Macie turned her head slightly to look at him, her expression devoid of emotion as she asked, "Have you ever cared about me before?"Edward was instantly at a loss for words, his expression frozen in place.Macie then returned to the small guest bedroom, leaving the man standing there, lost in thought, with a trace of guilt and self-reflection in his gaze.Since Edward had returned home early, Macie decided to head out to buy groceries."Where are you going?" Edward called out as he watched her prepare to leave right after he had just returned."The supermarket," Macie answered flatly.In the past, Edward never cared about such things. He barely even spoke to her. But that day, for some reason, he seemed unusually talkative.After getting her response and noticing the fabric tote bag in her hand, Edward obediently put his shoes back on and silently followed her out.Macie didn't turn around when she heard his footsteps behind her. When they reached the elevator, she assumed tha
When Edward brought Sharon home, Macie was already busy in the kitchen.Edward walked in, stood close to Macie, and watched her roast vegetables while sneakily stealing a piece of braised beef. Their bodies were almost touching.Sharon clenched her teeth as she watched from the doorway. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she thought that Edward seemed to be getting closer to Macie ever since she returned."May, what are you making? It smells so good!" Sharon smiled as she walked in and squeezed between them. "Seriously, Ed. How could you make her cook right after she got back? You're treating her like a maid," she added, pretending to stand up for Macie.Macie remained indifferent. She picked up on Sharon's disguised mockery."It's her duty to cook," Edward replied matter-of-factly."I bet you don't like my cooking! Poor you. Having to eat what I made while May was in the hospital for two weeks," Sharon teased."Nonsense. Your cooking is fine. But now that Macie
Edward turned to Macie and asked, "Macie, why did you add more salt?""Oh no, these two dishes are too salty as well..." Sharon commented as she tasted each of the dishes. She then bit her lip and looked at Macie. "It could have been a mistake if only one dish was too salty, but for all of them to be too salty…"May, I know you don't like seeing me eat the food you made, but Ed has to eat too. If you do this..."She trailed off before putting on a magnanimous expression and turning to Edward."Ed, don't be mad. May is just jealous. I'm staying at your place, and she still has to cook for me... It's just because she loves you too much.""Macie, you're an adult. Don't you think that you're being childish?" Edward couldn't hold back anymore and slammed the table. "Sharon is only staying here temporarily. Didn't I tell you beforehand? She'll only stay in your room for a short while. Can't you be a little more understanding?"As the two of them echoed each other, Macie picked up her p
"Stop it, Ed..." Sharon said.Inside the room, Macie silently put on her headphones, playing music to block out Sharon and Edward's conversation.While they wanted to put on a show, she couldn't be bothered to watch them.Just like that, two hours went by. Macie decided to wash up first to avoid running into them.Grabbing her toiletries, she stepped out and caught the sickeningly sweet chatter between the two in the living room.Hearing the bedroom door open, Edward glanced up only to see the bathroom door shut.He thought that Macie had been acting strange all day.He wondered if she was angry but decided that it seemed more like a detached indifference.For as long as she was in the bathroom, Edward kept his eyes fixed on the door.A flash of malice flickered in Sharon's eyes when she noticed this.When the bathroom door opened ten minutes later, Edward practically sprang up to his feet and strode toward her.He intended to confront Macie and ask how long she planned to s
Edward went to the kitchen, fiddled around, and ended up heating up the leftover mashed potatoes.He was surprised to find that it tasted pretty good. Perhaps it was because Macie had cooked those potatoes. Everything she cooked always had a sweet and fragrant taste.The next morning, Macie woke up early and immediately noticed that half of the mashed potatoes were gone. She frowned, trying to recall if she had accidentally thrown some out last night when she was tossing the leftovers.Too lazy to think further, she gave up on making a mashed potato egg skillet casserole and instead fried some eggs and bacon.Edward woke up early just to have a good breakfast. However, he frowned when he saw the simple meal on the table."Why aren't we having mashed potato egg skillet casserole?" he asked."There weren't enough potatoes," Macie replied expressionlessly.Edward froze for a second, recalling how he had devoured them last night. Feeling guilty, he didn't dare to admit it. "Then jus
"Surprised to see me?" Sharon asked smilingly. She then joked, "Or are you just disappointed that it's not May who came?"Edward frowned instantly and retorted without thinking, "How could I be? Don't say something so disgusting."Sharon smirked and stepped closer.Right then, Edward added, "It's her duty to bring me lunch. Why would I keep her otherwise? I just didn't want you to go through the trouble. You shouldn't be doing this kind of thing.""I was just passing by. I only work half-days now since I don't have any runway shows," Sharon replied."Just put it on the table. I'll have Nathan drive you to the studio," Edward said as he walked over to the couch."There's no rush. I'll keep you company for a while." Sharon sat down beside him, smiling.Edward didn't argue. As he opened the lunchbox, the rich aroma of food filled the air. He cautiously took a small bite."I knew it. She did that on purpose last night," Edward complained. It seemed that the food was seasoned normal
The receptionist lowered her head, not daring to argue. Nathan followed Sharon and rolled his eyes at her arrogant and domineering attitude. After all, even the legitimate wife wasn't this haughty! Alas, Sharon was the one Edward liked...Meanwhile, Macie was revising her résumé at home. She had been out of work for two years, and though she could rely on connections to get into Julian's company, the HR department still had to process her application.Macie didn't even glance at her relentlessly buzzing phone.Now that Edward was full from eating, he was probably throwing another fit, defending Sharon yet again.Did he really think Macie had asked Sharon to deliver the food? Sharon had insisted on doing it herself.But now that Macie had already handed over the divorce agreement, Sharon probably wouldn't tamper with the food again just to frame her.…Nathan drove Sharon to work that day.By now, every internal personnel had almost completely accepted her as "Mrs. Fowler".
Five nights ago, Edward had another argument with Macie when he got home. He accused her of being lazy for making Sharon bring her meals and having a bad attitude for ignoring his messages.But, surprisingly, Macie didn't argue back even once. She simply listened in silence. Instead, it was Sharon who stepped in. She took the blame and said that she was the one who had volunteered to bring the meals. Over the next few days, she continued bringing lunch every noon.Edward pressed his lips together. He thought that Macie had been throwing a tantrum for far too long. It went on for so long that he had completely run out of patience.Clearly, he had spoiled her too much to the point where she no longer even knew her place.Edward stood up, his expression dark. He was determined to teach her a lesson when he got home that evening.Sharon arrived home first at 5:00 pm and immediately threw the divorce agreement in front of Macie.Seeing the document, Macie took it without hesitation.
"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