Semua Bab Who's the One Regretting Now?: Bab 461 - Bab 470

Xavier figured it wasn't surprising that Sean hadn't noticed. After all, he saw Alice nearly every day. But this wasn't some subtle shift. She'd transformed from a teenager into a full-blown knockout. He had barely recognized her.He said, "I haven't seen her in six years. It's normal to notice a difference."Sean replied, "Back in college, you always hung out at my home, and you saw her almost every day. She was still in high school then, and her appearance hadn't changed much since."Xavier took a deep breath but held back what he really wanted to say. He wasn't about to argue with his clueless friend. Otherwise, they'd be debating until dawn.He couldn't believe Sean thought a 17-year-old looked the same as a 24-year-old.Women typically changed a lot during those years. At 17, women were like factory settings—untouched and unpolished. But at 24, they'd had complete upgrades, bug fixes, and a significant glow-up.And Sean had clearly never heard of the magic of makeup. That st

Xavier covered his face with his phone. First, he'd embarrassed himself in front of Alice, and now his image was crashing and burning in front of Macie.What if Macie thought he was some creepy weirdo? What if she reported him? If that happened, that would be the end of his law career.His mind spiraled with worst-case scenarios until a message notification popped up. It was a reply from Macie. He grabbed his phone and read it.She had texted, "Alice hasn't really mentioned you. She only mentioned you once. She mentioned that you two knew each other when you first took on my case."Xavier read it and cried from relief. He realized that Alice was a thoughtful and kind soul. She hadn't thrown him under the bus.Macie sent another message. Macie: "But you've mentioned her to me quite often. When we first met, you asked me to invite her out for dinner, and you said you wouldn't eat alone with me without her."Xavier started typing a response. It was all just polite excuses anyway

The man's mother couldn't take the blow of losing her daughter and fell ill. She had been bedridden ever since.For the sake of her health—both physical and emotional—the family had no choice but to move abroad. Staying in the same place and surrounded by everything that reminded her of what she'd lost would have only deepened her sorrow.20 years had passed, and the family had almost accepted the harsh truth. Their kidnapped daughter was gone for good. She was either lost forever or already dead.The man took a deep breath and pulled himself out of those heavy thoughts from the past. He tightened his grip around the ornate velvet box in his hand. He looked determined, and a glimmer of hope lit up his eyes.If this necklace were up for auction, he wondered whether his sister was nearby—or if she'd never left the city at all. Maybe someone else had come across it by chance and put it up for sale, unaware of its true significance.But even the faintest glimmer of hope was enough for

Sharon went to bed in a sour mood that night because the man never called. She regretted not asking for his number from the auction house representative. If she had, she could've at least taken the lead.She desperately wanted to know if he was worth her time. If not, she could stop wasting her time and move on to someone else.Just as she was wondering when he'd reach out, her phone rang at 8:30 am. It kept ringing and vibrating, but she was still asleep and missed the call.By the time she woke up, it was 11:00 am. She grabbed her phone and noticed that there were three missed calls from an unknown number. There was also a message, thoughtfully left in case she mistook the calls for spam. The man introduced himself as the buyer of the necklace and said he'd gotten her number through the auction house yesterday.Sharon immediately called back the unknown number. The line connected after just a few seconds."Hello?" a smooth, deep baritone answered. It was the kind of voice one

"That's why I wanted to talk to you and find out exactly where the necklace came from. You said you've worn the necklace since you were a child. So, what is your name?" Elias asked on the phone.Lying in bed, Sharon's hands trembled as her carefully spun lie was about to be unraveled. Deep down, she had a feeling that Macie had come from money because from the first time she saw her, the latter looked just like a princess straight out of a fairy tale.Sharon wondered what she could do now. Because of this damn necklace, Macie's family had come knocking. Soon, they would realize that it had never truly belonged to Sharon at all.Guilt made her hands so weak that she could barely grip her phone. Part of her screamed to run—hang up before he learned her name, before Macie found out.But she was indignant. The necklace was worth a hundred million dollars, for crying out loud. Sharon didn't want to give it back. She had already lost Edward, her golden ticket, and now she might end up a