Chapter 175

Chapter 175

Since I was already there, there was no way I was going to back down.

It had been almost a year since I first talked about training and finally arrived here.

Five months later, when I left this place, I had to start from scratch at work again.

But I wasn't scared anymore.

"You think I'm gonna give up?" I took a few steps forward without looking at him. "I've already faced death once. Coming here, I have to make some progress. If I leave now, I'll be no different from the old Caroline."

Still a coward.

"You'll face a lot of hardships. If you follow Theo, you can avoid many of them."

He seemed unusually chatty today. He'd never shown such concern for me before, repeatedly asking if I was sure about my decision.

I smirked.

"Stop wasting time, Mr. Reyes. We've already delayed long enough. If I were afraid of hardships, I wouldn't have given birth to Liliana, and I sure wouldn't have come here with you."

Any hesitation had long been overcome.

I was looking forward to seeing myself in five months.

I stayed in the mountains for five months.

Honestly, I wasn't satisfied with the results of the training, but Milo said it was enough. He disregarded my wishes and sent me and my child out of the valley.

Back at my long-lost home, Avery listened quietly as I recounted the events, then chuckled.

"He sent you for training, and now he's kicked you out. This guy is really strange."

Strange? I didn't find Milo hard to understand.

At least everything he did for me was, at most, insincere.

"In his eyes, as long as I can defeat Raymond, it's enough."

Liliana wasn't even a year old yet. After we got home, she started sleeping soundly, and Avery took the opportunity to tell me about the outside world over the past five months.

"Edward couldn't reach you and came to see me once. I told him you were traveling to clear your mind and didn't know where you were... Oh, and he mentioned Kaia had a son."

This time, I was trying my best to ignore Raymond.

Five months had passed, and I still hadn't let go of him, whether it was love or hate.

"That's good. Someone to carry on the Brown family name."

The child was conceived after I left, and given Kaia's cunning, it wasn't surprising she succeeded.

"Hey... why aren't you reacting at all? You weren't this calm when facing Emily before."

I shook my head. "I am no longer the person I once was. If I hadn't made any progress in the past six months, it would have been a waste of time."

When Raymond returned with Emily and his son, I was completely unprepared. Kaia had always been by his side, so I had some idea.

A son...

Emily's final breakdown still flashed repeatedly in my mind.

"I've been keeping a secret from you."

Later, I found out Ethan wasn't Emily's biological child. Both of them were pawns of Raymond.

According to Raymond, Kaia's child wasn't his biological son either.

Right?

Did I believe it?

After I had played the game for so long, what was real and what was mere illusion? Even he likely could not discern the difference, much less anyone else.

"Now that I'm back, I should report to Edward."

I knew he couldn't be fully trusted.

But similarly, after playing the game for so long, even he might have deceived himself. Does Edward truly understand his own heart?

Whether it was genuine affection or mere manipulation, he chose me once again, and I chose to hold onto him.

The first time was grabbing a lifeline to save my family.

This time... it was for revenge, to uncover the truth behind this farce, to stand firm in this whirlpool...

And finally, I stood before Raymond and asked him, "Do you regret it?"

The next morning, I arrived at the company to work.

My colleagues had already heard about my return and asked about my recent experiences.

But their gazes had changed.

Compared to the pure friendliness before, there was now more depth.

Back at my desk, a colleague whispered to me, "Where did you travel? You were gone for five months. If Mr. Lopez didn't like you, your future work would be tough."

I paused while tidying my desk, lowering my eyes slightly. "He likes me? Who said that?"

This Edward... wouldn't be so indiscreet at the company, would he?

"He told everyone you were on vacation. Your voice acting is excellent, and several directors invited you to audition, but Mr. Lopez declined on your behalf. Look at you, so many good opportunities given to others."

I just smiled.

I wouldn't be staying at the company for long anyway. How my colleagues viewed me didn't matter much.

When I had a moment, I planned to see Edward.

No matter how much I wanted to avoid it, I had to face it.

But it wasn't the best timing. When I arrived at the office door, it was tightly closed, and it seemed someone was inside talking. So I stood aside and waited.

"Caroline is under my control now. Even if I don't let her go, what can you do? Mr. Reyes, if you're here to negotiate, you have to offer something I find valuable."

A cold, ruthless voice came from the office, different from Edward's usual gentle tone.

I had seen his ruthless side before.

At Paula's funeral, Edward's manic and pathological demeanor terrified me, even though I had only seen it once.

"I can give you the resources you want, but I need you to leave Caroline and Raymond alone. Can you do that?"

"As for Caroline, I'll treat her well and won't use her anymore. But Raymond? No way, Mr. Reyes. Don't interfere in my feud with Raymond. How long has Orla been missing? Your Reyes family loves to meddle, don't you?"

The negotiation was intense, neither willing to back down.

To free me from Edward's control, Theo had probably come more than once.

I had to learn to deal with Edward.

"Let me and Caroline terminate the contract, but you must help me deal with Raymond. I don't care about the Reyes family, but you must stand with me. Mr. Reyes, for the sake of your family, you'll agree, right?"

Edward always forced others into difficult choices.

But I didn't want my friends and family to be implicated because of me anymore.

I had said it wouldn't be a bother, but it had been many times, involving Flora and my family.

How could I let Theo stand with Edward because of me?

So, I knocked on the door and pushed it open.

"Mr. Lopez, I'm back."

They knew how much I had heard.

"Good to have you back."

Ignoring Theo's presence, Edward said with a half-smile, "Six months have passed, Lucy. Have you thought it over?"

Theo looked at me with concern, but I smiled, signaling him not to worry.

"We can discuss it."