Patricia was contemplating ways to extinguish Shane's infatuation, but Jade's proposal aligned perfectly with her intentions. Becoming the Bancrofts' goddaughter would ensure that Shane gave up his hopes."Mom?" Shane looked at Patricia in astonishment. "Don’t you dislike Melanie? Why would you want to take her in as your goddaughter?"Patricia shot him a look and replied, "Do I have a choice in the matter? Your father lost a bet. It's not just Miss Severin's request. Even if it were more outrageous, we would have to agree. The Bancroft family is a prominent one. We uphold our promises. If we go back on our word, we'll be the laughing stock."Shane was rendered speechless. Patricia's words sounded noble, but only he knew what his parents were truly like. When it came to money, pride was easily discarded. Naturally, he dared not say this out loud and could only grumble inwardly.Realizing he couldn't persuade his mother, Shane turned to Theodore, hoping for his support. "Dad, do y
The doctor had barely left when Rebecca dared to appear. While watching Melanie curled up on the chair, Rebecca's eyes shifted. A fake smile spread across her face as she sat beside her.In a voice dripping with false kindness, she said, "Melanie, dear, I know you're a filial daughter, but you must consider the situation. Your father needs a lot of money now and will need even more in the future. You should try to understand our situation and help out a bit, don't you think?"Hearing Rebecca's voice made Melanie's stomach churn. This stepmother of hers was selfish, greedy, and malicious. If it hadn't been for Rebecca's mistreatment, John's health wouldn't have deteriorated like this.Clenching her fists inside her sleeves, Melanie struggled to contain her anger. She replied coldly, "I haven't asked for a single penny from the family all these years. On the contrary, I send money home every month. Meanwhile, you do nothing but play cards or loaf around. When you're out of money, you
Rebecca was resolute about not leaving. She sprawled on the ground, rolling, wailing, and hurling accusations at Melanie with the harshest words she could muster. "I've raised you for so many years. Even if I haven't done much, I've still toiled! How could you treat me like this, you ungrateful girl? Let everyone judge this! Oh, it's truly hard being a stepmother!"Melanie watched her coldly, unimpressed by Rebecca's ability to distort the truth."Say whatever you like. Fairness resides in people's hearts."Just then, several police officers pushed through the crowd."Who called us?" one of them asked.Rebecca was stunned by their arrival. She had assumed Melanie was merely bluffing and hadn't expected her to actually call the police. Trembling, she scrambled to her feet, her limbs weak with fear. If Melanie accused her of attempted murder, she would have no way out."I did." Melanie stepped forward, addressing the officers, "I want to report her for attempted murder."Rebecca h
"Big gift?" Melanie asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"She was already worried sick about her father’s medical expenses and had no time to play guessing games with Jade.Patricia, smiling kindly, stepped forward. "Melanie, there have been misunderstandings between us in the past. It was all my fault. I owe you an apology."Melanie looked at Patricia in shock, thinking she must have lost her mind. This was the same woman who had previously looked like she wanted to tear her apart. How had she changed her tune so quickly?"Yes, yes, I was also in the wrong. I didn’t teach my son properly," Theodore added and glanced at Shane, who was scowling nearby. "Ungrateful boy, apologize to your sister right now.""Sister?!" Melanie felt like she was dreaming. It was strange enough that Patricia was acting out of character, but even Theodore was behaving as though he had been hit on the head."Wait, wait." Melanie hastily waved her hands to interrupt them, forcing an awkward smile as she
"Jade, how does it feel to be lying in bed like the living dead?"Jade Severin, who had just gotten out of surgery, struggled to open her eyes. When she did, she saw the radiant Neve Severin standing by her bed."Sis—Neve..." Jade tried to speak, but her voice came out hoarse and unintelligible.A car accident had wrecked her life, leaving her once-smooth skin wrinkled and her hands ruined by burns, while her sweet voice had been lost amid this tragedy. Jade, who had been a top-notch medical expert, had become a worthless shell of her former self."You miserable creature, do you know how disgusting you look right now? It brings me immense joy. Perhaps you still don't know that your current state was my doing." Neve gloated by Jade's ear. "Let me enlighten you. Lloyd has already slept with me. He said he feels nauseous just looking at you."The revelation that Lloyd was involved with Neve hit Jade like a ton of bricks.No, he wouldn't do this! He loved her so much that he had told her h
How had it all turned out like this?No, Caelan couldn't be dead..."Looks like you really didn't know," Neve snorted before she continued. "The reason you weren't burned alive on the spot is that Caelan went all out to save you. Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky and he got blown up right then and there. He was completely unrecognizable. It was pathetic, to say the least.""Ah..." It felt like Jade's chest had been punched, and she let out a desperate scream, glaring at Neve with a resentful gaze.Why? Why Caelan?She had kept him at a distance, ignoring his care and love, only to discover that he was the only one who had truly loved her. She had been blind."Tsk, look at your pathetic state." Neve laughed scornfully as she waved a syringe in front of Jade's eyes. "Since you're in so much pain, let me be a good sister and help you on your way." Dawn was close after all this darkness.Jade's head ached, her body felt like it was being reassembled, and the pain she felt reached
The edge of the fragment was sharp, so when Jade pressed it softly, a line of blood appeared on the bald man's neck. The two other men were taken aback by Jade's ruthless demeanor. "You crazy woman, who do you think you're trying to scare? I don't believe you'll actually do it.""Really?" Jade smirked, pressing down with the shard a little more. Blood immediately streamed from the bald man's neck. "If he dies, both of you will be accomplices. I'll tell everyone the three of us did it together.""You're insane!" Both men shouted simultaneously, looking at Jade as if she were mad."You forced me to do this!" Jade shouted back, unafraid. "Since it's come to this, we might as well die together."The bald man woke up then, fear draining the color from his face when he saw that Jade wouldn't mind dying. "No, no, please don't. Don't mess around. We were just following Ms. Neve's orders. Get back at her."Discovering this was indeed Neve's doing, Jade sneered inwardly. She glanced at the bald
Caelan's demeanor was cold and distant. When he told her to leave, it wasn't a joke. Jade didn't want to provoke him, so she quickly got dressed.Her figure was well-proportioned with graceful lines—a perfect, slender body that any woman would envy. However, Caelan's gaze showed no sign of desire. Seeing that she was dressed, he jutted his jaw toward the door and coldly uttered a single word. "Leave."He seemed like an intimidating king looking down at her, evoking awe. Suppressing the swell of emotions in her, Jade nodded lightly in gratitude and made her exit.Just as she reached the door, she heard a commotion outside."What, did she really do such a thing?" The speaker was none other than Jade's father, Melvin Severin.Hearing Melvin's voice again fueled Jade's resentment. In her previous life, she had trusted him so much that she had treated him like her biological father, only to be deceived and lied to in return. Their supposedly deep father-daughter bond had been merely a ploy