It was all too late by the time Edward realized his feelings. Edward gripped the blanket tighter, burying his face deep into the pillow. Slowly, his broad body curled up tighter and tighter, as if he were trying to shut out the world. He couldn't get over it.Meanwhile, elsewhere, Alice grumbled as she kept her hands on the steering wheel. "Why are you dragging me along to see Julian?""It's not appropriate for a woman to show up alone at a single man's place," Macie said calmly. "It's better to avoid any misunderstanding."Alice fell silent."Oh, sure. And I suppose it's totally appropriate for that woman to show up with homemade soup?" Alice shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "May, come on! If you like him, just admit it already! Julian likes you, too. You two are basically a love story waiting to happen."Macie, hearing her completely miss the point, was rendered speechless."Stop overthinking it." Macie sighed. "Last night, he saved me. I'm just returning the fa
Julian couldn't help feeling jealous of Edward. He wondered how a man like Edward could ever deserve Macie's love for over many years. Was it just because Julian hadn't gone to the same high school as her? Was it because Edward was there first and beat him to it?After watching Macie and Alice leave, Julian finally turned and went back inside. The weekend plan he had made to invite Macie out was clearly not going to happen now.Alice remarked, "I thought you'd actually accept his invitation to go inside since you made me tag along. It's just the entrance to the neighborhood. What's there to be so careful about? It's a public place.""I just didn't want to meet him alone," Macie admitted. "It would've been a little awkward..."After all, Julian had gotten so emotional last night, talking about taking responsibility for her and even saying he wanted to marry her. It had honestly scared her a little. And knowing that he had liked her all along only made her more certain that she nee
Nolan reported that Edward had been fairly quiet, leading everyone to believe that he had finally calmed down. But out of nowhere, he started sniffling again. It was the kind of crying that could break anyone's heart just to hear.In the front hall, Yosef set down his teacup without a flicker of emotion and said flatly, "Edward's smart enough to know when to take a break if he's tired. The same rules apply if he's crying his damn eyes out. He can rest, but he had better get himself back together once he's done."Nolan frowned. "Shouldn't we do something about this? If he keeps it up, it's going to wear him down. It could even mess with his work on Monday," he said, clearly worried."Just let him be. It's just for a couple of days. If it screws with his job, he can kiss that CEO position goodbye. There are plenty of people out there ready to jump in the second he slips," Yosef said, grunting.Nolan immediately thought of the illegitimate kid of the Fowlers who was living outside. He
Macie didn't respond to Alice, but inwardly, she thought, "Be brave? I was brave once, but after that, I lost all my courage and was traumatized."Alice noticed Macie spacing out and asked, half-jokingly and somewhat suspiciously, "Damn. What's with that look? You've got that whole 'I've been through some shit' vibe going on. Don't tell me that you fell for someone while you were abroad?" Macie snapped back to reality and smiled. She said, "It's nothing like that. I was just thinking about what you said. You have a point."Alice huffed. "Of course! When you do get yourself a boyfriend, you had better call me in as your love guru! I'm also calling dibs on being your maid of honor!"Macie just smiled, not answering.After all, there hadn't even been a wedding when she married Edward. There was no ceremony or guests. It was almost like their marriage had never happened at all.…The weekend flew by in a blink. It was just like Yosef had said. No matter how deep Edward's heartbreak
"You should get some rest, Mr. Fowler. I'll wake you at 2:00 pm," Nathan said."No need. Send me the slides for the afternoon meeting now," Edward replied."The meeting's not until 5:00 pm... There's still time..." Nathan started to say, but when he met Edward's cold gaze, he immediately shut up and obediently sent the files over.Nathan stole a glance at Edward's condition and couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.Especially considering how, all day, Edward hadn't once mentioned anything about Macie. But hadn't he found out which company Macie worked at over the weekend?Given how crazy he'd been last week—calling the cops and hiring hackers to track her address—how could he now seem so indifferent after just two days?Nathan hadn't been there Friday night. He thought that perhaps something had happened tghat he didn't know about. And why had Yosef suddenly assigned people to keep a close eye on Edward?Nathan's mind was full of questions, but he didn't dare ask. I
Edward had thought that he could stay away from Macie, and he thought he could finally stop hurting her.But whether it was out of love, possessiveness, or just plain male pride, Edward realized that he couldn't do it. He couldn't just hand over the woman he loved to another man.Macie had agreed to marry him back then. He hadn't forced her. Since she had chosen him once, she couldn't just walk away so easily. If she hated him, then so be it. But he wasn't letting the divorce happen."The 30-day cooling-off period. Find a way to void the agreement. This divorce isn't happening," Edward said coolly.Nathan immediately thought of the divorce agreement he had seen at the Fowler residence last week. He hesitated and said, "Usually, there are only two grounds for contesting a divorce—property division or custody disputes."You and Macie have no children. And as for property... she signed that she'd leave with nothing. Based on that, there's no legal ground to—"Nathan abruptly cut him
"Macie never wanted anything from you. You didn't lose a thing. In fact, she spent two years taking care of you—cooking, cleaning, managing everything. And in just the past month alone, she's been hurt multiple times," Nathan said. "Looking at it objectively, it's clear that Macie suffered the most. You didn't lose half your fortune. So why are you still clinging to her so hard?"Edward stared Nathan down, furious. He wanted to snap back, to argue, but he had no ground to stand on. It felt like he was about to explode, but somehow, he swallowed it down.Indeed, Macie had spent two years washing his clothes, cooking his meals, and handling everything. He had never once given her money, not even for groceries. She had paid for it all herself without uttering a single word of complaint. And gifts? Forget it.He had even demanded that she stay invisible. He forbade her from appearing publicly or identifying herself as Edward's wife. He had never given her a title or anything.He fig
20 minutes later, Edward arrived at his apartment complex. He dragged himself upstairs in a daze, his eyes unfocused, his whole body radiating defeat. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice someone crouching by his door.Out of pure muscle memory, he turned left toward his unit. The sound of his footsteps caught the person's attention. The figure suddenly lifted her head and ran toward him excitedly."Edward!" Sharon cried out as she threw herself at him, her voice already trembling with tears.Only then did Edward snap back to reality. When he realized who was clinging to him, he immediately shoved her away without a trace of mercy.If only the one holding him right now was Macie..."What are you doing here?" he demanded coldly."I came to find you!" Sharon said, tears spilling from her eyes. "Where have you been these past two days? Why didn't you come home?"She tried to get closer again, but Edward caught her wrist and pushed her back.Frowning, he realized th
When Macie heard that Edward had driven Sharon away, she was a little surprised. Alice was even more shocked, but Macie quickly said coldly, "I really did get divorced. He's the one who keeps pestering me. We're going to court next week." She glanced at Sharon. "Once that's over, Edward and I will have nothing to do with each other. Don't believe me? Come to the court yourself."Sharon frowned when she heard that, clearly unconvinced.What if they went to court and the divorce didn't go through? Then she would just end up being played yet again."May's right. She and that scumbag Edward are definitely getting divorced," Alice said mockingly. "You're the only one who still treats him like he's some kind of prize. No one else gives a damn. "You two had better lock it down. When you get married, I'll show up with a gift and wish you all the happiness in the world."Sharon shot Alice a glare. Wasn't this the same woman who had bragged last time that Edward was about to marry her?
Sean couldn't help but think to himself that he'd really gone too far. He wondered how he was any different from the bullies who had tormented Macie.He remembered how Macie had looked that morning with her anger held back, forced to endure his teasing with a fake smile. Meanwhile, he found it amusing, as if it were some kind of game to him.He couldn't believe what a monster he had been.Macie's quiet demeanor was the result of years of enduring suffering, with her anger only surfacing when she was pushed too far.Macie was a young woman with a vintage landscape as her profile picture—someone who had already seen the world's harshness and matured well beyond her years. And all of this was the result of childhood trauma and constant bullying. At this moment, Sean could no longer dismiss what Alice had told him. He fully believed her now. …After returning to her private office downstairs, Alice didn't dare admit to Macie how spineless she had felt. All she could do was firmly
"Stop it right now. Don't bully my friend anymore, or I swear I won't let you off easy," Alice warned. However, Sean didn't even flinch, arrogantly ignoring her threat.Alice was furious, but there was nothing she could do. She wouldn't win if she argued or fought with Sean. He could easily slap her down to the ground, and she wouldn't even be able to get back up. If anyone else had bullied Macie, she would have gone all in, but this person was Sean—her brother, the one who had always pushed her around since they were kids.Alice sighed, moving from anger to helplessness, feeling stuck and useless. She couldn't protect Macie and felt she wasn't a good friend. "Macie has already been through enough. Can't you show a little compassion? Stop bullying an innocent, vulnerable lady!" Alice tried softening her tone. "You don't know how much Macie has suffered. Do you even have an ounce of human decency?" She switched tactics, telling him everything she knew about Macie's past and th
It looked like Macie hadn't just been flustered—she'd fully entered rage monster mode. Sean could imagine her fists flew, as if they could actually do damage, even though they barely stung. He genuinely found it endearing.When Sean finished reading the last screenshot, he closed the chat and saw a new message from Alice. Her text read, "So, are you going to explain why you were flirting with my friend? "And what about the things you said to Edward last night? It sounds like you meant what you said. You weren't just playing along with me."Did you put your arm around Macie's waist? Hold her hand? You had better come clean!" Sean just typed a simple response. He typed, "Go ask her if I did that." Alice, on the other end, was speechless.Sometimes, Alice really wondered if Sean was just a brooding, black-bellied guy with an obsession with keeping things mysterious. She didn't respond right away. Instead, she stormed over to his office, yanked a chair out, and took a seat rig
Alice immediately called Macie, venting all her frustration about Sean. She cursed him as much as she could, even bringing up stories from their childhood to illustrate just how terrible he had been.Macie listened to how Alice described her miserable childhood, living under the shadow of Sean, enduring various "torments".As Alice spoke, Macie couldn't help but picture that insufferable face, and she felt that it wasn't surprising he could do such things. If he treated his own sister that way, what would he do to her? Indeed, some people's bad habits formed when they were young. Macie felt sympathy for Alice, and what started as one person venting turned into a united front, two people joining in on the complaints."Ugh, my brother's the worst. When we were kids, he ripped the ears off my plush bunny, and then claimed it was the turtle pillow that did it." Alice continued, venting, "I love cake, but I got cavities. He'd eat it right in front of me and mock me for not being able
Not far from Macie's workstation, Lily had been listening to their conversation, especially when Macie, with a hint of pride, casually mentioned her good relationship with Sean. Lily's fists tightened, and a flash of hatred and jealousy crossed her eyes. There was also a sense of helplessness and resentment. Julian hadn't fired her, but had only made her apologize publicly in the company's group chat, and now this happened.Macie was not only Alice's friend, but she also had a close relationship with Sean. Moreover, Julian clearly favored Macie, openly confessing his admiration for her.Macie's relationships within the department would only be stronger. Her promotion to team leader would only be a matter of time. Lily had crossed her, and sooner or later, she'd be the one getting sidelined. Lily was already worried about her future and deeply regretted causing trouble for Macie on her first day. She shouldn't have tried to embarrass her last night either. At her desk, with ju
Now that Macie knew who Sean was, she was sure she wouldn't just sit there and take it like she did that day if he ever visited again."It's my fault. I didn't know that Mr. Hart and Macie had a history," Palmer said, breaking the silence."I didn't know either," Macie replied, her voice tight. "And even if I had known, I still wouldn't have recognized Sean. I would've gone to the meeting, and I'd have still been bullied."She clenched her fists, anger rising inside her. She didn't owe Sean anything. Indeed, the two companies were collaborating, but she couldn't understand why he should make her his personal target.Still, she couldn't care less now. She would let him think whatever he wanted. He was the one who crossed the line first. Back in the design department, only Macie and Palmer remained. Palmer, still curious, asked, "Macie, did you offend Mr. Hart?" That seemed to be the only explanation for Sean's strange behavior that day. Although there had been some "tension" bet
Macie managed to hold back her anger, reminding herself that Sean was a client and that her supervisor had emphasized how important this collaboration was.Sean smiled at her. He was still watching Macie, who was silently glaring at him. He then casually pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to her.Macie glanced down at the card. Despite not wanting to take it, she accepted it out of politeness and flipped it over to read it.In bold, gold letters, it read, "Chief Executive Officer, Hart Group."Macie froze for a moment when she read "Hart Group". She was familiar with the name because it was Alice's family's company. And then, her eyes landed on Sean's printed name. She began to wonder if he was related to Alice.Suddenly, she looked up, her gaze shifting toward the elevator. No wonder he had seemed familiar—she now realized his features resembled Alice's.The answer was almost painfully obvious.Inside the elevator, Sean stood in front of his employees, smili
Macie clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as she took two steps forward and said, "You say five minutes, then five minutes it is. There's no need to bother the technician." She tried to remain calm, though inside she felt a little flustered. The idea that Sean would actually want to check the security footage over something so trivial seemed ridiculous. However, the fact that Sean was so insistent, almost as if he were out to get her, left her feeling uneasy. Sean, sensing her discomfort, stepped to the side and casually said, "Ms. Smith, you were so adamant in denying it earlier. Let's just check the footage anyway. I said I'd apologize if I were wrong. You have my word as a man." He was so precise with the timing, down to the second, and had even given her his solemn word. Macie couldn't help but snap. She looked up at him and, unable to hold back her anger anymore, said, "Then shouldn't you be apologizing to me for what happened that night?"I already explained everythin