LOGINCharlie wished he could reach through the phone and grab someone by the collar.
“Which courtyard are you taking a walk in?” His voice turned cold and sharp as shattered ice. “The clinic or the hotel? Did your Candice teach you to call those places courtyards now?”
“...”
Rex’s face was pure despair.
He turned toward his sister, silently screaming, Didn’t you say he didn’t have x-ray vision?!
Right now, he looked like a poor soul who’d been tricked into jumping off a cliff—his sister told him, Don’t worry, the rope’s secure! He believed her completely, jumped without hesitation… only to realize she hadn’t even tied the rope to him.
Candice felt equally hopeless.
She’d lied to Charlie precisely so he wouldn’t find out her family had come to Shandor—and now all her effort had gone up in smoke.
She pressed a hand over her eye
Charlie wished he could reach through the phone and grab someone by the collar.“Which courtyard are you taking a walk in?” His voice turned cold and sharp as shattered ice. “The clinic or the hotel? Did your Candice teach you to call those places courtyards now?”“...”Rex’s face was pure despair.He turned toward his sister, silently screaming, Didn’t you say he didn’t have x-ray vision?!Right now, he looked like a poor soul who’d been tricked into jumping off a cliff—his sister told him, Don’t worry, the rope’s secure! He believed her completely, jumped without hesitation… only to realize she hadn’t even tied the rope to him.Candice felt equally hopeless.She’d lied to Charlie precisely so he wouldn’t find out her family had come to Shandor—and now all her effort had gone up in smoke.She pressed a hand over her eye
“Pick someone up?”“Pick who up?”Candice’s nerves instantly went taut.Tonight’s entire arrangement was already a gamble.She knew from the start it wasn’t a good idea, yet she still went through with it. All the way here, she’d been praying everything would go smoothly—that she and Rex could wrap it all up before Charlie got back.Hopefully every step would go according to plan.But now, her grandma suddenly mentioned picking someone up? Whoever it was, that person was about to ruin everything.Of course, plans never keep up with changes, and Candice had already prepared herself mentally for things to go sideways. So she forced herself to stay calm.“Who is it, Grandma? Who needs the old doctor himself to go pick them up?”“You’ll know when you see,” Mary smiled mysteriously and patted her hand.A bad chill ran through Candice&rs
Meanwhile—At the Lawrence residence, the banquet hall was glittering with light and laughter. Nearly every powerful family in Shandor had arrived. Even the newly rich, celebrities, and socialites—who normally drew headlines—were only background decorations tonight.Receiving an invitation from the Lawrence family was itself a badge of honor. It meant your family still had influence and power. The ones who’d fallen from grace weren’t even qualified to send gifts anymore, let alone be invited to attend.However—Half an hour into the banquet, every guest had arrived, yet the star of the night—Old Mrs. Lawrence—was nowhere to be seen.James, as the head of the family, was busy greeting guests with the other Lawrence elders. Denise, standing proudly like a queen, was running the show—directing her sisters-in-law like servants. None of them dared object.She’d even invited her own side
High Sophia sneezed in the next room.Candice immediately rushed over. From last night until now, she hadn’t had a chance to talk to Sophia about what she was planning. Somehow, her friend hadn’t come to find her today either… though, to be fair, Charlie had spent the entire afternoon in her room, so maybe that explained it.When Candice entered Sophia’s room, Denny and Beatrice were just coming upstairs with their three children.High Sophia was lounging lazily on the sofa, reading a book. Hearing the door open, she lifted her eyes and smiled.“Charlie and the others already left? Seriously, can you two show a little restraint? You’re a pregnant woman.”Candice didn’t respond. She went straight to the closet, pulled out the pink evening gown, and walked briskly toward Sophia.“Put this on.”Sophia blinked, confused. “I thought you weren’t going. Changed your min
She was turning over plans in her mind.With her grandmother’s stubborn temper, if she asked Charlie to call the bodyguards and send them back, the old lady would probably blurt out the real reason for their trip right there on the phone.No, no, no!What if she called them and tried to persuade them not to recognize James? Yeah right—if they were going to give up, they would’ve done it long ago.There was only one solution left: tomorrow, when they met, even if they wanted to trick her into going to the Lawrence family, she could just knock them out and drag them back to the fishing village instead.As for what came after… she’d figure it out later.Once she made up her mind, she put her phone away and walked out.Sophia had just changed into a black evening gown. “How’s this one?”Candice said weakly, “Looks good.”Meanwhile, at the hotel—Mary w
My heart jumped into my throat.I’d thought I’d already talked Mom and Grandma out of coming—and knowing Mom’s cautious personality, she wouldn’t stir up trouble anyway.But Grandma? That fearless, hot-headed old lady? She absolutely would.If they really came to Shandor…If they showed up at that birthday banquet…Wouldn’t the whole city find out overnight that I’m James’s illegitimate daughter?“Candice? Candice?”Sophia waved a hand in front of my face.“Huh? What?”I snapped out of it, pressed my phone face-down on my lap, and forced a smile at the sight of her pink gown.“Mm. Looks good. Really nice.”“…”Could I be any more perfunctory?Sophia gave me a look. She figured I was just feeling pressured by all the Clemens family attention.“You already planned to







