QT: Against My Will-Chapter 592 - 10.04 - People Change - Rebirth Of The Heart
"Phew," Seraphine caught her breath as Edward helped her to wipe her lips with his thumb.
"I’m not late for the party, am I?" she asked, flashing Edward a slightly threatening smile, "Please, don’t overdo it with the charm, would you? I’d like to monopolize you for a little while longer. After all, how often does one get to monopolize the notorious Edward Ashtor?"
Edward laughed in response, "Well, with the whole ’once a cheater, always a cheater’ mantra floating around, I guess I’ll be the most-watched—and possibly the most hated—man in the room."
His confidence shone through as he addressed the situation with a touch of humor.
Seraphine playfully turned to face the cameras, her smile widening. "So if you’re the most hated man in the room," she mused, "does that mean that if I want to become your ’perfect match,’ I have to become the most hated woman?"
Edward’s eyes twinkled and the corners of his mouth turned up in an uncontrollable grin. It was as if he had just won the lottery, but instead of a cash prize, he had found his equal in mischief and audacity, "If you’re going for that title, you’re off to a good start," he teased, "Your earlier stunt is bound to stir up a lot of envy and hatred."
"Who needs symphathy in the face of great fortune? I’ve just found a perfect opportunity to buy into your family," Seraphine laughed in a slightly mocking way, "If one woman’s actions can trigger such a dramatic fall in the Ashtor’s family fortunes, perhaps it’s the market that’s too fragile, not us."
"..." Edward looked apologetically at the reporters as if saying that he really wanted to confess his love only. He tried to prove himself by holding her head and leaning down to kiss her temple affectionately. Now, because of the little appearance of his wife, the public might speculate that their entire display was a calculated scheme to manipulate the market just to make themselves even richer.
Xuan Mu and Bing Shi didn’t come to this world to outshine its male and female leads. They’ve decided to embrace the roles they had been thrust into and turn them into something entirely their own. If Isabelle and Daniel wanted to play the victims and take their revenge, then they’d give them the means to do so.
· · ──────── · ⊱❈⊰· ──────── · ·
Isabelle sat on her plush couch, staring at the live press conference on her tablet, ’That lying bastard.’
Edward hasn’t broken up with her officially or tried to compensate her yet, nor did he contact her over the cheating issue. He was just putting on air for the public.
Fed up, Isabelle decided to pay a visit to Daniel, who had to be nursing a broken heart too.
When she arrived at his apartment, she found him slouched on his sofa, surrounded by empty liquor bottles. His eyes were red, his expression a mix of sorrow and intoxication.
Despite his disheveled appearance, she couldn’t help but notice how much more handsome he looked without the thick glasses he used to wear. She might say that he looked even better than Edward.
She sat down next to him, clearing away the bottles to make room. "Daniel, this isn’t the way," she said gently.
Daniel looked up, his eyes meeting hers. Isabelle’s beauty was truly mesmerizing. Her black hair, flowing like a midnight river, reached her waist and framed her face perfectly. Her eyes, also black, were equally enchanting, holding an irresistible mystery.
Daniel quickly looked away, his mind racing with a mix of anger and betrayal, "I...I was never her first option." For how long had Seraphine been cheating on him for Edward to already consider marrying her?
Isabelle took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "People change, sometimes for the worse. But we don’t have to. We can be better, rise above this...raise above them."
In the past, she had accused him of being with her for her family’s connections. However, Daniel proved her wrong. Refusing any kind of help from her, he was determined to make his own way and not rely on anyone’s favors, even though it meant enduring hardship on his own.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
In the sterile atmosphere of the hospital cafeteria, Edward, Shina, and XiaoPu’s parents found a quiet corner to sit and eat.
"Are you two okay?" XiaoPu’s mother broke the silence, her eyes scanning each face at the table. "We heard about what happened and are a little worried about you."
Edward casually sipped his lentil soup, "We’re more than okay," he assured, "The important thing right now is for you to focus on your recovery and good nutrition."
Shina, chewing thoughtfully on her chicken, chimed in, "Yeah, this kind of drama is just a background noise for us. You don’t have to pay it any heed."
"..." XiaoPu’s father had quit his job as they requested and had been staying by his wife’s side, "Thank you for helping us again," he finally said, "but I have to admit, it’s hard for me to sit still."
Though only in their mid-thirties, they looked and felt much older. He used to be a scavenger who looked for useful materials in abandoned or hard-to-reach places where it wasn’t cost-effective to send robots.
His wife was a cleaner for places that even machines found difficult to navigate, from cramped offices to neglected buildings.
The constant exposure to harsh cleaning chemicals and environmental irritants weakened her immune system over time; her body struggled to support the growing life within her.
Their toll was not just physical; the emotional weight of trying to bring a child into their difficult world was overwhelming.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Xuan Mu had told Bing Shi that XiaoPu’s soul always seemed to find its way into the bodies of children destined for short lives. It was as if the universe had a specific plan for him—a soul continuously placed into existence but never allowed to flourish.
In this world, life was on a replay loop, with each soul following a predestined path that was hard to deviate from. The leads were not permanent.
Whenever the world would reset, a new duo would be granted the elusive gift to move back in time and change not only their fate but also that of others.
Currently, it was Daniel and Isabelle who were being favored by the world.
