Caroline ran here and there with her laptop in hand for the entire afternoon, but to no avail. She even thought of withdrawing from the contest. But … She wasn't with the Evanses now, and she couldn't just rely on Kirk all the time. He probably didn't have much money with him after buying a villa. Besides, he still had to pay for it every month. All of this reminded Caroline of how much she wanted to strangle Layla for her sins. This morning, Kai had messaged her, saying that the process had begun. Layla should receive the court summons in about two days' time. Still, it would take some time before the official hearing.Kai had told Caroline that she didn't need to worry about it and that he'd settle everything for her. So, she'd only need to show up at court that time. Caroline felt her spirits improve now that all she had to do was wait for Layla to receive her punishment. It was a shame that …Caroline clicked open to the public page for the design contest and was about to
Half an hour later, Kirk received a call from Sean."Were you in a meeting just now?" Sean asked, and Kirk could hear him burp from the other end of the line. "Eddy called and spoke to me about sourcing a kidney for him. Didn't you say that you wanted to stop the search? Why are you starting it again?" Kirk was still simmering with rage, so his voice was dangerously low. "It's your business." "No way." Sean refused it right away. "I told you before that his lover's medical condition is strange. I was glad when you told me to stop our search. If I had to carry on with it, I'd have to go through her reports again," he complained. "You'd better give me an answer. Are we doing it or not?" Instead of replying, Kirk ended the call. That made Sean realize that they weren't going to do it after all. No more than five minutes later, Eddy called Sean again. Taking out Layla's medical report, Sean started his plan to find a reasonable excuse to refuse Eddy's request. However, one
"Why us?" Gwen couldn't contain her anger anymore. "I'm the boss here," the man spat. "Leave now. We won't welcome anyone who offends Ms. Collins." Gwen wanted to argue with them, but Caroline tugged at her arm and said, "Gwen, it's fine. It's the weekend. We shouldn't waste time on people like them." There were many places selling delicacies at the bottom of the hill anyway. "That's not entirely true," someone said jokingly. "You should be happy when you come out to have fun." Caroline looked in the direction of the voice to find Sean standing there. She'd never thought she'd run into him here. He strode toward them and gave Caroline and Gwen his greetings before turning to face the restaurant's owner with a polite smile. "These two are my friends," Sean told him. The meaning behind his words was as clear as day. Chasing Caroline and Gwen away was the same as asking him to leave. The restaurant's owner didn't know who Sean was, but Brie, who stood beside him, knew Se
Kirk opened his eyes and saw Caroline through the veil of smoke. Their eyes met, yet no one uttered a single word. Sean pushed Caroline to sit beside Kirk, smiling. "What a coincidence! I met Ms. Evans when I was coming back from the restroom." Caroline took her seat. She could smell the unique minty scent on Kirk, which made her heart race. Gwen was unaware of what had happened between the couple. She was still shocked by the fact that Kirk knew Sean. "You two are … friends?" Kirk was full of surprises, indeed. He'd even made an acquaintance with a renowned, genius doctor. "We met at the hospital," Sean explained as he sat on the chair beside her. He handed the two women a tablet for the menu and added, "Ms. Jameson, we've already placed our orders. Take a look and see if there's anything you two would like." Perching on the edge of her seat, Caroline tried to kick Gwen's shin from under the table. She wanted to signal her to leave, but the latter remained unaffected an
Gwen burst out laughing. "And you tell me you don't have feelings for him. You're thinking on behalf of him already.""Gwen!" Caroline's cheeks turned red.After recomposing herself, Gwen told her, "Fine! I won't go after Sean then." She sighed and added, "What a shame! You'll have to find me another handsome guy as compensation!" Caroline could finally sigh in relief. "That's not a problem. I can find you any type of guy that you want." They chatted and giggled their way back to the private room. Once they entered the room, Kirk's gaze automatically fell on Caroline. Noticing this, Sean stood from his seat and asked, "It's still early. Why don't we go to the movies?" "No, thanks." Gwen wanted nothing to do with Sean now, so she appeared to be distancing herself from him. "Carol and I are going shopping. Thanks for the treat!" Her reply took Sean by surprise, but he was quick to respond. "Let Kirk and I go with you. We can help you carry your things." Sean regretted his w
After Brie had left the Faladorian restaurant, the more she thought about the incident, the angrier she became. She didn't have the guts to go and meet Kirk, but Caroline was already acquainted with Kirk's good friend. How did any of these make sense? No. She couldn't just stand by idly. She took out her phone and dialed someone's number. "Greg?" "Hello, Ms. Collins." "Find out who Caroline's husband is!" She wanted to send him pictures of Caroline cheating on him with other men everywhere she went. That way, he'd surely teach Caroline a lesson. "Ms. Collins." Greg Wilson forced a laugh. "Aren't you just making things difficult for me? Last time, the Morrisons themselves tried to find out who her husband was, but they failed. Even if I managed to discover his identity, I might lose my life doing it." Brie straightened her shirt. "Really?" Greg sighed. "I'm only telling you this because you're one of my most loyal patrons. There aren't many who are aware of this. Eve
Caroline kept thinking about Kirk's words, which had left her hanging. If it weren't for the fact that she'd received some news about the contest, she would've forgotten that the results were going to be announced soon. This contest was especially grand. It was the first time these major brands came together to organize a packaging design contest of such a huge scale, after all. The announcement venue was as spectacular as an award ceremony. Gwen took in the sight of the tables full of desserts and clucked her tongue in satisfaction. "As expected of an event organized by such big brands, even the desserts here are from well-known manufacturers." Caroline tossed her a sideways glance. "Since when were you so interested in food?" With a guilty face worthy of a convict, Gwen tried to explain herself. "We've been going out for food all the time these days. I've become a foodie." Caroline didn't doubt what Gwen said. She simply walked around and found a seat for herself while G
Caroline found it strange too, but she busied herself with calming Gwen down. She didn't put much thought into it. Soon, the host walked up to the stage, and everyone fell silent. After delivering a speech, he said, "Next, let us invite Venusta's CEO to come on the stage and announce the contestant who won fifth place!" A man about 40 years old with a balding crown walked up the stage and announced, "In fifth place, we have Lucy Quill."The audience applauded.Gwen inched closer to Caroline and whispered into her ear. "They're turning it into an award ceremony." Caroline smiled and kept her eyes focused on the stage. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't nervous. This contest was especially significant to her. In no time, the person who'd won third place was making her way down the stage. Caroline's heart palpitated wildly. "We're left with the second and first places now," whispered Gwen as she gripped Caroline's hands. "Carol, I'm sure you'll win this!" She'd barel