“As I have stated earlier, my profound apologies to everyone affected.” Murmurs filled the air, breaking the initial tension hanging loosely. The urgency of the situation forced Vince to address the press at the front of the hospital. Getting dressed for the occasion was not an option, so Lance just handed over his suit jacket to him, which he wore on top of his hospital uniform. “Mr. Finn, do you realize that this was a huge case of deception by a prestigious law firm? Does that mean you have no regard for the law?” Vince drew in a deep breath. Kate had warned him sternly about this huge backlash, but he had been too pigheaded to listen. The integrity of Peak Hills Law Firm lay in his hands now, so he knew he had to be very cautious with his choice of responses. “Peak Hills Law Firm has always been very open with our clients, and we hold the law in very high esteem. But hiding my identity was a personal issue that required everything I did.” “Wow! This is so astonishing! But

“Every passenger, tighten your seat belts. The train is leaving in a few seconds.”A loud blaring sound followed, which made most of the passengers uncomfortable. Jake sat there, in the last seat at the far end. His indifference to the sound surprised his seatmate, who didn’t dare to question him.Jake kept to himself since he had alighted the train. The uncomfortable noise strangely made him feel at ease. It reminded him of his true reality, which he hadn’t lived in over a year. He had taken his time to watch the live broadcast of the conference Vince held, but as he had expected, it was fruitless.Even Gabriella’s strong threat wasn’t enough to keep the board of directors quiet. Some of their grievances with Kate, Vince’s grandmother, were poured openly into the air, covering up their wrongdoings. Lance, sensing the danger, discreetly advised Vince to end the conference, which he did. While Lance was a mere bodyguard, he had walked into many negotiation rooms accompanying Kate, so

“Is this you?” The lanky boy said, holding up his phone to Jake’s face. He had a weird expression that made it seem like he was afraid his suspicion was accurate. Jake smiled softly and ruffled the boy’s hair. He knew this was going to happen eventually, so he was unfazed by the boy’s recognition of him from the social media fallacy. It had been three weeks since his retreat to the countryside and his total avoidance of social media, but the media still hadn’t gotten over the news of him. “Do you think I am as handsome as that man on the screen?” “Quit the joke, Mr. Jake. He looks very much like you, except of course the expensive suit.” Jake laughed heartily, and the boy joined him. Since his arrival in the small town, he had gained the hearts of most of the inhabitants. It was quite easy for him to get employment on the boy’s family farm. Despite having enough money that could last him another two years even if he decided not to work, he still chose to keep himself busy and

A knock sounded at the door, and Vince reluctantly got up on his feet to open it. When he did, his eyes lightened up in surprise at who his guest was. “Are you too stunned to invite me in?” Kate said, pouting. “Come… come in, Grandma,” he said, while his shocked expression hadn’t faded at all. Kate raised her right arm, showing the bangle Vince bought her on the day they went shopping. Vince took her hand and led her into his room. She looked around. As always, everything was still in place except for his messy bed, which he had just woken up from. “Just like your father, you are always tidy.” Vince smiled warmly at his grandmother’s praise. He wished he could hug her at that moment, but he still found it difficult to do. His subconscious mind knew that Kate wasn’t supposed to be in his room, but he kept resisting the truth while still trying to understand the situation. “Granny, you look pale,” he said at last. “Haven’t you been feeding well?” “Well, apparently there aren’t gr

“Miss Reed, is there anything you want to say about the CCTV footage we just watched?”Vince’s voice was low but firm. He was hellbent on enjoying every moment he had to spend handling Amber’s disciplinary case, so he didn’t want to trigger her anxiety disorder at all. Amber reluctantly got up on her feet. She looked over at the numerous faces that had their attention glued on her.“Apologies for my unruly behavior in that. I had a short-term mental meltdown, and it affected my reasoning, so I acted impulsively.”She looked expectantly at Vince, who maintained his posture. The rest of the committee started throwing sensitive questions at her, including questions about her past misconduct, but Amber kept wriggling her way out of each of them. Vince knew at that rate she was going to get out unscathed using the defeat-admittance technique he had taught her in the past.“Miss Reed,” Vince cut in suddenly, “here.”He held out a document, and Amber came forward to collect it. When she op