"Does it feel good to taste a glimmer of hope before plunging into the abyss?"
The frigid voice carried a hint of amusement, yet it chilled to the bone.
Amelia stood frozen, unable to utter a word, feeling nothing but biting cold.
She was finished.
She managed to speak, her voice lacking the anticipated tremble, "You knew all along, didn't you?"
From the moment he started promoting her vigorously, guiding her step by step to the pinnacle she desired, making her the object of admiration for thousands.
Only to then reach out and push her into the depths of despair.
Evan withdrew his hand, his face a mask of coldness, a rare severity etched across his features. This time, he couldn't suppress his disgust, his eyes and face fully revealing his repulsion. He fetched a handkerchief from his pocket, meticulously wiping each finger before carelessly tossing it into a trash bin and striding away.
"Evan, say something!" Amelia hurried after him, but in her haste, her dress caught underfoot, causing her to stumble and fall hard on the floor!
The surrounding journalists immediately swarmed around her.
"Miss Monahan, is the content of the video true?"
"Miss Monahan, did you really obtain your signature dance through violence and threats?"
"Miss Monahan, did you indeed orchestrate the Nightingale family's downfall? They raised you, why would you bring ruin to their household? Don't you have any remorse?"
...
Remorse?
Ha.
Did she possess such a thing?
Evan stood at the edge of the crowd, his cold gaze fixed on the person trapped within. In his mind, she was like him, a heartless individual.
Selfish and self-serving.
He turned away completely, leaving Amelia alone.
With so much revealed, no one would shield her anymore. She had to bear all the consequences of her own actions.
Meanwhile, Phoenix kept a close eye on Julia's reactions.
Initially, the woman seemed entertained by the spectacle, her goal seemingly to embarrass Amelia. But after Evan released the recording and video, her expression suddenly shifted.
As the journalists closed in, Julia glanced at her phone and, with a change of countenance, left the hall hastily.
Phoenix, seeing this, promptly pursued her.
Women's physical strength and pace were no match for men's. With one hand holding her phone and the other reaching for the car door handle, she was suddenly grabbed.
"Is she with you? She's alive, isn't she?" Phoenix's tone was firm despite phrasing it as a question to Julia.
Julia hung up her call, a smile playing on her lips. "What is Mr. Lee talking about? I don't understand."
She shook off Phoenix's hand, her disgust unmasked.
"I beg you, take me to see her." Phoenix blocked her car, his voice low.
When had he ever pleaded anyone in such a tone?
He was Phoenix, proud and noble.
Yet he used the word "beg."
"I've said I don't understand what Mr. Lee is talking about. Please let go, or I'll call for help." Julia spoke casually, glancing back at the hall. "There are quite a few journalists here today. Mr. Lee wouldn't want to make headlines tomorrow alongside some dancer, would he?"
Phoenix stared at Julia intently. "You remind me of her."
Sharp-tongued, arrogant, and reckless.
But that was before.
In the past, Serena was as proud as Julia, the Nightingale family being J city's wealthiest, with parents who doted on her and Phoenix cleaning up her messes.
She played as she pleased and excelled in whatever she learned.
J city's premier lady was none other than Serena.
Until she left the country and returned, all her pride eroded by the blows of life!
Julia refused to recall the lifeless face when she rescued Serena.
She wasn't like Serena; Serena had redeemed her. While she was reborn, Serena had died utterly!
Julia couldn't be bothered to engage with Phoenix further, entering the car. "Mr. Lee, try to use your brain when you speak next time. No one likes being told they resemble someone."
The door slammed shut with a resounding thud.
Leaving behind a cloud of exhaust and Phoenix standing alone, he locked onto that direction, not moving for a long while.
Sometime later, Phoenix, standing under the moonlight, dialed a number. "Are you tailing her?"
"It's arranged,Mr. Lee. Rest assured, we're following discreetly and won't cause any disturbance."
Phoenix rubbed his temples. "Yes, keep me updated."
After hanging up, he saw Evan emerging from inside and they left together.
Inside the speeding sports car, the wind rushed past, and within, the recorded conversation between two women played repeatedly—
"Julia, where did you go? I woke up, and I'm a bit hungry. There's not much food in the apartment. Could you bring something back?"
"I went to see a patient and ran into a couple of acquaintances on the way, which delayed me. What do you want to eat?"
"You're late, so you owe me an extra slice of cake tonight."
"Alright, wait for me at home."
These few lines repeated incessantly.
Phoenix gripped the steering wheel tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands. His face betrayed no joy or sorrow, but his tense body indicated he was restraining himself, suppressing his emotions fiercely.
Serena was alive.
That voice, even after ten or thirty years, he would recognize it!
Even if the voice lacked all trace of pride, obedient and soft like a delicate woman's, just awakened and tender. Yet, he could still recognize her in an instant the moment she spoke.
"Have we found out where she lives?"
After the frenzied chase, Evan stepped out of the car, his legs slightly wobbly.
Such thrilling games weren't suitable for a frail gentleman like him.
Phoenix grunted in affirmation, leaning against the car and looking up at the towering building.
Their source reported that Julia entered this building, but the complex's security was tight, preventing them from following her inside, thus leaving them unaware of which floor she lived on.
Under the dim glow of neon lights, the night was thick.
A handful of lights remained on, and Phoenix wondered if they were asleep, if behind one of those windows lay the silhouette of that person.
He missed her dearly.
Evan stood in the breeze for a moment, clearing his head. Following Phoenix's gaze, he guessed correctly.
Opening his mouth, he ultimately said nothing.
If Phoenix dared not seek her out, how could he?
What would happen after they met?
They hadn't considered it.
From the recording, Serena sounded like a different person, her voice soft and gentle. Had they not known her since childhood, sensitive to her voice, they wouldn't have recognized it as Serena's.
"So, what now?"
Phoenix was restless, craving a cigarette, only to remember he had quit a long time ago.
Because Serena didn't like it.
Their disagreements had persisted for a while then, and he deliberately caused trouble to Serena. When she came to see him that time, he was in a bar, enveloped in smoke, unaware that Serena was there to bid farewell.
The young girl said nothing, only asking him to quit smoking and drink less.
Afterward... she was ridiculed and turn away.
And she didn't return for years.
