Even though my body hurt, I quickly got out of bed. After pulling back the curtains and looking down, I spotted Stella at the door. How did she know where I lived? I didn’t recall telling her that I stayed at Amethyst Apartments.She rang the doorbell twice more before I opened the door. Stella had a bright smile on her face as she stepped inside, holding a basket of fruits. She had an innocent expression as if she wouldn't hurt a fly."Ms. Stella!" I smiled and asked, "How’d you find this place?""Well, you sure went through a lot!" She walked in and looked around as if she owned the place. "Your house is nice, very classic!""Please, have a seat! Can I get you something to drink? I have coffee and tea!""Anything is fine. Don't trouble yourself!" She cheerily followed me. "How did this happen? It's truly terrifying. Did you offend anyone? How’d you end up kidnapped?"She seemed well-informed about my situation, which perplexed me."Wow, the news traveled fast!" I chuckled, t

Ryan called to check on my injury just as I considered heading to the office that morning.When I arrived, he spotted me and rushed over to check my face. "Is everything okay? Will it leave a scar? Does it still hurt?"My face had improved quite a bit over the past few days. The deeper scratches had faded to faint marks, and the finer ones were barely noticeable. It didn't look as bad as it did initially.He then pulled me to sit on the sofa and updated me on recent happenings at the company. Celine had ordered the abandonment of the land, leading to the Echelon Group's victory. "Celine gave up?" I asked skeptically."It seems like she’s trying to slow Atlas's growth."I was surprised and asked, "Are you suggesting she's sidelining Atlas to diminish his influence?" “Our joint project with ATL Empire isn't looking great."I mused silently over the ongoing contracts. "It looks like it’s going to get rough. Thankfully, Heartland Estates can step in now." "The projects already

I gazed at the kitchen and dining area I had cleaned before washing my face. However, I didn’t return to my room. Instead, I went to Ava’s room and lay beside her. Surprisingly, I fell asleep almost immediately.Ava had already been awake and playing with her dolls when I woke up. After some thought, I told her, “Let’s change our clothes. I’ll take you out for breakfast and then to the office. If there’s nothing urgent, we can visit Grandma and Grandpa, okay?”Ava cheered and asked if she could bring her doll with her.Meanwhile, I called Ryan and told him I’d come by later. I helped Ava prepare, found her winter clothes, and packed them in a small suitcase. I also packed my belongings before we left.We went to the office after breakfast. Although it was Ava’s first time here, she quickly became the office princess. Carol brought her around while I dealt with a few matters with Ryan. I also told him I wanted to return to my hometown today to fetch my parents.Ryan looked me up an

I didn’t know whether to answer since Atlas was calling.Meanwhile, my dad seemingly assessed my emotions. I reluctantly answered the call. The voice on the other end said, “I’m at the airport. Come and pick me up.”I was speechless at his command. He usually had assistants around him but still wanted me to pick him up. I wondered if he considered me a chauffeur or a servant.“Sorry, I have guests at home and can’t come—” I replied indifferently.Before I could finish, he hung up. I nearly cursed him aloud for hanging up on me again. I was about to leave my phone on the coffee table when I received a text. It was a picture of Ryan with bags in hand.Below it, the message read, “Is this the guest you must stay home for? When did he become so important that you can’t leave? Ava must be waiting for me to have dinner with her.”I was outraged while looking at the message. I thought Atlas was bold for accessing the surveillance footage at my house."What do you want?" I returned his

I didn’t return to my place for dinner with Ryan and my family that night. Instead, I stayed with Atlas. After what he told me, I couldn’t leave him alone in his vast mansion on New Year’s Eve.He told me a lot about his happy times with his parents before he turned ten. However, he didn't mention his life after losing them, and I didn't dare to ask. I believed those were the scars he didn't want to reopen.No wonder he loved being home so much, and he was so patient with Ava. I guessed he was emulating his dad.While listening to his stories, I had a strange feeling that I had lost many happy memories. I only remembered things from my senior year of high school but had no memories of what happened before.I couldn’t recall much of my childhood or how my parents treated me. It was as if I had no friends. I even envied Atlas for speaking of his past happiness and sorrow. Still, I wondered if I had chosen to forget certain things.I wanted to ask him about Annalise, but my words wou