Rose continued, "Adeline also secretly targeted Louis's business, which infuriated the Cross family. They wanted to take action, but Louise advised against it. He let go of the Pierce family, demonstrating his value for loyalty and gratitude. "He not only wanted to repay the Cross family for raising him, but he also felt obligated to his father. After the company stabilized, he gave it to Celine. He also gave his father a peaceful retirement. This kept things quiet for a few years, but little did he know..."Rose shook her head in resignation. "Humans, they always let greed win.""Is Mr. David still alive?" I had never heard Atlas mention his grandfather.Rose nodded. "He's still around, pushing 98 or 99 years old. But since his son's passing, he’s filled with regret."He left Celine and her mother at their estate and moved alone to the old Pierce house. He secluded himself, cut off from the outside world, and paid no attention to Pierce family matters. It's like he's on a spirit

Sure enough, Grace was overjoyed when we got home. She learned we visited the Beringer home. Her first words to my mom were, "Chlo is good! It's the Murphy family who are unfortunate."Even if my mom were upset about the past, she would not hate a dying person. She just smiled.Atlas stayed to chat with my dad for a while before he left.After putting Ava to bed, Grace knocked on my door. I quickly let her in.She still seemed awkward in front of me. I reached out and pulled her to sit on the couch. "Is there something on your mind?""Well...not really. I just wanted to spend some time with you," she said cautiously, and it tugged at my heart. I couldn't stand seeing someone so vulnerable. I sat beside her just like old times.Grace took care of me wholeheartedly during my postpartum period. She cared for me even more than her son.Matthew was already involved with Melanie then. Grace was the only one who genuinely took care of me."Mom..." I awkwardly called her. After all

I was restless the entire night.Every time I thought about my past with Matthew, I couldn't find peace. I pitied Grace, who had no one to rely on at such an old age, unlike others who had their families.Her whole life had been pitiful, and now, at the end, she still pleaded for her son.After Grace settled in with me, Matthew came once to see her with a lot of supplements, treating her like a neighbor. He didn't mention taking her back with him, perhaps feeling that she would be better cared for here.However, he did inform Grace that Abby had been detained for 15 days due to causing trouble here. This brought Grace some joy; she thought it was her son taking revenge for her, but it was actually Atlas's doing. I didn't tell her, though.I wanted to let her leave thinking that her son did care for her.The house I found for Lauren was in the duplex building next to Ivanna's, with about 120 square meters of space. Atlas helped find it, and I made the decision to buy it because I

Stella hadn't had the chance to utter her ill-intended words when a voice from behind interrupted us."What are you doing here?" I turned to see it was Atlas.His clear gaze swept over Stella, and he asked, "What were you talking about?"Stella immediately swallowed the words she was about to say, her expression somewhat flustered. However, she quickly changed her demeanor and tried to grasp Atlas's arm. "Atlas, Chloe and I were just chatting about random things.”I maintained my calm smile, appearing nonchalant, observing Stella's rapid change of expression.Yet, I couldn't help feeling regretful. I had missed another opportunity. I suspected that whatever Stella wanted to tell me just now would have been another version of the story.These things felt like fragments of memories, slowly piecing themselves together in my mind.Without hesitation, Atlas took my hand in front of Stella. "Let's go inside to rest a bit and have something to eat first. We'll set sail a bit later."I

I looked up and found that the person in front of me was none other than Trinity.To be honest, it was the first time I was facing her directly. I calmly glanced at her, not quite sure why she was seeking me out. Logically, we had no connections or any reason to communicate.But she spoke first, "Ms. Chloe, can we talk somewhere privately?"I couldn't help but pause for a moment, looking at her for a few seconds, then nodded, "Okay."Seeing my agreement, she cast a glance in Atlas's direction and then at me before turning and walking toward a quieter area in the hall.On either side of the main hall were small private seats, where several people were engrossed in conversations.I glanced back at Atlas, worried that he might get anxious if he couldn't find me. As I looked back, I saw him looking in my direction. I gestured toward Trinity, indicating that I was going with her.He gave Trinity a cold glance and nodded subtly, indicating that he understood.I followed Trinity to a