Celine's face darkened as she sat some distance away. Her posture was rigid, and her eyes were gleaming with chilling intensity.When I saw Celine, I knew it was Atlas inside the emergency room. I glanced at the tightly shut door of the emergency room, silently praying that everything would be alright."What's this? Weren't you making a fuss about coming over?" Celine's tone was icy, and her hawk-like eyes remained fixed on me.I took a deep breath and bit my lip before approaching her."When did his well-being become your business?" Celine's words were cutting."My apologies, Mrs. Celine. I only wanted to know if Atlas was alright. Is he seriously injured?" I struggled to keep my tone even."His condition is none of your concern. This is an internal matter for the Pierce family."My tone turned equally sharp. "Are you suggesting that even friends are not allowed in? Can’t someone outside the family care about his well-being?""Such insolence! How dare you talk to me like thi

My heart raced as I narrowed my eyes. I pushed Stella aside, not paying attention to her stumbling a few steps away. My sole focus was reaching the emergency room, but dark-clad bodyguards blocked my way.I saw a doctor speaking with Celine, but I couldn't make out their words. The doctor returned to the emergency room in less than two minutes, and I could not help but notice the chilling amount of blood staining his gloves.My gaze remained fixed on Celine. Her expression revealed nothing about the nature of the news, whether it was good or bad.She stayed in that dazed state before finally saying something to Kenzie, who was behind her. Stella took this opportunity to pass by me and enter the room. Stella reached out and grabbed Celine's arm as if inquiring about something. Celine's cold eyes met Stella's, and she immediately lowered her head."What's his condition? Let go of me!" I roared, far from composed.Celine's eyes met mine, deep and merciless. She then said something

Seeing Stella's name flashing on my phone sent a shiver down my spine. I answered, my patience wearing thin, "Stella, if you're not going to say something useful, spare me. I don't have the patience for you right now. Whether or not you tell me about Atlas, I'll find out eventually!"Stella's tone dripped with sarcasm as she enjoyed the spectacle. "Looks like you're genuinely worried, Chlo. Such a fiery temper!""It seems like you have too much free time!" Before ending the call, I knew showing indifference was the best way to deal with her.Predictably, my phone rang again, and I reluctantly picked up after three rings. "Don't test my patience!"Stella couldn't resist taunting me further, "Haha, Chlo! I just want to tell you he's fine! Really! But I'm afraid you won't be seeing him for a while. What a pity! I didn't want you to worry too much, so I thought I'd give you a heads-up!"With that, she hung up, and I clenched my fists. The battle was on. It was better to face her openl

Two cops entered my office. I didn’t know what could have happened to attract the cops’ attention. I offered them a sweat, feeling puzzled. One of the officers asked sternly, “Do you know someone named Kennedy Brawford?”“Who?” I said, “I don’t know that person.”The officer wasn’t satisfied with my response. He glanced at his colleague and said, “Show her the photo.”I accepted the photo from the other officer. I saw a man who appeared to be in his twenties in the photo. He was good-looking, almost like a student. I shook my head and said firmly, “I don’t know this person.”Suddenly, I thought about the cafe.“Are you sure you don’t recognize him?” the officer who handed me the photo asked. He seemed accustomed to interrogating suspects.Displeased, I looked at him, saying, “I honestly don’t know him. I’ve never seen that man before.”“The last call he made was to you. How can you claim not to know him?” The officer’s tone became even more severe. Then, he passed me a piece of

I slowly returned to the main road after finally collecting myself. The traffic had eased up by then, and I headed straight home.My mom was relieved to see me and began cooking. I seldom had time to eat with them since I was always so busy, especially these days. My parents had eagerly awaited my return. My mom even said freshly cooked food was best.After dinner, I called Ivanna to see if she was home. She said she had just arrived, so I took Ava for a walk and headed to Ivanna's place. Since I hadn’t seen her for several days, her first question was about Atlas.However, I could only shake my head in response.Ivanna reassured me, “Harmony has been quiet recently, too. She’s been restless, probably due to the lack of news on Atlas. Don’t worry. I told her assistant to inform me if anything unusual happens.”I was grateful to have friends who looked out for me. “Ivanna, I can’t help feeling something’s amiss here,” I confided to her and looked at my daughter, who was playing gam