Patrick noticed that Gloria was reluctant to let him in. However, he chose to ignore her feelings and walked straight in.
"Mr. Hammond, wait a moment. I'll go get some water for you." Gloria lowered her head and walked towards the kitchen. However, just as she took a step, her arm was grabbed. "No need. Pack your things and come with me." Patrick said straightforwardly. "What?" Gloria looked at Patrick doubtfully. Patrick smiled and said, "You didn't hear it wrong. I asked you to pack your luggage and come with me. You are not staying here anymore." "Then where will I live?" Gloria asked subconsciously. "Stay with me," Patrick replied. Gloria thought something was wrong with her ears. She said carefully, "Mr. Hammond, I think this place is pretty good." Patrick didn't say anything. He checked his watch. "I'll give you fifteen minutes to pack your things, and then we'll leave here." After he said this, he glanced at herHer fingertip rested on the edge of her phone, her thumb unconsciously rubbing the screen's crack.After deleting the messages, she brushed her index knuckle across her lashes, casting a shadow over her eyes. Her hand, holding the phone, revealed slightly protruding veins. She deliberately tread lightly over the marble foyer, as if fearing to awaken some dormant danger.Dorian was no longer in the dining room; the silver coffee pot still retained some warmth.As Luana placed the car keys back on the carved tray, her finger paused for half a second on the rose pattern at the edge of the tray. The keys made a clear sound against the porcelain dish.Turning to head back to the bedroom, the sandalwood texture of the stair railing dug into her palm. She looked up and saw Dorian emerging from her room.The deep gray trousers swept across the door frame, creating a gust of wind. The corner of the document between his fingers curled—it was her newly replaced p
Luana put down her wholewheat bread. The oats on it irritated her fingertips.She picked up the cheese bread with her right hand, her index and middle fingers holding it. The cheese on the bread's edge left a greasy residue on her skin, making her stomach churn.The sweet and salty cheese burst on her taste buds, mixing with the bread's charred aroma, yet it was as hard to swallow as chewing gum.She was aware of Dorian's gaze, sharp as a scalpel, on her face. Each chew of her molars throbbed with pain.Dorian's harsh stare faded. He tapped his coffee cup, the porcelain ringing out.His smile returned. "Good girl," he said.Sunlight pierced the clouds, gilding his lashes but not the shadows in his eyes.After one bite, Luana put the bread back. The cheese left an oil stain on the plate.She patted her lips with a napkin, the fibers brushing against them. Her voice rang out in the quiet dining room, "It's unpleasant. I don't like it."The
She sat stiffly on the sofa for a long time, her fingertips absentmindedly rubbing the embroidered pattern on the edge of the sofa.Then, using her elbow to lever herself up from the armrest, she rose slowly. Her knees bent slightly before straightening abruptly, as if she were using all her strength to walk back to the bedroom with mechanical steps.The metal door handle felt cold in her palm.As she pushed open the window, the headlights of the matte-grey Koenigsegg downstairs were reflecting a cold light. The raindrops sliding off the car's streamlined body fell to the ground, like the tears she had not shed last night.Her eyelashes suddenly trembled violently, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the window frame, and the scar on her chest, where the surgery had cut and sewn her up, seemed to be burning.She slammed the window shut, the aluminum frame clattering against the glass, then grabbed the curtain cord and yanked it forcefully. The heavy velvet curtain fell like a black
Cline's bloodshot eyes slowly lifted toward the lit villa. "She kept saying she's Dorothy, not Luana. So she's using that identity—and married Dorian with it." He frowned."She loved Albion so much. There must be a reason she married Dorian."His thoughts darkened like a storm approaching."Go investigate Dorian and Dorothy," he ordered Russell coldly."Yes, sir," Russell replied respectfully.As Russell turned to leave, Cline stopped him."One more thing...""Yes, sir?"Cline's lips parted slightly as he slowly said, "Check if Dorian saved Luana from the crematorium. Start there."George had mentioned that if the body wasn't damaged and the brain was still active, a heart transplant could save a person.Luana's body had no defects, which meant she must have been secretly taken away before cremation.Whoever took her also gave her a new heart, allowing her to survive.Cline suspec
He didn't blame her. He only hated himself for not cherishing her while she was still by his side.Clenching the letter in his hand, he stumbled and slowly turned to leave.His once-proud figure now seemed frail, as if a gust of wind could knock him down."Cline…" Just as he leaned on the car door, preparing to leave, her familiar, tranquil voice called out to him.Hearing his name, he turned slowly, his gaze locking onto her slender, fragile figure under the streetlight.This was the person he'd missed for three years. Just her soft voice was enough to make him want to run to her and hold her tight.But reality was a cold shower, dousing his fervor.He took a step forward, but she retreated three steps, panic in her eyes, as if he were a monster."Don't come closer," she said calmly, her voice clear and unrippled."I've said all I need to. Please don't disturb me again."Cline had hoped she'd called him ba
Cline released Luana with a hint of despair, staggering back a step.His bloodshot eyes locked onto hers as he asked, "Never at all?"Luana's lashes fluttered, her composure unwavering as she shook her head again.The smile on Cline's lips deepened with bitterness. "What about these, then?"He pulled out a letter he'd carried always, holding it before her. His voice cracked, his eyes red as he repeated, "What do these mean?"Luana's gaze fell on the perfectly preserved letter, and her expression froze—a chord struck deep within.She wondered when exactly she'd lost all hope in him.Her thoughts drifted back to that night when he held her close, their intimacy shattered by his cold words, "Don't delude yourself into thinking I'll love you."She'd felt like ice, realizing she was nothing to him but a vessel for his emotions. Yet now...Luana slowly lifted her eyes to Cline, his composure completely undone.Whe
Luana fought with all her might, her slender hands clawing at Cline's arms.Her nails bit through his skin, drawing blood, yet he held on relentlessly."Cline!" Luana roared in fury, finally dropping her Dorothy act and staring him down as Luana.Hearing his name from her lips, Cline's eyes reddened further. "You finally admit it..."Luana sneered. "So what if I do?"Cline froze, his bloodshot eyes slowly meeting hers.Her face was an icy mask, devoid of emotion, filled only with contempt.This cold Luana left him at a loss.As he opened his mouth to speak, Luana turned her head, her calm eyes reflecting Cline's pale face."Did you really mean it when you said you loved me?""Yes..." Cline's heart leaped at the chance to connect, and he nodded eagerly, about to confess a decade-old truth.But Luana cut him off, her voice ice-cold, "If you loved me, why wouldn't you wait until our contract ended before break
"Does it hurt?" Luana silently asked herself.Once, she had known pain—excruciating, soul-crushing agony that had left her curled on a cold floor, voiceless and desperate.It had been a pain that stripped away all hope in this man before her, eroding her very will to live. It had been so severe that even in her final moments, when she'd longed for a glimpse of him, he'd refused even a phone call.That pain was no mere physical wound. It was a despair that seeped into her very being.It was after enduring such torment that she had finally seen Cline for what he truly was—a man utterly ruthless toward her.Yet now, here he was, holding her and asking if she hurt. The irony was bitter, almost laughable.With a cold, expressionless face, she said, "The five minutes are up. Let me go."But Cline, who had finally held the person he'd obsessed over, had no intention of releasing her so easily.He held her tight and said, "
Cline held tight to her arm, as if he'd never let go unless Luana gave him a chance to speak.Luana, brows furrowed, sighed and relented, "Five minutes, right here."Cline's cold gaze shifted to Dorian, who shot him a glare before turning to Luana."Five minutes, then home," Dorian warned.Luana nodded meekly, "Okay."Only after Dorian strode into the villa did Luana turn to Cline, her voice cool and impatient."Well?"In Dorian's presence, Luana had been the picture of obedience, just as she used to be with him.Now, though, Cline saw a change in her—calm, distant, and edged with impatience.This new version of Luana only deepened the ache in his chest.He longed to reach out, to brush his fingers against her face, but as his hand rose, she flinched violently, stepping back as if struck.Luana stared at Cline's right hand, her pupils suddenly clouded with fear, as if the ghosts of past trauma had res