Everything happened so fast that we could barely react. Austin was surprisingly agile. Still, there wasn’t much room to begin with. By the time we realized what had happened, Austin had already seized the girl’s neck.He roared, “I’d rather die! I’ll take you with me!”Ivanna exclaimed, “Austin, stop!”I ran over with Ivanna, desperately trying to pry Austin’s hands off the girl’s neck.“Let go of her!”The girl had turned blue, and her eyes widened as she frantically grabbed Austin’s hands. At that moment, two more officers entered to pull Austin away. When they restrained him, the girl slumped to the floor and gasped for air.She glared at the enraged Austin fearfully.“You’re obsessed!” Austin scolded, wanting to kick her as she struggled to breathe. However, the officers intervened.Suddenly, footsteps approached from outside. A middle-aged man rushed in with a few burly bodyguards. The man gasped as he took in the scene, “Callie, what’s going on here?!”Callie showed her
The middle-aged officer hinted that we were bullying Callie, making the father-daughter duo feel more justified. It was no wonder she was so defiant, even in a police station. It seemed she had a powerful supporter.The middle-aged officer didn’t greet the duo. Instead, he maintained an upright demeanor. However, anyone could sense that his words were off.Callie’s dad pointed at us accusingly, saying, “No one has ever challenged the Barkers. You must’ve lost your mind. It’s an honor that Callie chose to date you, young man. Still, you dared to lay your hands on her?”Frank Barker stormed over and shoved me aside. I was unprepared and couldn’t keep my balance with a casted arm. I stumbled backward and was about to fall, and Ivanna rushed to grab me, but it was too late.I closed my eyes and protected my left arm to brace for impact. Suddenly, I landed in someone’s arms. The person then gently lifted and stabilized me. I was terrified as I turned to look at who had caught me. Surpri
Everyone was fearful and uncertain about what would happen next. Frank even instinctively back-paddled.When Jared pulled over a chair, he set it down and gently led Ivanna to it, asking, “Are you hurt?”Ivanna casually replied, “I’m okay.”“Where were you hurt?” Jared patiently asked again, but everyone who heard that question shivered.Ivanna reluctantly reached for her left shoulder. Although she didn’t make a sound, she grimaced, indicating the injury wasn’t minor. The guy who punched her was burly, so the impact must’ve been significant.Jared softly asked, “Who hit you?”His voice was calm, yet it sent chills down everyone’s spine. The bodyguard who threw the punch shifted his heel involuntarily.Jared gazed at Ivanna’s face for a while before turning to Frank, “You said it was a misunderstanding. Now I want to know how it became one.”Frank helplessly looked at his subordinates, but no one dared to step forward. He was at a loss and stammered several times without utteri
As we stepped out of the doorway, we ran into Atlas, who hurried over. He quickly took my arm and asked, "What's going on?""Let's talk about it when we get back." I turned to Ivanna and asked in a hushed tone, "Are you okay?""I'm fine... It just really hurts!" She held her shoulder, grimacing, "He went all out. It serves him right."I saw Jared's face darken again. Seizing the moment, I gave Ivanna a gentle push. "Go on, now. Stop twisting it. Go have a proper chat."Ivanna and Jared had been in a silent conflict. It was clear that both were holding back, making this the perfect opportunity for reconciliation.Austin rushed forward to express his gratitude to Jared. After bidding farewell to Ivanna, he asked, "How are you doing? Are you injured? Go to the hospital if you need to. Don't tough it out."Austin then gave a radiant smile. "Dealing with those guys made me feel a little better!"Atlas and I drove away without paying attention to the two still standing at the door
His incredibly handsome features were right before my eyes. I felt guilty, wondering if I could match his confidence. However, I was sure that if I lost him, I could find my way back to him.His presence, his voice, the unique coldness in his gaze—I would sense it all.Seeing that I was staring at him intently, he softly asked, "What are you thinking about?"I Ieaned in, kissing him on the lips. "Thank you for never giving up on finding me."He kissed me back gently. "Silly girl. Destiny has marked you mine. No matter what happens, my heart will remain unchanged."As he spoke, he gently stroked my eyebrows. "There's no mole between your eyebrows..."He enlarged the photo and pointed at the corner of Kylie's eyebrows in the picture. "Right here, you see..."With just this detail, I concluded that she wasn't you."I also zoomed in on the photo. The tiny dot above the eyebrows was nearly indiscernible to someone unfamiliar with the details.After he pointed it out, there was in
We agreed to always depend on each other once things calmed down.I looked at Atlas, questioning, "Did she really plan so far ahead? Did she keep this girl around all this time? Who is she? Do you think she might be connected to my parents back home?"Atlas shook his head. "She may not have planned so far ahead, but this may be something she has prepared for. "You mean sending Kylie to the Avilas?" I asked, feeling a bit anxious.Atlas nodded. "After all, the connection between Rory and Lucille is an indelible mark, and Lucille's foundation is profound. There was no way she didn’t take precautions. Knowing that she has someone in her hands is her leverage. "Perhaps that's what prevented us from discovering this woman's origin. As for whether Kylie has any connection to your current parents, that can only be revealed when you recover your memories."Atlas comforted me, "But don't worry. I'll arrange for someone to investigate Kylie. She won't stir up any big waves. When the time
Celine wouldn’t have kept her for so many years without a reason. She must have wanted to use her as a weapon against Atlas."She even appeared at the Huffman family’s business negotiations, which caught their attention. My relationship with them is undisclosed, but she has already participated in activities with them. Doesn't that say a lot?"Atlas pondered, looking profound."So, Trinity feels something is off. Recently, Stella reached out to Trinity, so Trinity plans to get close to her and find out more." Then I wondered, "Do you think Celine would’ve known about my relationship with the Huffmans if they were unreliable? Why is Stella still trying to get Trinity involved?""Perhaps they're giving us a false impression. We can be sure this person is working for Celine. She's not sure about the Huffman family’s real motives!" Atlas analyzed."So, do you think Trinity reaching out to them is the right move?" I was concerned about this. "I'm afraid we won't be able to control the
I suddenly understood one thing. It seemed like the wisest person was Grace. She had learned to be savvy after being deceived throughout her life."How can we let Charlie end up in his hands?" I shook my head, feeling somewhat distressed. "We'll be ruining that child's life!"I couldn't help but think of Charlie’s innocent face."Don't worry. Listen to me," Atlas said.He got up, poured a glass of water for me, and had a sip himself before continuing. "The man's parents are alive and well. The family is in decent shape, and he has a sister who’s seven years older. There was a middle brother between them, but unfortunately, he died at the age of three."I listened attentively to Atlas."Later, that man was born. So, being the only son in the family for three generations, his parents spoiled him. Over time, he developed a fearlessness because his parents would stand up for him whenever something happened.“Stirring up trouble became a common occurrence. He dropped out of school ea