I couldn’t sleep that night. At 3:00 am, I was scrolling through my phone when I saw a post on Claudia’s social media
e had sent a response with a photo of Nicholas sleeping peacefully beside her.
His eyes were closed, his face relaxed and calm, a stark contrast to the tense confrontation we had earlier. He looked as handsome as a serene painting.
The corner of Claudia’s cartoon pajamas was visible near his shoulder. Though they were both fully clothed, they were sleeping together.
My 22–year–old stepsister and her 29–year–old brother were lying side by side… She had even captioned the photo, saying, ‘I’ll always be by Nick’s side!”
I smiled helplessly, feeling as if every cell in my body had been drained. I lay weakly on the hard bed in the guest room like a corpse that had been dead for a while. My heart was barely beating.
Ever since that night, Nicholas and I hadn’t had any interactions. There were no arguments. We had a tacit understanding, a silent agreement. We simply stopped talking to each other.
For the next few days, I would wake up in the morning to find that he had already left for work.
By the time he returned home in the evening, I had long finished dinner and was locked in the guest room studying and working on my own.
I accepted the situation calmly, thinking it was for the best. At least it kept me from sinking further into his gentleness.
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But I noticed that whenever we happened to cross paths, he would often etare at me intently, white Claudia would always pop up from
some comer and whisk him away
It was as if even a minute alone with him was something forbidden in the house and would result in a sentence for oth Arid it all, Claudia played the role of the righteous judge.
I saw it all, but I chose to ignore it. I threw myself into my work with even more dedication. Without him in my life, it was as if I had lost the ability to smile. There was no opportunity to even pretend.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day of Silas‘ resignation. I finally attended a social event unrelated to work.
The farewell party was simple. He, as the leader, invited a few close colleagues for a meal.
Silas‘ firm wasn’t limited to just Jay Caldwell & Co., so there wasn’t much sadness in our farewell. There was only a bit of regret that our time as colleagues had been so brief it could almost be counted on one hand.
Midway through the evening, Silas approached me with a glass of wine in hand.
“Ariana, I don’t know you well, but I’ve heard from our teacher before that you’re an ambitious woman. I don’t believe you’re just going to settle down like this.”
He might have had a bit too much to drink, as he kept scrutinizing me. “So, what are your plans?” he added.
I gave a wry smile and replied, “I’m just taking it one step at a time. After all, none of us could have predicted the current situation.”
Lately, the attacks from Zachary’s fans had become increasingly severe. The entrance of Jay Caldwell & Co. had already been pelted with rotten eggs several times.
Over the past few days, I had been reaching out to people around Cindy to gather evidence
Except for necessary outings. I chose to stay holed up in my room, poring over the legal documents she had provided me. I didn’t want to trouble anyone by being out and about.
Silas eyes gleted behind his glasses “You know that’s not what I’m asking. Can’t you handle such a simple case?”
lexchanged a glance with Yasminebut said nothing in the end. I did have plans, but none of them involved anyone around me
However, I wasn’t completely lying to Silas. When the case was truly over, I still hadn’t decided where to go, whether to continue my Career as a lawyer, or whether to keep residing in Radiant City
1 Nads made up my mind. I didnt know it on the day my relationship with Nicholas truly broke down, I would have the courage to continue living at this place
Even though Radiant City was so vast, and even if there was only one percent chance of running into th
After a moment of contemplation, las pulled out a business card from his sult pocket and offered it to me earnestly “Anana, would you consider coming with me?
I lowered thy gaze. What carried more weight than the embossed card was this gesture of friendship
