The great Ise that James had expended enormous effort to maintain was finally exposed, and the truth buried in darkness resurfaced ||
Everyone now learned that Aria and the kidnapper were the real couple, and the child in her womb belonged to the kidnapper]
The child
Maya’s womb b had
heen James’s own flesh and blood.]
People realized they had been manipulated by James and had directed their anger at the wrong person.
But compared to their outrage when James had claimed Maya’s baby was illegitimate, they now grew quiet and reserved
Online news, fan pages, and comments about james and Aria’s sweet relationship were completely deleted, and advertisements featuring the two were removed from across the cit
Those who had previously insulted Maya retracted der vile words and began flocking to the Spencer family’s
y’s social media accounts to apologize
But the Spencer family chose to close their comment sections, and those who had b
been most vicious toward Maya were all sent to prison.
Additionally, everyone in the city’s elite circles who had mistreated Maya received warnings and consequences.[]
The spoiled his blanchard as they watched their company stocks plummet ||
When they had learned that the Wilson villa had been burned and james beaten, they knew they would suffer too.
But they li
y hada 1 expected such severe punishment for their relatively minor mistreatment of Maya compared to James’s actions.
veright, the aly’s power structure transformed||
The ride families that had once followed the Wilsons‘ lead now distanced formselves, and several Wilson Group shareholders, seeing the situation deteriorate. withdrew their investments.
The century old Wilson family was suddenly pushed to the edge of a
dge of a clift
james was overwhelmed with anxiety. His body not yet fu
fully recovered, he spent his days sleeping at the office []
He called former shareholders une by one, begging them to return ||
But they all refused
If James had been willing to let his wife of five years bear public disgrace for a childhood sweetheart, they reasoned, he would eventually betray them to
Chapter 14
D
On this day, James was finally struck by the bullet he himself had fired||
He had naively believed he could take hack all his lies, but now those ties had flowed like river water into the ren||
The
massive waves they formed were dragging him ints the abyss ||
The Spencer family didn’t tell Maya about James’s miserable state–they didn’t even mention him to her
Upon returning to Harbor City, they merely mentioned that everything was resolved and he wouldn’t bother her anymore.[]
Maya didn’t p
particularly care; she had her own matters to attend in now.
Like the Wilson, family, the Spencer family was also a large clan with e
even more complex internal relationships.
Although Maya’s divorce hadn’t been openly discussed, her Aunt Spencer, who had always looked down on Maya’s branch of the family; seized every opportunity to mock her
Sometimes she would say Maya was “second–hand” and unwanted, other times she’d claim a divorced woman staying in the family home would affect the marriage prospects of her younger siblings.
This enraged Maya’s mother so much that she slapped Aunt Spencer’s face on the spot, telling her to keep quiet if she couldn’t speak properly.
Grandfather Spencer was present but said nothing, merely giving Maya a deep, meaningful look.]
But Maya understood his meaning |
Grandfather Spencer was traditionally minded and believed family harmony depended on children remaining married. Now that she was divorced, he was surely displeased
Sure enough, two days later, the family received a call from the butler at the ancestral home, hinting at arranging bilind dates for Maya.]
Mayw’s father was so angry he smashed the phone: “Thats out of the question!
He then turned to comfort his daughter: “Our family isn’t short of money. You can shay home until you’re old if you want.“]
Do listen to what they say at the ancestral home.
In truth, Maya’s father had been tolerating the people at the ancestral home for many years. If their interests weren’t so deeply intertwined, they would have established their own separate household long ago
Though
h they still maintained contact with the ancestral home, they rarely visited except during major holidays ||
And they certainly didn’t take Grandfather Spencer’s words to heart.]
That’s right, Maya Don’t mind what ou
others say just live your own life well
Looking at her loving parents, Maya felt warmth till her heart. While the had concealed her past to avoid worrying them, they had been silently creating a safe haven for her all along
After recuperating at homer for a month, Maya resumed her previously abandoned carrer–returning to her studio to paint]
Maya was naturally intelligent and gifted, especially in fine arts where her talent was exceptional. Before turning fifteen, one of her paintings had sold at aurijon for over 100 million.||
But later, to be a well behaved Wilson wife, she had been forced to put down her brushes |
Now Maya immersed herself in creating artwork again. Perhaps because she was so absorbed in her work, she remained unaware of the chaos outside her
studio
The studio was on the third floor of the Spencer family villa, facing the back garden-||
Whenever Maya felt exhausted, she would go out to the balcony and sit in the rocking chair, enjoying snacks while admiring the garden flowers.]
As praceful as it was upstairs, the main hall downstairs was just as chaotic]
After spending some time with Maya, the Spencer family members had returned to their work, leaving household matters to the butler.]
Looking at the pile of gifts before him, the butler’s brow furrowed deeply. From him again?”
The servant replied with evident difficulty: “After you said not to accept any y gifts from hlin, we stopped receiving them.
But then he started sending gifts under other people’s names. Since some of these people have business relationships with our family, it was difficult to refuse. But don’t worry, sir, we haven’t bothered the young miss about this.”
The butler sighed. “Throw them all out anyway, and please inform everyone around us not to help him deliver gifts anymore.
In a quiet corner outside the Spencer family villa, a discreet luxury car was parked.
In the dark interior, an assistant spoke reluctantly to the man in the back seat
“Sir, the gifts we sent through others were thrown out again.“]
James finally opened his eyes in the back seat, his tone revealing nothing of his emotions: “Continue.“]
The assistant opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
