"How's the soup? Is it good?" Sharon looked at Edward expectantly.She had the soup ordered and delivered from a restaurant. So, she was confident that he would be satisfied with the taste."It's delicious. You have excellent cooking skills," Edward remarked after having a sip.Truthfully, he found the soup to be quite oily and salty. It tasted like something a regular restaurant would make.Edward much preferred Macie's cooking, which tasted lighter on the palate. Her dishes were different from the food that was prepared outside."You should have some more if it's to your taste. I can make it for you every day," Sharon said chirpily.When Edward heard Sharon's offer to make soup every day, he quickly said, "I'll help bring over your personal documents tomorrow. You can stay in one of the hotels owned by Fowler Group. No paparazzi would dare follow you there."Sharon bit her lip hard. Yet, she was smiling again two seconds later. "Alright. Thank you, Edward."The two of them co
Hence, Sharon instructed Rebecca to move Macie's things out of the room. Although she did not get to stay in the master bedroom, Sharon found it satisfying to have kicked Macie out of her own room.Edward furrowed his brows as he watched them move Macie's belongings. He entered the room and noticed Rebecca trying to pry open a drawer. He went over to help.Men were physically stronger. After a few tries, Edward managed to yank the drawer open with his brute force. Even the metal parts of the lock were bent out of shape.Only a notebook with a light blue cover was placed in the drawer.Edward picked up the notebook and flipped to the first page. He instantly realized what the notebook was."Only those with secrets would write diaries," Edward snickered. He was about to flip to the next page when a hand reached over from above his head and snatched the notebook away."You shouldn't be reading a woman's diary. I'll help May keep it somewhere safe."Edward pursed his lips. He stared
Nathan deduced that Edward cared about Macie a lot. Yet, he couldn't understand why Edward was fooling around with another woman, to the point of bringing his mistress back to his home.Nathan ordered the meals for Macie. However, he was savvy enough to tell her that the order was placed by the Fowler family and not Edward.He worried that Macie might just flush the food down the toilet if she knew who it was really from.At the hospital, Macie ate those meals. She figured that it was most likely Yosef's idea since they were from the Fowler family.However, Macie furrowed her brows. She wondered if Edward had told Yosef that she had been admitted to the hospital.Strangely, she did not receive any new messages from Yosef. Macie did not send him any messages either since she would probably have to share details about her injuries.Macie spent her days leisurely. During the day, she watched tutorial videos or worked on her sketches. She had enough practice to ensure that she could
"People might think I have an unprofessional assistant otherwise," Edward said.Being a mere employee, Nathan didn't dare argue and could only complain inwardly, "Don't you think that explanation makes it even more suspicious?"As the car moved steadily forward, Macie turned her head to look out the window, avoiding any questions about how Edward knew her discharge time or why he had come to pick her up.The reason was nothing more than to "shut her up"—to prevent her from speaking carelessly in front of Yosef. It could also be because he had a shred of lingering conscience. After all, he was the one who caused her fractures.In the back seat, Edward remained silent, his gaze shifting from the back of her head to her foot.The blister marks had faded, leaving only faint red traces. Macie was walking fine now, and her complexion looked rosier than before.It seemed like the nutritional meals hadn't been a waste.Edward smiled at the thought of it. Macie might be giving him th
Macie quietly took a deep breath, forcing herself to suppress the urge to argue.After all, it was just a place to sleep. She didn't think that it made a difference where she slept. She could endure it… It was only for ten days anyway."Where are my things?" Macie asked.Edward, noticing that her anger had subsided as quickly as it flared, replied, "Sharon had someone pack them up and put them in the small guest room."Hearing that, Macie walked to the other small room and pushed open the door, only to find her belongings scattered messily all over the floor. Anyone who didn't know better would think that it was just a pile of trash.Behind her, Nathan inhaled sharply. The mistress had bullied the rightful wife terribly. First, she took over the latter's bedroom, and now she was forcing her to sleep in what was basically a storage room.Edward, who had followed, took in the scene and frowned slightly before turning to Sharon."Is this how your assistant handles things? By dumpin
"I'm not going anywhere. I just don't like these anymore," Macie replied impassively.Edward's tense posture relaxed at those words. He instructed Nathan, "Go to the supermarket downstairs and buy a quilt and a bedding set."Nathan obeyed and left, while Edward returned to the living room.Macie continued tidying up. Most of her belongings were there, but...She suddenly stood up and strode to her old room. Just as she was about to unlock a drawer with a key, someone appeared behind her and pulled open the bottommost layer.Macie froze for a moment upon seeing the empty space inside. When she turned around, she was greeted with the sight of Sharon's smugly curved lips."Where's my notebook?" Macie demanded."What notebook? I don't know what you're talking about." Sharon feigned ignorance."Didn't you open this drawer?" Macie gritted her teeth.Before Sharon could reply, Edward approached from the doorway, wearing a frown. "What are you two arguing about?"Just as Macie was ab
When Macie went to the bathroom to wash the cloth, she noticed that all her personal toiletries—her toothbrush, skincare products, and everything—were gone. Only Sharon's set remained, neatly placed beside Edward's.Macie let out a mocking laugh. She had lived there for two years, but Sharon had erased all traces of her existence within just two weeks. She had gone from being the rightful owner to an outsider, an intruder who no longer belonged.At the same time, a Rolls-Royce came to a stop outside the modeling office. The car door soon opened, and Sharon stepped out. She deliberately stood sideways to bid Edward goodbye so everyone in the lobby could see him.As the car drove away, she smiled brightly and waved before turning around, her expression filled with confidence, pride, and satisfaction."Wow, Sharon! Your boyfriend dropped you off again!""You two have such a good relationship. Mr. Fowler is rich and handsome. And since he's an only child, no one will fight you for t
At 10:00 am, Macie went downstairs to buy groceries and prepared exactly what a certain someone had requested—three dishes, not one less. She delivered them to the company on time.This was the first time in her two years of marriage that she had stepped into a "public setting". She had no idea what kind of whim had struck Edward, but she planned to simply leave the food at the front desk.After explaining her reason for being there, the receptionist gave her a scrutinizing and hostile look before saying, "Please leave before I call security. We don't allow unrelated personnel to visit our company."Macie pressed her lips together and briefly remained silent before taking out her phone to send Edward a message. However, when she opened the chat, she hesitated and called Nathan instead.After she stepped outside to call Nathan, she exchanged a few brief words and then waited for him to handle it.Inside the CEO's office, Edward's expression darkened as he watched Nathan hang up the
"Get out of my way! I'm going to a business meeting! If this causes a delay, can you afford to pay the penalty for breach of contract?" Edward snapped viciously.The bodyguards hesitated, doubt flickering on their faces. They wondered if Edward was really headed to a meeting. They questioned when a meeting had ever been that urgent without a heads-up from his assistant."Still not letting me through?" Edward barked again.The bodyguards exchanged looks and decided to follow him just in case."So this is why you've been behaving lately. You're being watched." Sean's mocking voice came through the phone."It's none of your damn business," Edward coldly retorted. "Is Macie hurt?" he asked.In the police station lobby, Sean looked at the woman now standing just outside the main doors and said, "Of course she's hurt. Think about it—your girlfriend sent three men to abduct her.""Sharon is not my girlfriend! Don't disgust me!" Edward snapped. "Is Macie seriously hurt? Where is she hur
Edward froze when he heard Sharon's name. He pressed his lips together and replied over the phone, "No. I have nothing to do with her."The finality of his words made Sharon break down completely, her sobs choking her voice."Yeah, sure. Who would believe that? Weren't you the one who made headlines with her in all those gossip scandals?" Sean sneered.Edward clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, replying weakly, "That was all a misunderstanding.""I don't care whether it was or not. Five million dollars. Transfer it now," Sean said."In your dreams! Whoever caused this incident should pay. Don't come to me like I'm some kind of lapdog!" Edward snapped. "I have nothing to do with Sharon anymore. We're done. Completely."He said it with complete determination, his tone cold and devoid of any emotion. And because the phone was on speaker, Sharon heard every word loud and clear. Her tears flowed even harder."Edward…"Her sobs hung in the air, but Edward's expression remained
Sharon's face turned pale under Sean's intense questioning. She trembled and stammered, "N-No, I didn't. I swear, I never meant for it to go that far. I just wanted to scare Macie into staying away from Edward. How could I do anything illegal? I'm a good person."Sean looked at her. He thought that if she truly were a good person, then everyone else in the world must be evil."Either resolve this with compensation or face it in court. Your choice," Sean said, throwing the decision to her.Sharon couldn't bring herself to say a single word about going to court. She didn't dare to. If Sean were to get involved, she would lose and probably have to pay even more. If he made this situation public, it would ruin her career. There was nothing to gain and everything to lose.After weighing all her options, Sharon clenched her teeth and asked the man, "Can I pay less? I can't come up with five million dollars."She turned on the charm, tears brimming in her eyes as she played the pity card
Sean thought that Edward was truly scum. Alice had said that the one who stirred up trouble that day was Edward's ex-girlfriend—the same woman he had flaunted publicly as his mistress while still married.Now, Macie and Edward were divorced, yet the mistress still showed up in front of the ex-wife, while Edward just stood by and did nothing. Sean really thought that Edward was a piece of trash.Not long after, the officer from the interrogation room emerged again, this time with a few others."Mr. Hart, Ms. Hart, Ms. Smith," he addressed them. "Surveillance footage confirms that the suspect was the first to lay hands on Ms. Smith and made a deliberate attempt to drag her into a car by the roadside. This establishes criminal intent."Also, our investigation confirms that the three men were not the suspect's bodyguards, but were hired by her. They've admitted to receiving payment from the suspect to abduct Ms. Smith."Alice immediately said, "I knew it! Sharon was still making excus
Alice knew that her own injury wasn't even worth mentioning, so she walked over to Macie and tugged up the sleeve of her shirt. She stated, "Look at this. May's arm is going to be all bruised by tomorrow."Sean looked at the woman Alice had pulled over. Her fair, slender arm was covered in several glaring marks. It was evidently caused by someone grabbing her forcefully. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.Macie felt uneasy under his stare and quickly pulled her sleeve back down. But the moment she did, Alice yanked it up again and turned toward the officers."Look at this. Does that woman look like she came just to talk things out? If she only wanted to talk, why did she get physical?"The officers glanced at Macie's arm. Just then, Sean's voice cut in, cold and sharp. "My sister and her friend were attacked. I hope your station handles this seriously and doesn't let the perpetrators walk away unpunished."The officers turned to Sean. The man had an overwhelming presence. Eve
"Who could possibly beat you?" Sean asked.Alice snapped, "I'm not joking! Edward's ex-girlfriend ambushed me and May, and she brought three thugs with her! May and I both got hurt! And they ruined my favorite handbag!"Sean furrowed his brow when he heard this. Alice kept going on, full of grievance and rage, until he cut in, saying, "Send me the location of the police station."Alice hung up and saw that the police had already arrived. They had come just in time.Sharon and the three men were all caught. Not a single one got away.The three of them headed to the nearby police station. It was the same one as before. Macie and Julian were already familiar with the place.In the lobby, Alice sent Sean the location. The three gave their statements while Sharon and the men were taken into an interrogation room.When they finished, one of the officers came out to mediate. "Ms. Emerson said that those men are her bodyguards. She claims that she wasn't trying to abduct anyone. It seem
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