All Chapters of No Longer Theirs: The One They Can't Replace: Chapter 211 - Chapter 220

Winter walked to the door and turned on the video intercom. She froze. "Mr. Hall?""Mrs. Stroud, Mr. Stroud asked me to bring something for you. Please open the door to receive it." Outside, Sean held a refined white box in both hands, his manner as respectful as ever.Winter disliked Joshua, but she had always had a good impression of Sean. During her five years at the Stroud residence, he was one of the few who genuinely treated her as the lady of the house.She knew that in the past, Sean had secretly made many efforts to warm things up between her and Joshua. But it had all been pointless.Joshua was utterly devoted to Jessica. His loyalty was absolute, his focus unwavering, and his eyes never wandered to another woman.Winter opened the door, her tone flat. "What's this?"Sean was all smiles. "Mrs. Stroud, you'll be attending the auction with Mr. Stroud the day after tomorrow. Mr. Stroud handpicked this evening gown according to your measurements."Winter looked at it coldl

Time slipped by in the blink of an eye, and soon the weekend arrived.The long-anticipated Platinum Auction, a gathering of elites and rising stars alike, was set to begin at exactly seven that evening at Jeston International Exhibition Center.The auction had been the talk of the city for a month, with social media buzzing and influencers dropping teasers for the past week. By now, the excitement was at a fever pitch.Tonight, Jeston would host a glittering gathering of tycoons, celebrities, and high society.Although Winter had agreed to accompany Joshua to the event, she spent the entire day moving at her own unhurried pace, completely unconcerned.In the early evening, she dropped by the police station while Elijah did his daily check-in.Though Elijah had been released on bail, he still had to check in at the station every day. He wasn't truly free, and his situation was far from settled."Win, thank you for coming all this way for me," Elijah said as they exited the statio

"I'm here with my parents," Jessica said as she stood before Joshua. Her slender frame was wrapped in the white evening gown he had originally intended for Winter.Jessica's face was delicately made up, her long lashes framing eyes that seemed to speak without words."This gown looks good on you," Joshua said lightly, letting his eyes linger for a moment. A smile appeared on his face."Really, Josh?" Jessica's smile was radiant. Her eyes softened with warmth as she looked at him. "You asked about my measurements before, so I knew you must have had a surprise for me. And I was right! I love this gown. Thank you, Josh!"Joshua rubbed the ring on his left pinky languidly. "I'm glad you like it."Her calm, compliant manner put him at ease in a way Winter never had—or ever would.Joshua still couldn't understand it. Did Winter not see how he was trying to make things easier for her? He had even softened his approach.She was the only one in the world who could make him actively reach

Winter's mouth was gagged with a rag, muffling her sounds into helpless whimpers.Blood matted her lashes. Her head throbbed violently, and the world before her was nothing more than a swimming, unstable haze. Even in the grip of despair and danger, her will remained unbroken. Her crystal-clear eyes burned with determination as she struggled against her bonds, constantly scanning her surroundings.The light was dim, but she could make out the shape of the place—it looked like an abandoned factory. Among the shadows, she spotted scattered remnants of machinery tucked in a corner.Like an earthworm, she wriggled forward, inching toward the pile. Though her limbs were tightly bound, she could still move her fingers. Squinting through the poor light, she groped desperately and finally found one of the parts.Her pulse raced. Her childhood had been spent around her mother, tinkering with all kinds of mechanical parts. Instantly, she recognized it as a bearing from an old printing pres

Sean hesitated before reporting, "Mr. Stroud, I tried calling Mrs. Stroud just now, but her phone's unreachable. That's a bit strange…"A flicker of chill flashed through Jessica's eyes as she watched the man beside her out of the corner of her eye."Unreachable? What's strange about that?" Joshua's voice dropped, laced with faint mockery and irritation. "Maybe she's busy playing stepmother to someone else's child. Don't ruin her good time."The moment those words landed, the tension drained from Jessica's face, a barely perceptible smile touching her lips.Sean, however, felt only frustration. They had been married for five years, and Winter's devotion had never been subtle, never half-hearted.Yet all it took was a perfectly ordinary interaction with another man for Joshua to recast her as morally suspect, wiping away every trace of the love and effort she had poured into the marriage.For the first time, Sean felt not just disappointed, but drained.He had always rooted for t