LOGIN"Cultivate..."Gabrielle’s eyes were vacant. Evidently, her cognitive capacity was insufficient to process such a complex phrase, leaving her to do nothing but stare blankly at Candice.The girl before her wore a well-behaved white princess dress; her skin was like cream, and she stood quietly, projecting a unique sense of innocence. Even her wooden hollowness translated into a sort of static beauty on a canvas."This half-sister really does look a bit like Candice. She’s quite pretty, too. Pity she’s a fool," Bianca whispered into Sophia’s ear."A fool who still knows how to try and snatch a brother-in-law from her sister.""You mean Kyle?""No, Charlie.""..."*The fool’s taste in men is quite sharp.*Candice stepped forward. Under the high-alert, "enemy-at-the-gates" gaze of the female bodyguard, she reached out and gently patted Gabrielle’s head twice. "You have to be good and get
This time, Denise was the first to cut the call.Soon after, Candice received a location—a seaside resort about a fifty-minute drive away. It was likely the intended departure point where she would board a helicopter to head to the destination.Only then did Candice let her hands drop, gripping the railing as if she were about to collapse from exhaustion. It wasn't that she lacked fear; she simply couldn't afford to fuel the enemy's arrogance. It was all a bluff, and she hoped it would work. She also hoped... that Denise still had a shred of conscience regarding her biological daughter.Candice stood silently for a few minutes, let out a soft sigh, and headed downstairs."Uncle, it’s no use letting them keep arguing like this. I’ll go out and say a few words," she said, making a move toward the door."Get back here! Don't think you're slipping away. I'll go talk to them," Albert said, stepping outside.The moment her uncle
"That doesn't matter right now; what matters is you!"Margaret was consumed with worry. She now deeply regretted her initial decision; she felt she should have been firm in making her daughter separate from Charlie. That way, they wouldn't have had to take the risk of sending her back to the Lawrence family just to overcome the hurdle of her background.Now that she was being targeted by that venomous woman, there was no telling what would happen in the future.Candice reassured her, "You don't need to worry about my affairs, and don't think of her as being all-powerful. She won't let me go? Well, I won't let her go either. Relax, your daughter can handle this."Sophia also tried to comfort Margaret. "It's fine. If she can't even handle a crisis like this, how is she going to fight her in the future? You have to remember, Candice isn't alone anymore.""Besides, things have already come to this. Being afraid only makes it more dangerous," Bianca sai
Candice’s voice was devoid of any ups and downs, carrying a sort of cold solemnity.Amy swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on Candice for a long time. When she finally spoke, her voice sounded as if it were being dragged out by a heavy weight attached to her throat. "I... I don’t know who it was... Sh-she found me... Oh, not in person, it was over the phone. She told me to come back to the fishing village... and then... no matter what method I used... to stir up some trouble... to force y-you to... rush here immediately."Everyone: "...!"Before she had spoken these words, Candice’s "coerced confession" had been based on deduction and suspicion. After all, a decade-old neighborhood grudge escalating to mutual retaliation and a high-society vendetta seemed like two different dimensions; connecting them felt somewhat far-fetched.But as Amy’s words landed, that sinister, rotten aura suddenly surged toward them, sending chills down their
Everything happens for a reason.Even if it were the Third Uncle’s family, why would these old rivals—who had maintained a truce for over a decade—suddenly start trouble now? There had to be a motive.A flicker of unease crossed Mary’s face. She shifted her weight, stammering, "Well... the conflict has always been there. It’s true that because our family’s life has improved over the last few years, the friction decreased a lot. At most, we’d just exchange a few sarcastic remarks. Usually..."Candice was still preoccupied with Charlie’s situation and had no patience for her grandmother’s evasions. She didn't want to play word games. She gripped the older woman's hand. "Just tell me straight. What happened?""..."Knowing she couldn't fool her brilliant granddaughter, Mary confessed guiltily, "It was just last week. Third Uncle’s youngest daughter, who works out of town, came back. Her mothe
Sophia briskly pulled breakfast out of the bags. "We happened to be eating with Candice yesterday when we heard you were hurt, so we all came along."Bianca helped crank up the hospital bed. "Auntie, we were already planning to visit the fishing village together anyway."Rex sprawled on the sofa. "The buns here are actually pretty good."Margaret was amused by Rex. "Auntie knows how to make them, too. When we go home this afternoon, I’ll make some for you.""Did the doctor say you can be discharged today?" Candice asked."It’s not like it’s a major wound. It just looked scary at the time. It’s been disinfected, and I’ve had a tetanus shot—what else could go wrong?""I should still ask the doctor myself. Mom, which intersection in the village did you step on the nails? The one leading to the beach? Dad said on the phone you were going to call Uncle for dinner. That road to the shore usually has quite a bit
Sophia froze.That sudden eye contact knocked her brain offline.A fake veteran was still just a fake—no matter how she pretended to be worldly and experienced, inside she was nothing but a nervous rookie.And right now, being stared at up close by a man like Edward—his face, his body, his every po
What was that sound?A cat...?She had heard a crying-like cat sound last night too.Candice stood still, listening intently. The sound was still faintly coming through, and it made her uneasy. She didn’t move at first but eventually returned to the sofa, leaning back a
Everyone except Candice: “...?!”Another bombshell....Cantonese Restaurant, Peninsula Hotel.Charlie Clemens had finished his meal but wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He sat there browsing on his phone.He was engrossed, lips curling into a faint smile after a while. His deep, velvety voice carried a
Candice finished eating and curled up on the sofa.She opened the chat window with Jim, typing and deleting several times, only to give up in the end.What did Charlie mean, anyway?He gave her the suit measurements, but now it seemed like he didn’t even want the suit? Was he just messing with her?







