For two patients to be rushed in for gas poisoning…The nurses, now well aware of what might have transpired, cast disgusted looks at the man in question.While Edward had rushed here in a panic, he was the one who only saved the mistress first when the accident happened. They didn't see the point of him pretending to be devoted now that his wife was still unconscious.That morning, Edward had taken leave from work and had waited outside the hospital room for an extended amount of time. He hadn't even gone to check on Sharon.Sharon eventually came looking for him. When Edward snapped out of his thoughts, he quickly helped her take a seat."How is May? It's all my fault. I passed out and didn't manage to wake her up." Sharon looked remorseful."It's not your fault. You're a victim, too," Edward said."Has the cause been investigated? Was there a gas leak?" she asked."No. They suspect that the flame went out while the gas stove was still on," Edward said, pressing his lips toge
"I'm seeing a side of her I never knew. She's vicious!" Edward stated.Hearing his furious rant, Sharon, who was sitting beside him with her head lowered, let a small smile flicker across her lips before quickly suppressing it.Although Edward had taken the whole day off, he returned to work by noon.Sharon remained at the hospital. Although she had regained consciousness, she still felt a little dizzy. Having hospital staff take care of her reassured Edward.Because of this incident, Edward was enveloped in a dark, brooding mood.Macie, driven by jealousy toward Sharon, had gone insane. She had caused a gas leak that could have killed all of them, even himself. She was nothing short of a terrorist!Nathan quickly noticed his boss' foul mood. Within an hour that afternoon, Edward had already lost his temper three times. Bracing himself, Nathan asked about it while retrieving some documents.While subordinates weren't supposed to pry into their boss' personal matters, knowing wha
"Miss, if anyone asks if I'm awake, just say that I woke up and fell asleep again," Macie said.The nurse looked at her and nodded despite thinking that Edward probably wouldn't ask.Macie was in a private hospital room. She lay in bed, staring blankly out the window.She wanted to leave and go far away from those two despicable people. She couldn't understand why they still had to torment her when she would be leaving in just three days.Only three days left. No, two.She could finally leave tomorrow.Macie closed her eyes. She had already packed everything. Now, she just wished time would pass faster.At noon, an unexpected visitor arrived.It was Nathan."Mrs. Fowler, how are you?" Nathan greeted. He brought a fruit basket with him. "Mr. Fowler asked me to check if you were awake."Macie remained expressionless and didn't feel like responding. The mere mention of Edward filled her with hatred."As long as you're okay, Mr. Fowler can rest easy. He's actually very worried a
Edward was deep in thought when a knock on the office door interrupted him. It was Nathan."Has she woken up?" Edward asked as soon as Nathan stepped in."Yes," Nathan replied. "I also spoke with the nurse about Mrs. Fowler's condition. She's recovering well and no longer needs oxygen, but she's still easily fatigued."Edward showed no reaction, his expression remaining cold and unreadable. He didn't show the slightest trace of relief or joy at the news. Nathan observed him for a few moments before turning to leave. But before he could step out, Edward spoke again."Find a place.""A place?" Nathan paused, puzzled."Decent environment, high security, private, and fully furnished." Edward listed his requirements succinctly. Nathan couldn't help but wonder if Edward was planning to move out with that mistress of his."Understood. I'll start looking," he responded, nodding.Just as he reached the door, Edward's voice came again."Did she say anything else?"Nathan halted, turn
Even if Macie had shown him the evidence, Edward would have defended Sharon. After all, love made one blind. Whatever Sharon did was correct in his eyes, while Macie was someone he loathed and wished dead.A bitter smile tugged at Macie's lips. Two years of devotion, and all she got in return was a death sentence from him.Meanwhile, Sharon had already taken a cab home and contacted a tech expert. She found that Edward's study computer was password-protected and tried entering her birthday.A second later, the device was unlocked. Her lips curled into a smug smile. Both Edward's computer and phone passwords were tied to her. If this wasn't love, what was?Sharon instructed the technician to erase the security footage. After the latter completed the task, she asked, "Is it completely wiped?""Relax. Even the cloud backup is gone," he assured her.Satisfied, Sharon let out a relieved hum. She thought, "Macie, you're as foolish as ever. You practically handed me this information. I
That night, as usual, Edward left work and went straight to accompany Sharon before returning home. Another day passed without him seeing Macie.He had attended a social gathering that evening and had a few drinks. Feeling discomfort in his stomach, he sat at the dining table, and a sudden image of Macie bringing him a bowl of hot soup flashed through his mind.She would always remind him to be careful and fuss over him like a nagging mother. If he scolded her, she would obediently stand aside, saying nothing.But as he came back to reality, the large house felt empty. There was no one else around. Edward frowned, realizing that he had been thinking about Macie a lot these past two days, which annoyed him.He got up to take some medicine and pour himself a glass of water, but something seemed missing. After a moment, he realized that Macie's mug was gone.He didn't dwell on it as it was just a cup. But when he went to the balcony to collect the laundry, he noticed that her bat
Sharon's eyes lit up with surprise, but she hesitated, feigning uncertainty. "This is the necklace you spent two hours choosing and paid a fortune for, just for May. It wouldn't be right for me to accept it."Edward's anger flared. Two hours and nine million dollars, yet Macie had dismissed it without a second thought, even throwing it aside. "She doesn't deserve it. Just take it," he said coolly before heading into the master bedroom and shutting the door.Sharon watched him leave. Then, a greedy and excited smile curled her lips. She had initially planned to make Macie return the necklace to Edward, but now, getting her hands on it had been effortless.Wasting no time, she put it on, sat in front of the vanity, and took photos under perfect lighting to highlight the dazzling rose-crowned design. Then, she posted them on her Instagram account.Inside the master bedroom, Edward lay in bed after washing up. He intended to sleep but found himself wide awake.His phone screen kept sw
"Impressive. You're still as strong as ever," Alice remarked over the video call.She asked, "Did you see the gossip piece I sent you? Why haven't you replied?"Macie hadn't responded yet when Alice suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right! You've been abroad for two years. You probably don't even know who Edward Fowler is."Macie lowered her gaze, remaining silent. How could she not know? She had been his housekeeper during that time."He was in our college too, but in the finance department while we studied digital media arts."Alice clucked her tongue before continuing, "I heard he broke up with his girlfriend in junior year. But who would've thought that they'd get back together four years later..." She continued rambling, speaking unclearly while brushing her teeth.Macie, not wanting to interrupt her friend's enthusiasm, turned the volume to its lowest setting. Alice was her college roommate and a close friend, but she had no idea that Macie and Edward had actually been
"We're heading off now, Sean." Alice waved as she spoke.Sean quietly hummed in acknowledgment, his eyes still fixed on Macie.Alice didn't pay much attention and simply walked over to Macie. Julian also said goodbye and left, noticing that Sean's gaze never left Macie.The three of them walked away together. A minute later, Julian glanced back and saw Sean still standing in the same spot, watching them.To be more precise, he was watching Macie.Julian pressed his lips together. He was now entirely sure that Sean liked Macie.Back where Sean stood, he watched them walk farther and farther away, never once getting close to him or even sparing him a single glance.Only now did Sean finally understand what it meant to shoot himself in the foot.Just that morning, he had demanded to know why Macie had been staring at him for so long. Well, now she wouldn't be staring anymore.She wouldn't even look at him.Sean let out a quiet sigh, walked over to the roadside, and drove back to
"Obviously, I'm going to do a good deed and inform the woman inside," Sean said.Alice was about to snap at him, but when she saw the mischievous smile on his face, she simply followed him.Inside the interrogation room, Sharon had stopped crying. Now she was just sniffling, her makeup smeared beyond recognition, looking absolutely dreadful. But she didn't care. Her mind raced with how to come up with five million dollars and the fact that she still had 15 days to serve in detention."Hey, Edward paid for you. You don't have to compensate anymore," Sean said.Sharon froze at first, then stared in disbelief, her eyes widening."What? But he—" she mumbled."He called me again after I left," Sean cut her off. "He had a change of heart. In the end, he just couldn't bear it."He sighed, his face full of sincerity. "See? Edward still likes you. Regardless of what he said before, he still wired five million dollars to me right away, didn't he?"Sharon's stunned expression shifted into
One of the bodyguards restraining Edward took out his phone, answered it, and held it to his ear. Sean's voice came through, "Mr. Fowler, are you here yet? My time is very valuable, you know."Edward gritted his teeth and said, "Tell me how badly Macie's injuries are. Where is she injured?"Sean replied, "Weren't you planning to come see for yourself?"Edward snapped, "Something came up and I can't go! Just tell me how she is!""And why should I tell you?" Sean answered lazily."You!" Edward was about to explode. At that moment, Sean officially became his number-one enemy."Didn't you want that five million dollars? I'll give it to you!" Edward growled.Hearing that he was willing to pay, Sean's lips curved slightly. However, Edward kept talking. "But I have conditions. You have to tell me exactly how Macie is, where she's hurt, and you're not allowed to take care of her. Alice will.""Alright," Sean agreed."Then hurry up and tell me!" Edward demanded."No can do. What if I
"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