Lucas had drawn all these paintings. It was all the image of her carrying him down the hill or images of them relying on each other in the forest.All they could rely on was each other at that time.For the first time, he realized the little girl was so important to him. He might not have survived without her.Among these paintings, there was only one exception.It was not a painting of a child. Instead, it was an adult woman's portrait. The woman smiled softly, her eyes reminding him of water, gentle and strong. It was a very comfortable image. Her gaze made him feel calm and at ease.Lucas stood close to the woman's portrait, his dark eyes staring at the person in the painting, and a rare hint of pain flashed in his usually indifferent eyes.If Serenity had been here, she would have recognized the portrait immediately. It was her!"Why is it not you?" A cold voice rang in the studio, but there was no response.The woman in the portrait continued looking at him with a gentle,

Serenity Lewis? Who was she? She was just an ex-convict!People from a small town had a natural bias toward an ex-convict. They would point their fingers at her full of disdain. Many of them thought Serenity should not be at the wake. She was a disgrace to the family. The Walker family should throw her out instead!The Walker family shook in fear hearing such remarks, worried it would upset Jackson. If Jackson got mad, he could easily wipe out the Walker family.Lynette had Lucas' protection, but Lucas had never said that he would protect the Walker family! On the day of Emily's funeral, Serenity dressed herself in black and joined the funeral procession. Her eyes were slightly red. Clearly, she had cried again. Dressed in a black suit, Jackson stood by Serenity's side and accompanied her to the funeral home.The Walker family had reserved a hall in the funeral home to accommodate the memorial service. During the service, Serenity stood and listened quietly. Listening to Uncle Fr

Someone suddenly kicked the man to the ground before he could say anything else."Oh, sorry. I couldn't stop in time," Jackson said flatly, his left foot still stepping on the man's chest, crushing him.The man screamed in pain, his face red. He could not shake away the foot that was on his chest.Uncle Francis, Uncle Desmond, and Aunt Theresa saw the commotion and rushed over, trying to calm him. "Mr. Valor... W-Why do this at a funeral?""It would be disrespectful to the dead if something were to happen.""The man's just spouting nonsense. Mr. Valor, please don't take him seriously!"Jackson looked at the three siblings nonchalantly. "I think Granny wouldn't want to see someone slandering her granddaughter in such a manner. She might agree with me. What do you think?" His smile was cold and unfriendly, sending chills down the spine of the three."Of course! Of course!""Yeah. He's just trying to cause trouble because Serenity refused his marriage proposal!""People like him

Serenity stepped forward and quietly looked at Granny in the casket. Knowing that this would be the last time she would ever see Granny, she gently placed the flowers in her hand in front of Granny's casket and said her final goodbye. The kind Emily had given Serenity so much love after she had lost her mother. Emily had given her a happy childhood. Serenity did not join Granny's cremation. She was afraid that she would not be able to bear to watch the cremation. "Jack. Granny has left me," Serenity murmured. "She loved me. She was very nice to me, but she's gone."Jackson looked at Serenity and promised solemnly, "I won't leave you." He would always be there for her."Yeah. I know you won't leave me, and I..." Serenity echoed, "I'll never leave you too." Jackson was always there to assure her whenever she was down.After the cremation, Granny's ashes were placed in an urn.The Walker family buried the urn with Granny's ashes at the Walker family's ancestral grave in the villag

Serenity sat in the car and looked out the window, watching the landscape moving past her quickly. She hummed softly, filling the car with a soothing and gentle tune. Jackson arched an eyebrow. He waited until Serenity had finished humming before asking, "What song is this?""Walk of Life, a classic." Serenity explained, "Granny loved it. She was the one who taught me to sing this song. I used to sing it all the time, but I couldn't understand the meaning of the lyrics when I was younger. The older I got, the more I understood the meaning of the lyrics.""A nice song indeed," Jackson agreed."Yeah. It's a shame Granny can't teach me anything anymore," Serenity murmured, a tired look on her face.Serenity had barely slept for the past few days. She had spent most of her time sitting beside Granny's casket or busy with the funeral, only sleeping three to four hours because she did not have time to sleep."If you're tired, just close your eyes and rest. It's two hours away by car,"

"What if you get caught too?" A little boy's voice spoke out, but she could not see the little boy's face.The little girl immediately retorted, "It won't happen!" The little boy just looked at her quietly and did not speak.A few moments later, the little girl mumbled, "If I get caught too... Well, we can keep each other company. I'm not afraid!"The little girl grabbed the boy's hand, the pair of silver bracelets on her wrists shining.The little girl and little boy were fleeing down a rough mountain road. The little boy was usually pampered and athletic, but it was his first time experiencing such an escape.The little girl led the way throughout their escape, holding the boy's hand tightly. The little boy slipped suddenly and fell down the hill, dragging the girl along. The little girl got stuck on a small tree branch growing on the side of the hillside and stopped falling. The little girl's left hand was still holding onto the boy's hand tightly. The boy was hanging in mi

She touched her forehead and discovered that it was covered in beads of cold sweat. What was happening to her now? Was it a nightmare? That hillside she had just dreamt of was the same one in the small town where she had grown up.Besides... That scene in the dream... Serenity bit her lips without realizing it. The sun was shining brilliantly outside the window. She looked at the time—it was already 11 o'clock. She had really slept for a long time.She turned to the nightstand and found a note Jackson had left for her. His handwriting was long and thin but strong and firm at the same time. She thought it looked very beautiful. As she read it, she found out that he had left for work at the company early in the morning to deal with all the work accumulated over the past few days but that he would be home in time to have dinner with her.Seeing his handwriting made Serenity feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and the panic and anxiety she had felt in that dream earlier slowly dissipated.

"Don't mention it," Lucas replied in a calm voice. "Since it's a wish of yours, I'd gladly help you.""You're so nice to me, Luke."Lucas's heart trembled when he heard that nickname. For whatever reason, hearing it from the lips of this woman somehow irritated him."Just call me Lucas next time," he told her. "Luke is just a nickname I had when I was young.""Okay," Lynette responded without raising any questions.After all, she had only heard the name "Luke" from Serenity all those years ago. Back then, when she was still a little girl, Serenity had returned home with her dress all tattered and dirty. She had claimed that she had saved someone, but no adults at home believed her. They all just assumed that she was lying to cover up her own naughtiness, and she had even been spanked for it.As for Lynette, because she still had a child's curiosity, she had asked Serenity exactly what had happened to her. That was when she had found out how Serenity had saved a little boy, and sh

"A year?" Lisa repeated in a low voice, then asked, "Does that mean that you're going to postpone your wedding with Jackson?"Serenity nodded, "I haven't told him about it yet, though. I'll do it tonight and see what he thinks about it."Still, she had a hunch that he would agree to it because ever since they had started dating, he had always agreed to everything she asked.Lisa studied her friend's wearied, worn-down face and then suggested, "Why don't you come with me to the mall, Serenity? Terry wants me to attend a gala with him, and he told me to pick up a dress he ordered for me in a boutique at the mall nearby."To be frank, Lisa had never had any desire to attend any banquets or galas at all because she hated to be the center of people's attention, but Terry seemed to have gotten addicted to dragging her everywhere with him and just would not take no for an answer.What was even more exasperating was that when she gave him an excuse of being too busy having to work overtim

"I'm only here with a friend," Serenity replied in a flat tone. "If you want someone to help you choose what to buy, you'd better ask that lady over there. She's the shopping consultant."And so, Lynette awkwardly went off toward the lady standing nearby for her help.Just then, Lucas walked up toward Serenity and told her, "Don't be too sad about your grandma. Everyone dies in the end. Some people just get there before others."Serenity raised her eyes to look at him. Was he trying to... comfort her? Lucas's tall and slender frame was clad in a dark silvery gray suit, and his handsome face was set in a cold and indifferent expression. The Prince of the Entertainment Industry had always been infamous for being a cold and distant man, known for switching from one girlfriend to another, but nobody could guess who his next girlfriend would be. 'Would it be Lynette?' Serenity thought suddenly. After all, Lucas had chosen all those other women in the past to be her cousin's substitut