Chapter 312: Chapter 309: Never "Sorry," Only "I Love You" (5)
Herman Hawthorne walked in, holding Zoe Ellsworth’s hand. "Pain and suffering compensation? I’m giving her this money so she’ll leave this place forever and never come back. It’s not some kind of emotional settlement. Besides, I’ve never denied that I had feelings for your daughter, but after this incident, I’ve seen her true character. If you don’t make a decision today, the four of you won’t live to see—" He paused, then uttered two words, "tomorrow morning."
Mrs. Rhodes’s expression changed abruptly. "Do you think I’m afraid of your threats and bribes?"
"If you’re not afraid, then leave now."
"You—" Mrs. Rhodes was speechless.
Bianca Rhodes looked pale. She slowly walked up to Herman Hawthorne and looked at him. "Do you still love me?"p>Zoe Ellsworth took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions.
"Whether I love you or not, is that even important now?"
"I know you still love me, Herman. Why are you so weak? If you love me, why don’t you want to be with me forever? Why don’t you fight for your true love instead of being with this shrew?"
Zoe Ellsworth walked over to the table, picked up an apple from the plate, and took a bite without saying a word.
Herman Hawthorne looked at her and suddenly felt that he was no longer captivated by her face. In fact, he had seen more than enough of it.
"Bianca, what’s done is done. There’s nothing more to say. I hope you’ll take this money and live a good life. Let’s just end it here."
"You’re a real disappointment."
"You too."
Bianca Rhodes turned to look at Zoe Ellsworth. "You hit me several times in the hospital, but now you’re acting like some virtuous saint in front of your in-laws and Herman. How hypocritical."
Zoe Ellsworth threw the half-eaten apple in her hand, and it hit Bianca square in the face.
Bianca Rhodes, completely caught off guard, stumbled back a step.
"Am I still pretending? When I want to hit you, I’ll do it. I don’t care if it’s in front of my in-laws and Herman, or even in front of your own parents."
Mrs. Rhodes grew hysterical. "Your family are such bullies! What gives you the right to hit people!"
Zoe Ellsworth stepped forward. "What gives me the right? No reason. I’ve been putting up with you for a long time, old hag. Believe it or not, I’ll hit you too."
Mrs. Rhodes’s face turned livid. "You little brat. You’re not very old, but you’ve got quite the temper. A child with no breeding is just that—ill-bred."
"Like mother, like daughter. If the daughter’s a bitch, the mother can’t be much better."
Bianca Rhodes was stung by her words. "Who are you talking about! Zoe Ellsworth, what do you have to be so smug about? Herman doesn’t love you. So what if you have his body? You’ll never have his heart!"
"That’s still a lot better than you, who can only watch from the sidelines."
"Bianca, let’s go. We don’t need to waste any more words on this family. We’ll take this to the media," Mrs. Rhodes huffed, turning to leave.
Bianca Rhodes’s father, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. "Mrs. Hawthorne, allow me to say a few words."
Zoe Ellsworth responded frankly, "Go ahead."
"Our Bianca was very wrong. From now on, we won’t bring this matter up again. We apologize for the disturbance."
Mrs. Rhodes flew into a rage and tried to say something, but Mr. Rhodes dragged her away.
Zoe Ellsworth watched the empty doorway and remarked, ’Reasonable people keep it short. It’s the cowards who are full of hot air.’
Then she smiled and sat down next to Mrs. Hawthorne. "Mom, it’s okay. The matter is over. Let’s no one in our family ever bring it up again, and just live our lives peacefully and happily."
Mrs. Hawthorne put an arm around her shoulder. "Our Zoe is so sensible. You and Herman should hurry up and have a baby. I’ll help you take care of the kids! Our Zoe will be a total hot mama. I really hope to see that day soon."
Zoe Ellsworth blushed a little and glanced at Herman Hawthorne. "We’ll work on it."
Mrs. Hawthorne was grinning from ear to ear. "Good, good."
Herman Hawthorne knew he had wronged Zoe, but seeing how sensible she was, he only wanted to treat her even better.
Nora Ainsworth followed Quentin Grant back to Walsh’s place.
Walsh stood with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling at her. "Well, Miss Ainsworth, you’ve come back after all."
"I’m so sorry. Right now, I just want to cooperate with you, sir, so you can help me recover my lost memories. I’m desperate to know."
"In the months since you ran off, I’ve continued my research. I never gave up. I figured that even if you didn’t use it, perhaps I could give the results to hospitals around the world. As it happens, we’ll be ready to try it in just a few days."
Nora Ainsworth’s heart skipped a beat. "Really? That’s wonderful."
Quentin Grant was also overjoyed. ’If Nora recovers her memory, they’ll never have to be apart again.’
"Yes. Miss Ainsworth and President Grant can wait here for a few days."
The two of them readily agreed.
They settled in for a temporary stay.
Quentin Grant insisted on sleeping in the same bed with her, swearing that he absolutely wouldn’t touch her until she recovered her memory.
Seeing the serious, earnest look on his face, Nora Ainsworth reluctantly agreed.
After dinner, they sat and played video games for over an hour, then switched to playing cards, sitting cross-legged on the bed.
When they were tired of playing, they each picked up a book to read. He was half-reclined, with Nora Ainsworth lying with her head in his lap. The scene was as beautiful as could be.
His mind wasn’t on his book at all. Every so often, he would lower the book he was holding to watch her, completely engrossed in her own reading, and a gentle smile would grace his lips.
"Nora, should I sing you a song?"
"Okay."
As he prepared to sing, he couldn’t help but feel an urge to laugh. He’d never sung for someone like this before, and it felt surprisingly solemn.
Nora Ainsworth waited for two minutes, but his song never came.
Just as she was about to look up at him, a clear, a cappella voice flowed out from above her, like a fresh spring.
Her hand clutching the book stiffened. She didn’t read another word until the song was over.
The rain still won’t stop
Waking me to your decision
You said you want to give up
To give up on this love
We were fated to part here
You turned and walked away
Leaving me with no memories
I want to chase after you
But tears blur my eyes
Just give me a little more courage
To let my tears flow
I see myself
Standing in a vast sea of people
Am I standing in the rain
Or am I running away
I try to make myself give up
How familiar
I accidentally met you
Back to the past, I’m holding your hand
I’d do anything, I’m willing to protect you until dawn
Letting my heart fill every corner
This is the strong Iris Sterling I want to be
There are so many lives and so much love
In my world, I only have you
I only want to give you a unique surprise
But you pay no mind
Such a familiar melody, such familiar lyrics, such a familiar song. It was Shawn Warner’s song, "I’d Do Anything."
It was her favorite song.
So much so that for several years, it was the only song on her phone.
She would listen to it over and over, on a loop.
Never tiring of it.
’How could he know she liked this song?’
"How long did you practice?"
"What did you think of my singing?"
"Hm, not that great."
