Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I knew exactly who he was talking about.

Faris had a cig hanging from his lips. He slowly pulled out a package from his jacket and handed it over to me.

"Check this out."

I took it, feeling all kinds of suspicious, and inside was a stack of photos.

The first one hit me like a ton of bricks.

In the pic, Faye was getting into a car, and I had made a mental note of the license plate it was the same car that had been tailing me that day. In other words, she got into Victor's car.

My heart started pounding, and I couldn't wait to flip to the next photo-Faye getting out of the car-and the one after that.

I remembered the last text Victor had sent me that day: [Don't worry, the day you leave isn't far off.]

Thinking about Faye's weird behavior these past few days, I felt a chill run down my spine.

"How'd you get these pics?" I asked, trying to keep my cool, though my heart was doing somersaults.

Faris leaned against the railing, tilting his head with a smirk. "Wasn't hard. Just returning a favor."

"Why are you helping me?" I asked.

Faris took the cig out of his mouth, suddenly sounding way more serious.

"Helping you is helping myself."

I didn't get it, and my mind was still buzzing with questions.

After a bit, Faris spoke again, "I heard Richard's case is going to court soon. I trust Ethan hasn't forgotten what he promised me?" What Ethan had promised him was just a stalling tactic. Ethan had said it was impossible to get Yanis out at the same time.

I stared at him, keeping my mouth shut.

Faris was a dangerous dude. He seemed to know everything about Ethan and me, which was seriously creepy.

Seeing I wasn't talking, he suddenly lowered his head, leaned in close, and blew a puff of smoke at me.

Instinctively, I took a couple of steps back, coughing from the smoke, and glared at him while waving my hand to clear the air.

He laughed heartily, showing off two rows of white, neat teeth.

"You can't even handle a little smoke? Silly girl, why are you still so dumb? Getting older but not any wiser?"

His words made my blood boil, and I didn't catch the deeper meaning at the time.

Before I could snap back, he continued.

"I heard from Michael that you've been practicing driving a lot lately and making great progress. So, what's that saying? Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. Seems true." Faris was still calling me dumb.

By the time I snapped out of it, he had already taken the photos from my hand and walked away with a grin.

"Emily." Jason's voice came from behind me.

I turned around, and Jason was looking at Faris's back. "Do you know him?"

I shook my head and casually replied, "Nah, just a promo guy."

Jason withdrew his gaze, seemingly not suspicious.

"Alright, let's roll."

We ditched the arcade and found some random joint for breakfast.

My mind was all over the place, thinking about those photos Faris had shown me.

"What's on your mind?" Jason noticed I was zoning out.

I snapped back and switched gears.

"Does Silent Grove Village have anything to do with Skyline International Corporation?"

Jason put down his fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, took a sip of water, and then said, "It's connected, but also not really."

"What do you mean?" I was curious about his cryptic answer.

Jason leaned back, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one up.

"Silent Grove Village belongs to Victor. It used to be his quarry, but after it lost its mining value, Victor turned it into a unique resort because of its cool landscape. Nowadays, a lot of Silent Grove Village has been touched up by humans." So, Silent Grove Village was Victor's turf. No wonder they called Ethan 'Mr. Windsor' instead of 'boss.'

Faye showing up at Silent Grove Village, along with those photos Faris showed me, was no coincidence.

As I was lost in thought, Jason pulled out two phones that had been off all night and placed them on the table.

I had a peaceful night, but I had no clue what was going down on Ethan's end.

Did he take Faye home? Did he keep calling me? Was he worried about me? Did he worry about me as much as he worried about Faye?

Jason stared at the phones and chuckled. "I bet our phones will blow up once we turn them on."

He picked up his phone and turned it on, and sure enough, message notifications started flooding in.

Before long, a call came in.

He glanced at me, answered the call, and gave the address.

After hanging up, Jason said, "Emily, love is like sand in your hand. The tighter you grip, the faster it slips away. The easier it is to get, the less it's cherished."

I stared at him, suddenly getting Jason's good intentions from the night before.

As we left the breakfast spot, a Maybach pulled up in front of us.

Through the open window, Ethan looked straight at me, his eyes bloodshot and tired.

"Get in the car," he said to me.

I stood still, maybe not wanting to give in so easily.

Ethan sat in the car waiting for me for a bit, then sighed and said wearily, "Emily, after looking for Faye and then you, I'm really beat."

He leaned back in the chair, giving me his usual handsome profile, but his exhaustion was clear, and it hurt to see it.

Jason took a few steps forward, one hand in his pocket and the other resting on the car window, and said, "Ethan, be fair. Emily is a woman too. Just because she's more sensible and considerate than Faye, does that mean she deserves to be ignored and hurt?"

His words hit home.

I was stunned, and Ethan turned his head, looking just as shocked.

Jason was spot on. I was just more considerate and rational, unable to be as reckless and willful as Faye.

When Ethan looked at me again, there was a hint of guilt in his eyes. I couldn't bear to look at him, so I walked around to the passenger side and got in. "Let's go home," I said calmly.

A tube of ointment was handed in through the car window. Jason said, "Emily's got a wound on her neck. Make sure to put this on her morning and night."

He paused and then smiled. "If you forget, call me, and I'll do it for her."

Ethan took the ointment, glanced at my neck, and then his gaze moved up to my face.

I turned my face away, looking in the other direction.

Ethan said to Jason, "We'll be going now," and quickly started the car.

When we got back to the villa, I walked in and saw Faye sitting cross-legged on the sofa.

Her hair was a mess, and she looked like she had just woken up. But the moment she saw me, her eyes widened. She looked like a cat with its hackles raised, ready to pounce.

I didn't look at her much and just said, "I didn't sleep all night. I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

Today, I didn't have to go to driving school. So I didn't need to take leave. I went straight to my room and crashed.

After a while, I heard the door open and footsteps approaching.

I opened my eyes, and Ethan was already sitting by the bed.

He held the ointment Jason had given him in his hand and unscrewed the cap, looking like he was going to apply it to me.

I said, "It's nothing, just a small wound. I'm not that delicate."

I was about to turn over and face away from him, but he held my shoulder down, making it impossible for me to move.

"Don't move," he said.

Ethan's voice was a bit hoarse, and it made me feel uneasy, so I didn't move again.

He gently applied the ointment, focusing intently on my neck while I stared at his face.

He had a face that could drive women crazy; one look could make people fall deeply.

But I wasn't someone who judged by appearances. What initially moved me wasn't his good looks but the warmth he gave me during my lowest moments.

At first, I was very clear about my position and didn't have many expectations, so even a little kindness from him would touch and satisfy me.

When did I start hoping that his tenderness would be for me alone?

Was it my insatiable greed that led to my current pain?

"Does it hurt?" He suddenly looked up, meeting my eyes.

I bitterly curled my lips. "This doesn't hurt. What hurts is here."

I placed my hand over my heart, looking at him with sadness.

"Is there an ointment for that?"

Ethan put down the ointment and gently brushed the hair from my face.

He leaned down and kissed me softly.

His lips were soft, and his kiss was like a drug, making me addicted.

But at that moment, I didn't respond to him. I let the goosebumps rise, and the tingling sensation spread through my body, but I didn't respond at all.

He kissed my lips for a long time before finally pulling away, looking at me helplessly for a long time before saying, "Get some rest."

He got up and left. Watching his back, I felt a pang of regret.

God knew how much I craved his embrace, his warmth.

But Jason had taught me the art of marriage. I admitted that despite having been through two marriages, I didn't understand marriage and love as deeply as he did, even though he was single. I thought he was right. After staying up all night, I quickly fell asleep. I slept for a whole day, but when I woke up, something unexpected had happened.

Scruffy was missing.

I searched everywhere, upstairs and downstairs, inside and out, but there was no sign of him.

Scruffy was a very timid cat. Since I brought him here, he had never wandered off.

Faye sat on the sofa, coldly watching me as I anxiously searched.

I had a hunch and suppressed my anger as I asked, "Faye, have you seen Scruffy?"

Faye's smug smile disappeared when Ethan walked in.

She looked at me timidly and said in a small voice, "I haven't seen Scruffy, Emily. I really haven't."

Her acting gave me a headache, and I turned to rush out.

Ethan probably understood what was going on and stopped me, saying, "I'll help you look."

He drove, and we searched along the road.

As we searched, I felt both angry and amused.

All we had done these past few days was search.

A few days ago, we were looking for Faye, and today we were looking for a cat.

A cat wasn't like a person; one couldn't call out to it and expect an answer, and there was no way to dial its phone.

Scruffy was small, and in the darkness, it was really hard to see.

We searched all the way, but in the end, we returned empty-handed.

"Did you find it?" Faye asked, sitting in the living room, knowing full well the answer.

None of us said anything, and then she started her performance again.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault for not closing the door properly."

Scruffy was more than just a cat to me; she was like family.

One by one, my emotional supports were disappearing. I knew Scruffy couldn't have just walked off on her own. I stared at Faye, looking at her innocent face, but I couldn't accuse her.

I rushed upstairs and slammed the door shut.

When Ethan came in, I couldn't hold back my pent-up anger any longer, and it exploded.