kyle’s face drained of color, inch by inch.Charlie noticed and said leisurely,"The ghost you invited—you can’t send it away. Now your ex-wife is dragged into this mess. To be honest, helping her is the same as helping you.""Do you still think these are two separate matters?""Do you realize how foolish you’ve been?"The words cut deep, sharp as a knife after the slow build-up.Kyle’s eyes nearly split from rage, yet there was no way to refute. Every syllable struck him with undeniable truth, leaving him drowning in regret, suffocation, and terror that nearly broke this once arrogant heir.The veins on the back of his hand bulged against the desk, as if ready to burst through skin.Charlie took a sip of his cold coffee and sighed."Besides that ex-wife you nearly destroyed, don’t forget—you still have a mother hanging by a thread."Kyle’s head shot up.Charl
Candice’s heart skipped a beat.It was as if a blazing fireball had struck her chest, heat bubbling up from her heart and coursing through her veins, even her breath felt unbearably warm, every bone seam brimming with sweetness and tingling ache.She licked her lips.Her mind was already a little dizzy from his flirtatious words. “That’s good, keep it up.”Charlie’s voice spilled with a laugh from his throat. “If I’m the only one keeping it up, aren’t you going to give me a little something in return?”Listening to his teasing voice while looking at her best friend’s sparkling eyes and the silly grin on the young “little brother,” Candice suddenly felt like the four of them were kids hiding under a blanket whispering secrets.“Wait for me.”She covered her phone, stood up, and ignored Sophia’s disgruntled call behind her, slipping into the small
Charlie was a little surprised.Then he understood—she was feeling guilty, trying to be more considerate.Edward lazily draped an arm over his shoulder, winking. “Our Candice knows how to read the room. She’s not some delicate little flower.”Charlie shot him a cold look. “You think I don’t already know that?”If anything, he wished she would be a little delicate sometimes.Taking back his phone, he said softly into the receiver,“This isn’t urgent. Just find a hotel to stay for now.It’s not all Sophia’s fault—my arrangements weren’t perfect either. Don’t let her blame herself. And don’t push yourself. Think things over on the way.”He paused, then his voice dropped even lower, smoother, gentler.“Everything is in my hands. Do whatever you want.”Candice’s heart burned, as if kissed.Soft, swee
Sophia set her phone down, worry etched all over her face.Back inside the private room, Candice and Rex had already ordered.“Sophia, this is what we picked. See if there’s anything else you want,” Candice said, passing her the menu.But Sophia just sat there in a daze, her gaze fixed on a painting on the wall, as though her soul had floated away.Her thoughts were tangled:For Kyle to get hold of Mr. Pierce’s phone just to call her, he must’ve gone through a lot of trouble. But why? Was it only to make her convince Candice to give up the baby? He knew she would never agree. Why waste all that effort?Unless… he wanted her to carry the message, to plant discord between Candice and Charlie?“Sophia? Sophia?” Candice waved a hand in front of her face.“…Hm? What?” Sophia snapped back to reality.“Take a look, do we need to add anything?” Candi
Charlie said nothing.He simply looked at her with a pair of icy eyes.Candice frowned. “Don’t scare Sophia.”Sophia patted her hand. “It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll go!”She took a deep breath, face full of resolve as if heading to her execution, then stood up and followed Charlie out.Candice watched them leave, still uneasy.Edward reassured her, “Don’t worry, Charlie won’t bully a woman. He’s the most principled person you’ll ever meet.”Twenty minutes later.Charlie and Sophia came out of the study.When she went in, Sophia looked like a martyr marching to her doom.When she came out, she was practically glowing, as if she had just won the lottery inside.To Candice, it looked like… her best friend had turned into a traitor.She pulled her aside and asked what they had talked about.Sophia’s attit