"I want to speak with Julia for a moment," Nicholas Coldwell said, looking directly at Glades Horne.

Without so much as raising an eyebrow, Glades Horne responded in a deep voice, "Julia is my wife. Whatever you want to say, say it here. I'm a bit possessive and don't like other men standing too close to my wife when they talk to her."

Gazing steadily at him, Nicholas Coldwell managed a bitter smile. "Why the tension, Young Master? Can I still take Julia away now? Thanks to you, I'm leaving this city. From now on, I'll vanish from Julia's world. What's there to be tense about? You've achieved your goal. Can't I even speak a few words with Julia?"

"Say whatever you want. I'm listening," Glades replied.

Rolling down the car window, Julia Bluen finally faced Nicholas Coldwell, her voice level and undisturbed, as calm as still water. Her reaction and demeanor only added to the bitterness in his heart.

Facing the woman he loved most, the most painful moment was not when she hated you, but when you had become a stranger in her eyes.

"Julia."

Nicholas Coldwell turned to face her in the back seat of the car, calling out her name deeply, his gaze resting on her beautiful oval face. The past three years flashed through his mind like a movie reel. Julia Bluen, too, watched him, her eyes calm and clear. All her feelings for him had flowed away like a great river into the sea, never to return.

"I'm leaving!"

His hoarse voice revealed his reluctance to part from Julia Bluen.

Glades Horne, flanked by two bodyguards, stood beside him like three pillars, all three pairs of eyes wary, glaring coldly at him.

"I wish you a smooth journey," Julia Bluen said in a polite, detached tone.

Nicholas Coldwell paused for a moment, then let out another bitter smile. "Thank you."

Silence suddenly fell between them.

After two minutes, Nicholas Coldwell finally asked again, "Are you happy now?"

"Happy," she said.

Nicholas Coldwell paused again. After a few more minutes, he said in a low voice, "That's good. Then I can rest assured. Julia, take care. I'm leaving." With that, he turned with difficulty to face Glades Horne again. Glades Horne's handsome face had regained its composure, his expression inscrutable. His full lips were tightly pressed together, and his deep eyes stared coldly at him. "Young Master Horne, I hope you will treat Julia well."

After speaking, Nicholas Coldwell got into his car and quickly drove away.

Farewell, his true love!

Once his rival had left, Glades Horne got back into the car.

The couple glanced at each other, neither saying much. Julia Bluen rested her head on Glades Horne's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her, drawing her into his embrace. In the quiet of the back seat, their souls communicated.

The silver Rolls-Royce started up again, followed by a pure black Mercedes.

The two cars, one after the other, disappeared from the entrance of Valence Group.

The world is vast, full of all kinds of people, and all kinds of lives.

Julia Bluen was happy; that was her good fortune. Orlando Evans, confined by Othiel Evans to an apartment—that, too, was her fate.

The apartment was on the sixteenth floor of a tall building. Orlando Evans didn't even know the building's name or what street it was on.

Othiel Evans had not returned to the apartment the night before, nor was he likely to call. The phone lines had been cut by that beast. All she could do in the apartment was cook for herself and watch TV, but television offered no connection to the outside world.

She hated this outcome, yet for now, she could only resign herself to her fate.

She wanted to know how her parents were faring, yet she also didn't want to. Resentment toward her parents had grown within her. Because she wasn't their biological child, they had allowed her to become entangled in the futile pursuit of Glades Horne, unable to extract herself. When Glades Horne banned her from the Horne Family house, if they had truly cared for her well-being, they should have dissuaded her instead of continuing to scheme and encourage her to target Adele Horne again.

In essence, her parents were the architects of her current predicament.

Her parents must hate her now: for failing to fulfill their wishes, for hindering their path to promotion and wealth, ultimately landing them in legal trouble. And she, likewise, hated them.

Standing by the window, looking down from such a height made her head spin. Trapped here, her cries to heaven went unanswered, her pleas to the earth unheard.

Outside, the sky was clear, and the winter sun was warm. Even the chilly winter breeze seemed inviting, but none of it had anything to do with her anymore.

Glades Horne—a name that still sent shivers down her spine when she thought of it. He had been truly ruthless to her.

She despised him!

She utterly despised him!

If dying could turn one into a vengeful ghost to seek revenge, she would willingly die just to haunt Glades Horne and Julia Bluen, and that detestable bastard. If James Horne hadn't posted her photos online, making her notorious overnight, would Othiel Evans have preyed on her when she was vulnerable? However much pain Othiel Evans inflicted when he brutally forced his way into her, her hatred for Glades Horne burned with equal intensity.

The door suddenly creaked; the sound of a key turning in the lock followed.

Othiel Evans was back.

He returned, reeking of alcohol.

After shutting and locking the door, he walked toward Orlando Evans.

Last night, he had accompanied Adele Horne to the pub for most of the evening. After sending Adele Horne back to the Horne Family estate, he himself had returned to the pub to continue his debauchery.

His maturity and steadiness in front of Adele Horne were just a pretense. By nature, he relished wantonness. Even with the Evans Family on the verge of being implicated and targeted by Valence Group because of Orlando Evans, he still indulged in his vices.

Even though he had a grasp of the Evans Family's situation, he lacked the power to save them, except for this 'handsome man' scheme.

"Alland, why have you drunk so much?" Orlando Evans walked over from the window, steadied Othiel Evans, and helped him to the sofa, asking with feigned concern. At that moment, her only reliance was Othiel Evans. Here, she lacked freedom but had food and clothing. Outside these walls, what else could she aspire to? With her family's home and assets seized, she would have to earn her own living. But how could she work? She had never worked a day in her life and, having grown accustomed to a life of luxury with Adele Horne, had even less desire to do so.