"Good afternoon, ladies. I'm sorry to interrupt your tea time, but this beautiful young lady won a lucky prize at our boutique, so I've come to personally deliver it," Clarissa said, smiling as she took a slight bow.She looked at Macie and placed the gift bag beside her on the table.Macie looked back at her, then at the white gift bag. It was only now that the reality of winning began to sink in. Still, she didn't reach for it. She only asked, "Do I need to pay anything extra?"She was skeptical that it would come at no cost. She had never shopped at their store before, and even the cheapest bag there would cost tens of thousands."There's no additional charge at all!" Clarissa quickly assured her. "You're today's lucky star. We hope this handbag brings you good fortune." She smiled again. "Now that the gift has been delivered, we'll be heading off. If you have any questions or need anything, please don't hesitate to contact me."Her attitude was that of someone dealing with a t
"What's with those looks? Do you think I'm beneath you?" Aaron asked, annoyed by the boutique's staff member's suspicious and sizing glances."No, you misunderstood. We just didn't know that you were associated with that customer," the cashier replied, her smile polite.Aaron couldn't reveal his real identity, so he made something up. "I'm his driver. Just ring it up. I need to go."The excuse didn't quite convince them as this alleged driver's appearance was way too shabby. After all, shouldn't drivers for wealthy families be in suits and ties?Still, no one dared question him. Moreover, who would turn away someone eager to pay? This suspicious man had also been asking questions about those two customers earlier.Meanwhile, Alice spoke to someone on the phone at a cafe inside the mall. She exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? You're saying I won something?"After hearing the caller out, she looked up at Macie from across the table. She asked, "Are you saying that my friend won something
Hearing Edward's instructions, Clarissa understood right away and went to select a bag.In less than two minutes, she returned with a limited-edition summer release—the most expensive white pearl handbag in the store—and enthusiastically explained, "Mr. Fowler, I've chosen a Granny bag for the young lady—a limited edition from GS Brand's summer collection. This is the only one we have in stock."The designer is Charleson Vaughn, and his design philosophy is—"Edward frowned and cut her off. "Stop. I have zero interest in the bag's background or the designer's concept."Clarissa stopped mid-sentence and smiled awkwardly. Over the phone, she asked, "Then shall we go with this one?""As long as she likes it. I just want her to be happy and accept it," Edward said.Clarissa understood and said, "Rest assured. This bag is luxurious, and it has a charming elegance. It suits that young lady's temperament perfectly."Edward said nothing more. Since the store's manager recommended it, he
"What privacy are you talking about? I'm just asking who paid for the bag," Aaron said.The cashier smiled slightly and explained, "Our boutique handbags are all high-priced items, so we're strictly forbidden from disclosing any customer information to outsiders."Aaron blinked in disbelief. He didn't know what her response was about. Did she seriously think he was some kind of thief? Or worse, a gold-digger trying to latch on?Still, he didn't argue with her. He'd blow his cover if they got into a fight and she alerted Macie and Alice that someone had been asking about them.He left the boutique and stepped outside. Inside, several sales associates watched him go, finding him highly suspicious. They decided that if he came back again, they'd call the police immediately.Aaron called Edward. When the call connected, he reported the situation.He didn't have money or status, but Edward did. With Edward stepping in, they could ensure the inquiry wouldn't be leaked to Macie or Alice
No wonder Macie looked at Edward with such hatred, as if he were something venomous. She wanted nothing to do with him. She didn't even want to say a single word to him.Yosef had told him to trust Macie. Clearly, he was on her side, too. But back then, Edward had carried Sharon away, leaving behind the person who was even more badly injured. He had even lashed out at her with cruel words.He couldn't face the truth. He didn't want to, as he was afraid.He feared that it really had all been Sharon's doing and that he had become a complete and utter criminal.If that were true, how could he ever ask Macie for forgiveness? He couldn't even forgive himself.The hotel surveillance footage had offered no clear proof or truth. He could only cling to a pitiful shred of psychological comfort by choosing to avoid it.All that remained was the gas leak incident. Once the hacker recovered the surveillance data, he would know everything.But now, even if he knew the truth, what difference w
"May was already burned that badly at that point, but she didn't tell me until after she handed you the divorce papers. If I'd known earlier, you would've been in real trouble," Yosef said over the phone.Edward froze. He reazlied that Macie hadn't run to Yosef immediately to complain and had only told him later."I can't believe you made me look like such a fool. At that time, I even begged May to give you another chance. And do you know what she said to me?" Yosef continued, furious. "She told me to give her a chance to live!"Edward stood there in shock. He didn't know Macie had said that. She begged Yosef to spare her life because she just wanted to live. It was such a humble and heartbreaking plea. But he had never wanted her dead. The gas leak—he hadn't caused it. At worst, he had failed to notice it in time, which was why he left her alone in the house.But later, when the doctor raised the alarm, he rushed home immediately. He had only just missed the rescue team by minutes
Edward himself had booked the hotel, so naturally, it was a premium one, with complete surveillance coverage and clear footage.What he pulled up was the footage from the hallway. Due to privacy policies, there were no cameras inside the private dining rooms, so Edward could only see Macie's back in the video.She handed the thermal container to Sharon. There was no pulling or struggle between them. Just like that, the thermal container dropped to the ground.Edward watched that part of the footage repeatedly. He even reduced the speed to less than a tenth of the original. But because of the camera angle, it was impossible to tell if Sharon had made any subtle movements. It looked like she simply failed to catch it.If she truly missed it by accident—and given that he'd seen the lid was intact—did that mean Macie had actually opened it beforehand?But if that were the case, why was Macie hurt so much more seriously than Sharon? Edward couldn't make sense of it.He'd initially tho
Even though the Hart siblings tried to trick Edward earlier, claiming that Sean was dating Macie, Edward didn't buy it for a second. After all, if they were really seeing each other, why had the two of them never been spotted together again after that? Forget about holding hands or going on dates—Sean didn't even get out of the car this time. He just dropped Alice and Macie off and left.Edward hadn't planned to look into it further after confirming the license plate, but after a while, he still reached out to the owner of the restaurant.Usually, customer information was kept strictly confidential. But he was Edward Fowler, the CEO of Fowler Group. Even the fanciest restaurant owners had to show a bit of deference and caution around him, as it was in their best interest."Mr. Hart indeed settled the final payment for that bill," the owner replied.With Sean's name being confirmed, Edward asked, "Did he originally book a table for two? And then add a third person later?""No. Mr
"Yes," came the low reply through the phone.Edward figured that Alice's attempt to matchmake Macie must've flopped. If Macie had liked the guy, he would be shopping with her right now. There was no doubt about it.At that thought, the corners of his lips lifted. He thought that the situation was perfect. He didn't even need to lift a finger, and his rival was already out of the picture. He figured that the man probably wasn't even Macie's type.After all, she had been married to him for two years and had gotten used to his looks. In his own opinion, he was no less attractive than any celebrity. With years of consistent workouts, he had the body to match. He believed that spending time with him had raised Macie's standards regarding men.Case in point—Julian still hadn't managed to win her back."Sorry, Mr. Fowler. We couldn't get a clear shot of the man's face. He stayed in the car the entire time when he dropped them off at the mall," the person on the phone continued.Edward h