Before Holly could get up from the bed, Bryce stopped her. "Stay here and don't go out." She obediently sat on the bed.When Bryce stepped out of the room, he noticed one of the bodyguards had left to pursue the intruder on the roof. He asked the remaining bodyguard, "What's going on?""Mr. Gabelman, someone seems to be peeking into the yard from the roof just now."Bryce frowned. "How many of them? Did you get a good look at them?""We only saw one. It was a man in black, about six feet tall, with a medium build. His face was covered under a black mask. He was quick in his steps, even on the roof. I think he's here to gather information and might have accomplices."Bryce narrowed his eyes as he pondered. He ruled out burglary, as no one usually lived here. When Winona passed away, he and Holly had stayed here for a couple of days, but they hadn't encountered such a situation.It appeared that their visit to the police station to investigate the fire had attracted someone's a
Holly gave Annie a disparaging look. "Next time, leave your phone outside the room.""Got it," Annie said as she went out to answer the phone call. When she returned, she brought a man with her.Holly came downstairs and appraised the man. He was tall and wore a black sweater and jeans. His hair was cropped short, and he had what one might consider to be conventionally attractive features. His gaze was feral and dark.Although he was dressed casually, he still looked handsome and put-together. There was a rugged, dangerous, and elusive charm about him.Holly remembered him. He was Annie's biological brother, Tristan.Tristan was carrying a black lockbox in his hands. Inside the black lockbox was a small ornamental tower measuring about 20 inches in height and eight inches in width.The ornamental tower was crafted from sandalwood and gilded, inlaid with quartz, crystals, glass fragments, lapis lazuli, and an assortment of other gemstones.The body of the ornamental tower was a
Holly placated, "Tristan will be sleeping here tonight. Why don't you stay the night, too?"Bryce wasn't as grouchy anymore after Holly invited him to stay the night, and the scowl on his face waned. Most of the time, Holly wouldn't let him sleep over.He raised a hand and addressed Tristan pleasantly, "I thought you were a decent person when I first met you, Mr. Qualls. I suppose you could stay here for a night since we have all these rooms to spare.""Thanks," Tristan replied impassively, neither smiling nor trying to be gracious. He didn't look like he would get along with anyone.Bryce's eyes darkened at Tristan's dismissive attitude.Bryce was used to having everyone fear or fawn over him. And yet, here was another man even more stoic and withdrawn than him.Annie sensed the tension between the two men and quickly interjected, "Thank you, Mr. Gabelman. We really appreciate this."As such, Tristan slept on the couch in the living room that night, while Bryce and Holly took t
The security team wasted no time in escorting Samantha out of Bryce's office.Although Samantha kept a straight face and tried to seem unaffected, she was confused. Not to mention, her pride and dignity were shattered.As the security led Samantha down the corridor, they ran into Arthur, who had just come out of the main conference room.When Arthur spied Samantha being escorted out by security, he stopped and asked, "What in the world is going on here?"Samantha halted her steps and pursed her lips. Tears welled up in her eyes as she mumbled dejectedly, "Uncle Arthur, I…"The rest of her words died on her tongue. She couldn't very well admit to Arthur that she had tried to stir up strife between Bryce and Holly.Arthur was worn out enough to know Samantha's intentions for Bryce. He dismissed the security team and said with a sigh, "Samantha, do yourself a favor and forget about Bryce. You know there's no coming back from that incident with Levi."Samantha's eyes were red and
"I know a bit of Xandorian ancient texts, but I need time to study them.""Alright." Tristan then told Holly that she could only use her phone to take pictures and that she could only take photos of the texts.Holly realized that he was too careful around her.After making sure that the Tower of Vesper was empty, Holly began to restore the hole at the bottom.She put the powder she had collected into a special tool. The tool compressed the powder. Then, she used the Miraculous Glue to glue it back. After that, she refined the surface, ensuring that no one could detect the tampering even with an instrument.Although it seemed easy, it was difficult to implement.The tiny hole took Holly two days to fill.After filling the hole, she needed to refine the gilded surface.When Holly had finished the restoration, the sky was already dark.She handed the Tower of Vesper to Tristan.Tristan took it and inspected it repeatedly. He used the magnifying glass and an instrument to check
"When did you come in? Why didn't you say anything?" Holly asked with a smile."I've been here for a while." Bryce's slender fingers rubbed against the watch on his wrist.It had been three years since Holly was married to Bryce. She knew he would touch his watch when he felt uneasy.To prevent misunderstandings from happening, Holly told Bryce the truth, "Tristan gave me a tanzanite to express his gratitude. "Since Granny Michelle is ill, I was planning to give the tanzanite to her. It didn't matter whether or not it would work. At least, it could comfort her. We only had a short call."Bryce's expression remained the same. He got up from the couch and walked over to Holly.He lowered his gaze to look at her. His dark eyes were void of emotion.He raised his hand and tucked away Holly's hair on her shoulders. "You don't need to explain everything to me. You just need to say three words."Holly raised her head. "Which three words?"Bryce narrowed his eyes. "The three words I
Holly smiled. "They can't snatch away whatever belongs to me. If they can, that means those things aren't mine.""You said it yourself. Don't regret it." Bryce's tone sounded like a threat.Although he said that, he still sent Holly the address of the hotel where the engagement party was going to be held, along with the time.After putting down the phone, Holly continued to work.When it was almost time for the engagement party, she went to her closet and changed into a blue fitted gown.Holly was going to meet Samantha later. They used to be love rivals. Samantha was the woman who provoked Holly countless times.Holly walked over to the dressing table and put on light makeup.Then, she used the curler to curl the ends of her hair. She looked more graceful and womanlike.Her features were beautiful. Her fair skin was soft. When she put on makeup, she looked stunning.Then, Holly looked at herself in the mirror. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she left.She stopped
"It's not too late for you to back out. We can call off the engagement," Levi spoke out stonily."No. You were the one who ruined me. So, you have to take responsibility," Samantha replied stubbornly.Although Levi was incomparable to Bryce, he was still exceptional in all aspects compared to the 30 or so suitors she'd blind-dated. Well, except for being a scumbag. But which of these rich young men wasn't a scumbag? Those who weren't were few and far between.Levi sneered coldly, "I've yet to meet someone as unreasonable as you."Samantha stared greedily at him. "I also feel like I've gone crazy. To think I'm going to be engaged with someone I don't love," she said hoarsely.Lowering his gaze, he glanced at his watch. "I'm the one in agony. I'll have to marry a woman I don't love," he replied absentmindedly. Her gaze shifted from Bryce's face onto Holly's, turning sinister. It was all because of Holly. If it wasn't for her, she wouldn't have been ruined by Levi, nor would