"Don't worry. It's all already been taken care of," Raymond said.Sharon then offered him another job, asking if he'd take it. This time, she would pay him 50 million dollars."We'll route it through an angel fund. I'll make the donation, and the money will reach your account legally," she explained.Hearing that astronomical figure, he immediately agreed. But after learning what the job entailed, he suddenly fell silent, clearly shaken.When Sharon heard silence on the other end, she said coldly, "What's wrong? You're brave enough to take the money but not courageous enough to kill?"I'm not asking you to get your hands dirty. Find someone else to do it, pay them a cut, then you can take my money and live abroad."Wouldn't that be better than your current life here? How much wealth can running an orphanage possibly bring you?"Raymond considered her words, thinking that Sharon had a point. His orphanage salary barely covered the essentials.Most directors made ends meet by poc
After Elias gave his orders and prepared to hang up, Charlie said, "Mr. Hale, we caught Rico. You'll never guess how he managed to evade our dragnet for so long. "The guy had a bunker in the mountains, fully stocked with supplies. He just holed up there and never came out. We only found him using detection equipment and infrared tracking. He really knows how to hide."Hearing that, Elias felt no particular emotion because he desperately needed to know about Macie right now. But then he remembered Rico had tried to abduct her before."Have someone interrogate him. Use whatever means necessary to find out if Sharon revealed any other information to him," he said."What other information?" Charlie asked."Why Macie had to die," Elias said.Charlie understood and responded, "After I get the information, should I tie up the loose ends after this? If the police start suspecting us, we'll be exposed."Mr. Hale, wasn't your original plan to let the trail go cold with Rico and to help M
"Mom, why are you asking about that lady?" Sharon followed alongside, fishing for information."It's nothing. I just thought she looked…" Mira paused mid-sentence, then quickly corrected herself when she remembered her daughter was standing right beside her. "She looks beautiful, and I just wanted to ask which family she's from."Sharon frowned, unconvinced. Was her mother really drawn to Macie just because she was attractive? Or was it because she looked familiar? Did her mother recognize her?Still caught in these doubts, Sharon followed as they made their way to the front of the venue. She watched Mira pull Diana aside to ask the same question.Sharon's fingers curled tightly, her anxiety spiking. Had Macie ever met Diana before? If she mentioned Macie's name, what if her mother decided to investigate further?She wasn't naive enough to believe Mira's sudden interest was only about looks. Every instinct screamed that something was wrong. Her nerves were on edge, her thought
Elias stood frozen as his gaze fixed on Alice's retreating figure. His mind was still reeling with shock after learning that Sharon and Macie were from the same orphanage. That detail alone sent a jolt through him. He thought that it was too much of a coincidence. Macie and Sharon are not only the same age but also both separated from their families at a young age. And then there were Macie's facial features, which looked familiar to him.His heart pounded. Then, a bizarre and absurd thought began to form in his mind. But he pushed it down for now and forced himself to remain calm because, without evidence, it was nothing more than wild speculation. Moreover, he had overseen Sharon's DNA testing himself.Clenching his fists, Elias focused intently as he scanned the crowd. He first spotted Mira, then locked eyes with Sharon.He had always known that Sharon and Macie were friends, but he'd assumed they met in high school. It had never crossed his mind to look into it further. But
Xavier smiled and said nothing. He turned his gaze toward the center of the dance floor, watching Alice's smiling face. He thought, "Of course. As her token big brother, it's only natural that I'd look out for Ali's happiness."At that moment, in the center of everyone's attention, the first half of the dance had already passed. With only the second half remaining, Alice had simply been following Elias' lead without either of them exchanging a single word.Just as she was working up the courage to ask why he had invited her to dance, he said, "Ms. Hart, would you have a moment to spare after this? I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."She looked up at him and asked, "What kind of questions?""It's about your friend Macie, Edward's ex-wife," he replied.Alice frowned slightly and wondered why Elias would ask her about Macie."Tell me what you want to know first, then I'll decide whether to answer," she said.He was worried that she might misunderstand him, so he quickl
In the crowd, Sharon watched as Elias approached Alice for a dance. She was practically grinding her teeth in frustration because she had been hoping to dance with him herself.What made it worse was that Elias had once said he wasn't interested in Alice. So why was he taking the initiative to ask her to dance now?Sharon bit her lip, then turned to look at Mira. She needed to see how her mother felt about the couple."Mom, Eli took the initiative to ask Ms. Hart for the opening dance. Do you think he might have feelings for her?" she asked in a low voice.Diana was looking toward the ballroom, but her eyes seemed unfocused, as if she were lost in thought."Mom?" When Sharon didn't get a response, she called out again.Mira finally snapped back to attention. Her gaze settled on her son and Alice as she replied absentmindedly, "Yes, Alice is a lovely lady..."Hearing that, Sharon bit down harder on her lip, and her nails dug into her palms.Her mother's reaction made it clear th