"She's called Ashley Clark,"
"She's also a member of the Clark family?"
"Peter didn't mention this person in the information he sent. I think she just has the same surname as the Clarks."
"The same surname? Is it really such a coincidence?" wondered James.
He was confused, but he didn't ask more but just raised his chin at Zack.
"Go on."
"Yes, sir."
With his phone in his hand, Zack continued to report something about Amelia's mother.
"Sumasa was engaged to Samuel, the third son of the Brook family, Johnny's father."
"But there were several other people who loved Samuel as well. One of them was Jocelyn, and the other was Sumasa's eldest sister, Alice."
"The two women were jealous because Sumasa and Samuel fall in love with each other. In private, they did a lot of things to hurt Sumasa."
"The most serious one is that Jocelyn disfigured Sumasa's face with chemicals."
"Who would love a woman whose face has been disfigured? Samuel abandoned Sumasa and married her sister, Alice."
"After the Brook family abandoned Sumasa, Sumasa became of no use to the Clark family and then was expelled."
Hearing this, James couldn't help but tighten his grip on the ingredients.
"Zack, is the Sherwood family planning to enter the market in the Asian Pacific region?"
Zack, who was interrupted, nodded.
"Yes, the Evans family even gave them a project for that."
"Take it back and then remove the qualification of the Sherwood family. From now on, no project is allowed to give the Sherwood family."
If it weren't for the sake of Grace, James would have given Jocelyn a dose of her own medicine.
Jocelyn ruined Amelia's mother's face for a man but still finally failed to marry Samuel. What did Jocelyn want?
Besides, the reason why Jocelyn didn't allow Skender to get married must be that she felt guilty and didn't dare to let Skender approach her.
"Does Aaron know about it?"
"Aaron only knows that Skender is a member of the Clark family. He doesn't know that Jocelyn has ruined Sumasa's face."
It made sense. How could Jocelyn let her own son know what she had done in the past?
"Where did Sumasa go later?"
"There is no longer any news about her after she was driven away by the Clark family. When she came back, she had plastic surgery and looked completely different than before."
"I heard from the old servant of the Clark family that Sumasa had gone to ask for help with Skender and the baby Amelia because Amelia has inherited her congenital heart disease."
"It turned out that Amelia's heart disease was inherited from her mother," thought James.
"Sumasa was afraid that the child couldn't survive, so she knelt at the gate of the Clark family and begged her parents to help her."
"But her father and mother blamed her for marrying a poor man with her grandfather's property instead of leaving them the money and coming back for help after she was cheated out of all her money. Then they drove her away again."
James put down the ingredients, turned around, and glanced at Zack coldly.
"Who did Sumasa marry?"
The information they got was all about Amelia's mother and her father wasn't mentioned.
"I don't know."
Zack shook his head.
"Sumasa had plastic surgery and changed her identity. No one knew where she went later, so this clue was lost."
"Our people have also checked it. They only know that Sumasa had returned home by plane before she left Ireland for plastic surgery."
It meant that the man she married was very likely to be here.
She married a man with a lot of money and was deceived by her husband.
After thinking for a few seconds, James raised his cold eyes and ordered Zack in a cold voice,
"Go and find out which groups and companies rose rapidly in a short time thirty years ago."
"Yes, sir."
Zack nodded. James asked, "How was Amelia's mother later?"
Speaking of what happened later, Zack, who had always been cruel and merciless, couldn't help but sigh.
"Later, the penniless Sumasa starved to death on a street of Ireland with her children in her arms."
"When she was found, her body was frozen. Skender and Amelia were right next to her."
"It was the people of the public service organization who helped cremate her corpse, but no one paid for her tomb. Therefore, her ashes were sprinkled into the sea."
"Skender sprinkled it by herself, with the urn in her hand and... with... the baby Amelia on her back."
Zack paused and sighed again.
"All in all, Sumasa had a tough time when she was alive, and after she died, she was also miserable."
"And her two children were also hunted. Skender had no choice but to run away with her sister in her arms, but she lost Amelia's Mother's Ending her sister on the way!"
James interrupted coldly, "Who was chasing them?"
Zack said, "Sumasa's parents sent someone to kill them because they were afraid that the two of them would come back to share the property."
Such parents were so ruthless that they didn't even let go of their own daughter and granddaughters.
Zack continued, "Skender has been looking for her sister in Ireland, but she didn't know that her sister was brought back to the country by chance by human traffickers. Therefore, she failed to find her sister."
"Fortunately, Aaron has founded Skender. Otherwise, Skender wouldn't have been able to live any longer. Amelia, who was left at the gate of the orphanage in the country..."
James was aware of what had happened next. Besides, his rival in love was involved, and Zack stopped talking about it.
After hearing what Zack said, James thought it was right that Alice didn't want to see it. It would only make things worse and won't help.
The Clarks treated Amelia's mother so cruelly. Jocelyn still told Amelia that he wouldn't marry her if he knew her mother's identity.
Compared with the feud between Amelia's mother and the Clark family, the deep blood feud between the Evans family and the Clark family was simply nothing.
Fortunately, James didn't refuse Zack just now. Otherwise, James, who didn't know the truth, was still worried that Amelia would abandon him if she knew everything.
Now James was completely relieved. Whether Amelia knew her family background or not, she would not abandon him.
However, the Evanses who were killed by the Clark family had nothing to do with Amelia. If they wanted to make trouble for Amelia, James would never agree.
After figuring it out, James felt much better. But Amelia's mother's grudge...
"Zack, teach the Clarks a lesson when you go back."
Before the Clark family was driven out of the country by the Evans family, it was the second-largest family in the country. Even if it lost its power in recent years, it was hard to get rid of them.
However, it was easy for Organization S to deal with the Clark family. It was just that they couldn't take revenge on Sumasa's parents directly.
The old couple had been dead for a long time. Now the head of the Clark family was Carson, Herb's father, also Amelia's uncle.
Thinking that Herb had saved Amelia before, James frowned slightly and then unbent his brows.
He thought, "Forget it. Just take it as the fate of the cousins."
Zack replied, "Yes." then he began to report another thing.
"Johnny has been looking for Skender, hasn't he?"
"Our people found out that his mother, Alice, had a terminal illness and wanted to see Sumasa's children for the last time, so she asked Johnny to look for Skender."
"Johnny just realized that you were playing tricks on him. He was about to get even with you when you get back."
"With his intelligence, he only deserves to stay in the Pacific Ocean."
James didn't worry about it at all. He sneered at Johnny and said, "Since Alice could take the place of Sumasa and marry Samuel, she must have played some tricks. Before she died, she wanted to see Sumasa's children. I wonder what she is up to."
Speaking of this, James looked up at Zack.
"Be careful. Don't let Johnny find out anything about Amelia."
"Don't worry, I asked Peter to give him another clue. It depends on whether Johnny is willing to investigate in South East Asia again."
James smiled, picked up the recipe, and read it carefully.
He studied so hard, and he believed that the dishes he cooked shouldn't be worse than before.
Zack, who was standing next also smiled.
"Well, Mr. Shawn, please cook for your wife first. I'll go to other chefs and get some food."
James raised his hand and waved it as if he was saying, "Can the food cooked by the chefs be as delicious as mine?"
Zack had heard from a servant in Washington that the food cooked by James was so terrible that even the dogs disliked it.
Zack looked at James, shook his head with a smile, turned around, and left.
When he walked to the door, he seemed to think of something.
He then turned around and said, "Sir, there is one more thing."
"Go ahead."
"Brandon was rescued by the people of Erebus."
Brandon knew Mr. Shawn and that Mr.Shawn had kidnapped Emily. Zack wondered who sold the news to Brandon.
James had some doubts about this. He thought there was a mole in Organization S, so he didn't ask Zack to kill Brandon.
He had kept Brandon in the basement and wanted to torture Erebushim to find out who the mole was, but he didn't expect that Brandon would be rescued by the people of Erebus.
But why did the people of Erebus save Brandon? Did Erebus sell the news to Brandon?
Thinking of this, James raised his head and cast a cold glance at Zack.
"Why did Erebus's people save him?"
"I don't know. Our people all died after they entered Erebus. We can't find out why they saved Brandon."
Speaking of this, Zack stepped forward and walked up to James again.
"Sir, I have also sent someone to inquire about Erebus. It is said that they will only kill the people from Organization S."
"The other people can still be released after paying a lot of money or getting crippled."
"And Erebus got the list of the members of Organization S from somewhere. Some members of the small teams have been dealt with by the people of Erebus."
"I'm wondering if Erebus is targeting Organization S."
Hearing this, James thought of what Mr. Davies had just said on the cruise.
He said, "James, Erebus only aims at Organization S, and their goal is to make all the members of Organization S disappear in the world."
He added, "If you want to live a peaceful life, you have to get rid of Erebus first. Otherwise, they won't let us go."
Since Erebus targeted Organization S, how would he let off James, the head of Organization S easily?
If James wanted to spend the rest of his life with his wife without any worries, he had to find a way to get rid of Erebus first.
The last time James entered Erebus, he was known as the president of the Evans Group. No one knew that he was Mr. Shawn.
Since Erebus only targeted Organization S, James still had a chance to survive if he entered as the president of the Evans Group again.
It was just that he couldn't reveal his identity as Mr. Shawn.
"Zack."
James put down the recipe and ordered coldly, "Destroy the general list of the members of Organization S."
As long as the leaders of the small teams remembered who their members were, the list didn't need to be kept.
Zack understood James ordered to destroy the general list in order to reduce the damage to the members, and he nodded immediately.
"I'll deal with it right away."
After Zack left, James picked up the recipe again and concentrated on cooking for his wife.
It took him two hours to cook. Amelia was so hungry that she couldn't stand it anymore.
She was sitting at a table on the deck with Zack, enjoying the sea view and the dinner cooked by a five-star chef.
"Mrs. Evans, aren't you afraid that Mr. Shawn will be jealous if he sees you have dinner with me?"
"I'm not afraid."
"But I'm afraid."
Amelia stopped cutting the steak and looked up at Zack who was in a panic.
"Don't be afraid. Although he is a little narrow-minded, he won't eat you. Easy."
Zack nodded in agreement.
"Mr. Shawn is indeed narrow-minded in this respect."
James was always so jealous that he wanted to gouge out others' eyes if they took one more look at Amelia.
Zack wondered what would happen if James saw him and his wife having dinner in the sunset.
Just as Zack was thinking about this, he felt a huge shadow suddenly cast on him.
His hand holding the fork suddenly trembled.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the shadow.
"Sir..."
James stood in the light, looking down at him coldly.
"Mr. Zack, you took my seat and said I was narrow-minded. Do you think I have become kind recently?"
Zack thought, "Huh? Sir! You misunderstood. I just echoed your wife."
When Zack was about to argue, James put the tray in his hand on the table.
"Eat all the dishes I cooked. Otherwise..."
"All right. All right. I'll eat it right away!"
Zack agreed before James finished his words.
Amelia, who was already full, looked at James with a smile.
"Hon..."
"It's useless to call me honey."
Amelia had no choice but to keep silent and looked at Zack with puppy dog eyes.
Then, the two of them each took a dish and put it in front of themselves, focusing on eating.
Zack had just taken a bite and was about to vomit it, but under the gaze of the man next to him, he gritted his teeth and swallowed it.
The moment he swallowed it, Zack's handsome face changed.
He thought, "Damn it! It tastes so terrible. Could somebody help me?"
James leaned over slightly and put his slender fingers on the table. "Zack, is it delicious?"
After swallowing the shrimp in his mouth with difficulty, Zack gave him a thumbs up and said, "It's very delicious."
Amelia said, "Are you serious, Zack?"
James smiled evilly and said, "Good. I'll cook for you every day from now on."
He needed someone to taste his food to help him make great progress in cooking.
Zack was so scared that he threw away the knife and fork, stood up, ran to the railing, and sat on it.
"If you cook for me every day, I'll jump into the sea."
James straightened up, crossed his arms over his chest, raised his chin, and looked at him disdainfully.
"Didn't you say it was delicious?"
"It's not yummy. It's so terrible that even a dog wouldn't like it."
Amelia, who was still eating the food, looked up at him and asked, "Be polite, Zack."
James didn't care about it at all. He raised his hand and waved at Zack.
"Just jump. When you're brought up from the sea, I'll ask someone to open your belly and feed you the rest of the shrimps."
Zack was dumbfounded.
Without hesitation, he jumped off the railing and went back to the table by sea to continue eating.
Amelia took a look at Zack and then at James, asking, "Honey, where are we going to travel next?"
The man raised his slender fingers and rubbed her hair. "Go wherever you want to go."
Amelia pointed in the direction behind him and said, "There is an island over there. How about we go there?"
She thought James would turn around and then she could pour the dish into the trash can, but James didn't move.
He pulled out a chair next to her and sat down between her and Zack, watching them all the time like a surveillance camera.
James leaned back on the dining chair, with his long legs crossed in a laid-back manner. He put his good-looking fingers on the table and tapped it gently.
The setting sun shone on him. He looked so charming but just a little narrow-minded.
Amelia glared at him secretly and put a spoon of crab meat into her mouth. It was just a plate of salty crab meat. It was no big deal.
Seeing her puffed-up cheeks in anger, James gave a doting smile.
He grabbed the spoon from her hand and said softly, "All right. Stop!"
Zack immediately raised his head and asked, "What about me?"
James cast a cold glance at him and said, "You are not my wife."
Then he picked up the plate of crab meat and put it in front of Zack. "Finish this plate too."
Zack regretted asking that.
James asked Amelia if she was full, and Amelia said she was. Then the man took her hand and walked towards the top floor.
After closing the door, Amelia was pressed against the wall by him. Then a hoarse voice came from above her head.
"Honey, to prove that I'm narrow-minded, I've decided to punish you in another way."
"What?"
"Guess."
Amelia, who was pushed into the bathroom again, soon figured it out.
When Eva arrived at the Imperial Capital, she received a message from Amelia. It was a picture of aurora.
Amelia: [Eva, I finally came to Finland safely and saw the real aurora. I'm so happy.]
Then there were a few more videos about the green aurora. James was shot in the video. Even if in front of the beautiful scenery, he only cared about Amelia.
When Eva saw it, she smiled and sent a voice message to Amelia, asking her to enjoy a good honeymoon with James and call her if anything happened.
After sending the voice message, Eva put the phone into her bag and put on a pair of sunglasses. Then she walked out of the airport.
She called a car on Uber, but it hadn't arrived yet. Eva, who had been waiting for a long time, took out a box of cigarettes from her bag, took out one randomly, and lit it.
She wore a light brown off-the-shoulder dress with a golden chain bag on her shoulder. Leaning against the white pillar, she smoked gently.
Shrouded in smoke, her skin was smooth and fair, and her eyes were clear and bright. Her eyebrows were charming, and her red lips were delicate and attractive.
Even though she was biting a thin cigarette, she still looked charming.
After she finished a cigarette, she bent over and threw it into the trash can. Her long hair fell down and was blown by the breeze.
On the running Rolls-Royce, Paul, who was resting his chin on one hand, was stunned at the sight of this. Then he asked the driver to stop the car.
Eva used her manicured fingernails to pull open the cigarette box. When she was about to smoke another cigarette, a slender hand pressed the cigarette box.
She slowly looked up and saw Paul's handsome face. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and then she quickly pushed his hand away.
"It's improper for a man to touch a woman. Mr. Evans, please don't do that."
Eva took a step back to keep a distance from him. She looked indifferent as if she had met a stranger who was making move on her.
Paul's face darkened and his heart sank. Somehow, he felt bad when Evans behaved like a stranger.
It was she who seduced him first. It was also she who used him and tried her best to please him.
It was because she showed that she couldn't live without him and loved him that he allowed her to stay with him for three years.
Why didn't she care about him now?
What did she think he was? A toy for fun?!
Frowning, Paul took a step forward and grabbed Eva's hand with the cigarette box.
"Miss Miler, you come to the Imperial Capital because you don't have good business in Arcadia, right?"
He pulled her to the white pillar and pressed her down with his tall and straight body.
"Since you ask for twenty thousand dollars for one night in Arcadia, how much are you going to ask for in Imperial Capital?"
Eva worked in the nightclub. She didn't sleep with others but only drank with them.
Paul knew she wouldn't sell her body, but he still humiliated her like this.
Through the black sunglasses, Eva looked at the man who was younger than her and suddenly felt that he was a little strange.
In the past three years, even though he knew that she was using him, he still treated her gently and gentlemanly.
But after they broke up, he became childish and immature, always trying to find fault with her.
It was like a boy sitting in the back row pulling her hair, moving her things, and kicking her chair from time to time at school.
Anyway, it just made Eva feel uncomfortable.
Paul was such a boy now.
Eva struggled a few times and tried to push him away, but she was not as strong as him. So she lowered her eyes and stopped moving.
Eva seemed too lazy to even talk to him, which made Paul feel frustrated and even anxious as if he thought his Eva wouldn't come back. Uncontrollably, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.
The faint smell of tobacco emanating from her body hit his nostrils. This scent was very familiar, and he suddenly missed it. He buried his head in her hair and took a gentle sniff.
"Eva, you're smoking again. You promised me you wouldn't smoke anymore. Why don't you listen?" He scolded her like a younger brother reprimanding his older sister, his voice tinged with resignation.
"Paul, you have a girlfriend. Is it appropriate to hold me like this?" The woman's voice was faint, ringing in his ears. Paul's body stiffened, but he stubbornly continued to hold her in his arms.
"Eva, when we were together, you promised to go with me to see the snow scenery in North Mountain. When are we going?" he asked.
"Paul, you have a girlfriend. It's not appropriate to hold me like this. Please let go," Eva replied.
He Loved Eva?
"Eva, I..."
"Paul Evans!"
Eva's angry voice silenced Paul. He tightened his grip on her back and waist slightly before suddenly letting go. He then resumed his cold and distant demeanor, taking a step back and creating distance between them.
"Miss Miller, as you know, I've been nostalgic lately and always want to tease my ex-girlfriends. Don't take it to heart," he said.
Everyone in the city knew that Paul was only interested in Sex, not love. If he showed any concern for someone, it meant he wanted to sleep with her.
Eva always remembered this and never took his affection seriously.
As an ordinary person, Eva couldn't compete with the wealthy and powerful. All she could do was make herself suffer less.
Besides, she was three years older than Paul. A woman in her thirties didn't have time to waste playing with young men.
Eva looked at Paul and replied lightly, "Okay," before standing by the roadside and waiting for the car.
As he watched her slender figure, Paul had an impulse to tie her up and keep her locked at home forever. He was shocked by this thought.
He had never cared too much about the women who had gone out with him. But now, why did he have such an idea?
Paul hated this feeling of losing control and was somewhat angry. He turned and got into his car.
As the Rolls-Royce sped past, Eva raised her hand and touched her hair. The ride-hailing car arrived, and she quickly got in. The car drove into the city center and arrived at the Mellow Villas, stopping in front of the Collins's house.
Eva got out of the car with her bag and walked up to the grand entrance. She had been here a few times before, and the security guards recognized her. She said she was there to see Ryan, and they let her in immediately.
Today was Sunday, and Ryan hadn't gone to the Collins Group. He was sitting in the garden, holding a book and reading quietly.
He was wearing a white shirt and a black coat, with a blanket covering his legs. If he weren't sitting in a wheelchair, he would still look like that otherworldly young man as before.
Every time Eva saw him like this, she wanted to cry. Ryan was such a good person, but he had lost his legs and could never stand up again.
She stood behind him, staring at him for a while before walking up to him and calling out softly, "Ryan."
Ryan stopped flipping through the book for a few seconds before he slowly turned his wheelchair to face Eva.
"Eva, what brings you here?" he asked.
"I came to see you," Eva replied.
She walked over and sat across from him at his gesture. The two of them looked at each other, like relatives who hadn't seen each other for long, and their eyes gradually turned red.
"Ryan, how have you been in the past year?" Eva broke the silence in a caring tone as if she were talking to her brother.
"I've been doing okay," Ryan replied, closing the book in his hand and placing it on the nearby table. He then raised his
hand to have someone make tea for Eva.
"People in the Imperial Capital are used to drinking tea. Would you like a cup of tea?" he asked.
"That's fine." Eva nodded. What she drank wasn't important; what mattered was being able to see Ryan again.
The two of them didn't have much to say after that they used to discuss were all related to Amelia. But now, it wasn't appropriate to bring Amelia up. Would the three of them be so distant forever?
"Eva, how are things between you and Mr. Paul going?" Ryan asked.
As Eva touched the file bag in her bag, unsure of how to return the gift, Ryan spoke up.
"We broke up," Eva replied simply, looking up at Ryan.
"What about you? When are you going to get engaged to Ms. Cooke?" Eva asked.
At that moment, Nora brought the tea over. Ryan poured some into a teacup and handed it to Eva.
"I broke off the engagement," he said briefly without any explanation.
Eva understood. She took the cup and paused for a while.
"Ryan, are you lying to Amelia just so she won't feel guilty?" Eva asked..
Ryan poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip before smiling faintly at Eva.
"Try the tea and see if you like it," he said.
He clearly didn't want to talk about it anymore, and Eva was tactful enough not to press the issue. She lowered her head and took a sip of tea, giving him a bitter smile.
"I remember when you used to like drinking strong coffee while studying. Why do you like to drink tea now?" Eva asked.
"I used to drink coffee to stay alert and make use of most of my time. I thought that by reading more books, I could gain more wealth. But what is the wealth of life? I still haven't figured it out," Ryan said lightly as if the hardships he had endured in the past were not worth mentioning.
He felt that those who were trapped in the past couldn't know what is the wealth of the world. Perhaps they could realize it, but they had already lost it.
Ryan leaned back in his wheelchair, holding the teacup and looking down at the tea.
The gentleman was unparalleled in the world. But even such an outstanding man was still trapped by love.
Eva didn't know how to respond, feeling bad. Perhaps the most pitiful person in the world was Ryan.
The person he had loved for half his life had left him, and he had lost his legs.
He was alone, far away from everyone, sitting alone in the garden of the Imperial Capital, perhaps thinking about his beloved for hundreds of days and nights.
But he would never have someone respond to him with the same passion and rush towards him without hesitation as before.
Ryan had received Amelia's love without reservation, but precisely because he had received it, he felt so regretful and unable to let go.
Eva felt that if she were in his shoes, she would also find it hard to accept. But no one could understand Ryan's emotions better than himself.
So Eva didn't know what to say. Sitting across from him, she felt a bit lost, unsure whether to comfort him.
"Eva, are you here to return the gift?" Ryan seemed to sense her discomfort and regained his calmness as he looked at her.
Ryan had already guessed that Amelia wouldn't accept anything from him anymore, and he expected that she would ask Eva to return it. After all, it was no longer appropriate for him and Amelia to meet each other.
Every time Ryan thought of this, he felt like his heart cracked open. He loved Amelia so much, but he didn't even have the right to see her after they broke up. If only he had known, he wouldn't have fallen in love with her in the first place.
In this way, he could still stay by her side as a friend, calling out her name.
"Indeed, I came to return the gift," Eva nodded slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed as she took out a file bag from her bag and handed it to him.
"Ryan, Amelia said she owes you too much in this lifetime and cannot accept these anymore."
Ryan didn't take it, but instead put down the teacup in his hand and looked at Eva, pursing his lips and smiling.
"These have already been transferred to her name. What you're holding is just a bunch of documents."
Eva's heart skipped a beat, and she gritted her teeth.
"Ryan, with your status, it's not appropriate to give her these now. It will make things difficult for her."
After all, Amelia was already married, and accepting such a valuable gift from her first love would make the Evanses look down on Amelia.
"Don't worry, it's in the form of inheritance. The lawyer will only announce it after I'm gone." Ryan had already arranged everything for Amelia and wouldn't let her be in a difficult situation.
"Inheritance?!" Eva's heart skipped a beat at the sound of those two words.
"Ryan, are you going to do something stupid again?"
After shaking his head, Ryan looked at her calmly.
"Eva, I have severe depression and am undergoing treatment, but I don't know how long I can hold on."