Edward didn't think that an original divorce agreement with his signature on it was possible. "I never signed anything! I haven't even seen the document!" he roared. Nolan, now fully awake from Edward's shouting, sighed. "But the document is real. The signature looks authentic, and since you didn't call to object, Mr. Fowler Senior assumed you agreed to it." "No, I didn't! Why should I accept a document I never signed?" Edward's voice was filled with rage, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. Nolan frowned, hesitating before saying, "Did Mrs. Fowler forge your signature?" "That's exactly the kind of illegal thing she'd do. She doesn't have a brain in her head," Edward hissed. "Forging a signature makes the divorce document invalid. She's just playing games with me and Grandpa!" Edward fumed inwardly. "What does she think I am? A monkey in a zoo? How dare she mess with me like this!" He was so furious that he could barely think straight. He wanted to tear
Edward would give the divorce agreement to Macie if she wanted it so badly. He wanted to see if she had the guts to take it.He couldn't believe that Macie even dared to fool Yosef. After everything the latter did for her, this was how she repaid him. Edward wondered if she had forgotten that it was only because of his grandfather that Edward married her in the first place. Sharon was still awake, having prepared another meal and waiting for Edward to come home. As soon as he walked through the door, she started to approach him, but he frowned, his expression dark. "Didn't I tell you last night not to do this? Have you packed your things yet? If you're done, I'll have Nathan help you move out." Sharon froze, tears welling up in her eyes. "Edward, are you really that eager to kick me out? Last night and tonight. It's always the same…" Edward pursed his lips briefly before replying, "It's inappropriate for you to stay here. I'm married, and Macie left because of it. So,
Edward paused as he turned the doorknob. He then glanced back at Sharon. "I haven't fallen for Macie," he said flatly. "Who are you trying to fool? You clearly have. That's why you don't love me anymore and want me gone," Sharon shot back, her fists clenched. Edward frowned, his expression unreadable. "Not loving you has nothing to do with whether I love Macie. I've told you that you and I ended two years ago. You betrayed me for money and left. There's no going back from that."Sharon still refused to believe him. It was apparent that Edward had fallen for Macie, which was why he no longer loved her. "When I first came back, you told me that you didn't mind anymore. You said you understood. How could I have fought against your Grandpa back then? He threatened me to leave. What else could I do? Did you want him to banish me from the city?"Edward replied, "Not minding meant that we could be friends again, not that we could restart our relationship."He had reflected on it befo
As Edward rewatched the videos of Macie from her college days, he found himself drawn to the radiant, talented young woman she had been. He couldn't help but wonder—if Sharon hadn't been in the picture, would he and Macie have naturally fallen in love?And then there was the previous night when Edward had slept in Macie's room. He had laid on her mattress, trying to catch a hint of her scent. She had consumed his thoughts. After finishing his shower, Edward stepped out of the bathroom, the cool air helping to clear his mind. He felt like he had reached a conclusion.It didn't matter if he loved Macie. He didn't want her to leave his sight or slip out of his control. When Edward saw the crumpled divorce agreement by the bed, he walked over, intending to tear it up. But he noticed the watermark and case analysis in the document's body before he could. Edward was speechless. It was a serious printing error. Back in the office, he had been so blinded by anger that he hadn't checked
"Why should I give it to you? Are you going to pester May?" Yosef snapped.Edward pursed his lips before muttering, "I'm not pestering her. I just…"He lowered his voice and continued, "I just want to know where she is and bring her back.""Why would you do that? Weren't you the one who wanted a divorce? You already signed the divorce agreement. You're her ex-husband now, so why are you still interfering in her life?" Yosef barked from the other end of the line."I never wanted a divorce. I didn't sign that, and I never even saw those documents," Edward quickly denied. "So, you're saying that May forged them and lied to me? Isn't that what you told Nolan, too?" Yosef listened to his grandson ranting on the other end, then spoke calmly."That's exactly what happened. She left me a copy and sent the original to you, but my signature was forged. It has no legal standing," Edward insisted.He paused for a couple of seconds, then softened his tone. "Grandpa, please don't be angry.
At that moment, Sharon finally stirred awake by the door. Seeing Edward already awake, she propped herself up against the wall.Her voice was hoarse as she said, "Ed… can we start over? Let's forget about those two years. After all, we both made mistakes."Edward stepped out, and she grabbed his arm. However, he shook her off, his expression cold."I made myself clear last night. Don't bother playing the sympathy card. Move out of my place today.""Ed, Ed…" Sharon followed him. But after spending the night by the door, her limbs went numb, and she fell on the floor.She assumed that he would turn around like before, offer her a hand, and check on her. But this time, he didn't even glance back. He just slipped his shoes on and walked out the door.When Edward finally turned around, Sharon was still on the floor and looked at him with tearful eyes."Ed…" she cried out.But his expression was indifferent, and his eyes carried a cold chill."If you don't move out today, don't bl
"Back when you were in eighth grade and about to start high school, I refused to let your father's mistress into the family. I did everything to protect your position as the rightful heir and kept that woman's illegitimate child from ever being acknowledged as a Fowler," Yosef said.He went on, "But look at you. You grew up to be just like your father. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?"There wasn't a single curse word in the scolding, but to Edward, it was the harshest thing he'd ever heard. Every word cut deep and left him feeling wounded and exposed."I'm sorry, Grandpa… Paparazzi swarmed Sharon's hotel, and her bag was stolen. She lost her ID and couldn't check into a hotel," Edward explained in a low voice."And that's why you let her stay at your place? If you're so charitable, why don't you start taking in stray cats and dogs?" Yosef shot back.Edward was left speechless and unable to come up with a response."How long has she been staying there?" Yosef pr
After breakfast, Nathan brought the lawyer to the Fowler residence. But the moment they arrived, Edward tried to send them away."Heh, feeling nervous? With all three parties here, you won't be able to accuse May of forging documents again." Yosef scoffed.Edward gritted his teeth as he shot a warning glare at the lawyer to stop him from speaking out of turn. He even secretly texted the lawyer to claim that the signature was forged.But Yosef saw right through it and ordered Nolan to confiscate all the communication devices from the lawyers representing both parties. The original documents were brought out for comparison. Yosef even had the attendants block Edward from getting close.In the end, the lawyers reached a unanimous conclusion. One of them stood up and reported, "Mr. Fowler Senior, this is indeed Mr. Edward's signature."The words hit Edward like a sudden blow. He stood frozen, and his eyes reddened as he shouted, "I didn't sign it. I swear I didn't."He continued,
"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