Chapter 85


    The night was enveloped in eerie darkness, with a calm stillness that echoed through the empty


    streets. The frigid air seemed to deter most pedestrians from venturing, leaving the path lonely and


    quiet.


    The shimmering stars cast their faint light upon the sleek front of Edward’s Ferrari, creating a


    mesmerizing disy of twinkling white against the backdrop of swaying trees.


    Edward’s gaze remained fixed upon the illuminated 28th floor of the building, its ring lights piercing


    through the night. A. profound sense of pain gripped his chest, making it difficult toprehend or


    ept whaty beyond those luminous windows.


    After half an hour, he reached for his phone and dialed Kyle’s number. “Where are you, Kyle?”


    Hanging up the phone, he ignited the engine, propelling his car toward the destination Kyle had


    mentioned.


    Edward arrived at Kyle’s apartment in no time and stopped by the supermarket downstairs to buy a


    pack of cigarettes.


    Having been there numerous times before, he knew the password to Kyle’s apartment. Despite their


    professional hierarchy at work, they had developed a close friendship outside of office hours.


    Kyle couldn’t contain his curiosity as Edward walked in with a sad look. “Did the confession not go


    well?”


    Being intelligent and wise, he knew that workce matters alone wouldn’t leave Edward so utterly


    defeated. After all, they had been together for years, and he had a good sense of who Edward was.


    Even in the face of project failures, he had never seen Edward in such a lifeless state.


    The only conclusion he could draw was that Edward had been rejected by the girl he liked.


    Edward slumped onto the sofa, tugging at the corner of his lips with a hint of sarcasm. “Well, isn’t it just


    perfect that my confession failed? Have you got any alcohol? Let’s have a drink. It looks like I’ll be


    crashing at your ce tonight.” He didn’t even get a chance to confess, and now the girl he had


    feelings for was already pregnant. He had yet to learn who he had been defeated by.


    Kyle didn’t rush to respond and nonchntly shrugged. “Sure. Any preference for something strong?”


    “Sure”


    Kyle thought that Edward must be seeking sce in alcohol, seckingfort in their friendship.


    Well, that’s what buddies are for.


    In no time, Kyle returned with a bottle of strong liquor and two sses, sitting beside Edward. He


    poured each ss to the brim.


    After downing one ss, Kyle calmly said, “Before we indulge, let’s call Juana so she doesn’t have to


    wait all night.”


    Edward, consumed by his pent-up emotions, had forgotten about that. He was solely focused on


    finding an outlet for his frustrations


    They quickly made a call to Juana, with the excuse that they had to meet a client in the evening and


    wouldn’t being home. As soon as work was mentioned, Juana couldn’t resist the urge to first


    himself.


    Once Edward hung up the phone, Kyle spoke up, “Feeling down? Share it with me. Consider me your


    emotional dumping ground.”


    Kyle was known for his bluntness, so he had no reservations about admitting his feelings for her during


    their time at the pizza restaurant.


    Edward took another sip of his drink, lit a cigarette, and held it delicately between his fingers. The taste


    of nicotine failed to dispel the agitation in his heart. “She’s pregnant.


    This revtion caught Kyle off guard. He recalled their conversation at the restaurant, where he had


    urged Edward not to let the opportunity slip away. Edward had mentioned that she was too young, but


    now it seemed they had not only missed the chance, but she was already pregnant. Clearly, the


    situation was far moreplicated than just having a boyfriend.


    Kyle asked earnestly. “So, she’s getting married? No chance to confess?”


    Edward stubbed out his cigarette, a hint of bitterness lingering. He rubbed his aching temples and


    replied, “She doesn’t have a boyfriend.”


    Kyle thought of a term. “A one-night stand” Was the girl Edward liked that promiscuous? She didn’t


    strike him as that type.


    Edward tossed a tissue at him, staunchly defending her reputation despite her pregnancy. “What are


    you thinking? She’s not that kind of person. Someone must have spiked her drink.”


    Kyle raised an eyebrow. “But isn’t it still considered a one-night stand? What’s the difference?” As


    someone who had never been in a romantic rtionship, he couldn’t fathom the distinction.


    They both happened in one night. Wasn’t that what a one-night stand was? Was there some other term


    for it?


    Perhaps a little intoxicated, Edward found himself opening up more than usual. He said, “I always


    thought she was too young, so I held back, thinking I could wait a bit longer. But now, I don’t even have


    a chance to confess. The girl I’ve liked for so long is pregnant Yet, I always considered her too young.


    How ironic.”


    Kyle shook his head in resignation, his curiosity getting the best of him. Edward’s feelings for her


    seemed to havested much longer than just a year or two. “How long have you liked her?”


    Edward shook his head, a wistful smile on his face. Instead of providing an exact timeframe, he began


    to share a hidden secret from his heart. “We’ve been childhood friends. She was Sherri’s ssmate


    since we were little, from elementary school, middle school, high school, and even college. It’s quite a


    remarkable connection. Sherri liked her and always brought her home to y. She was mature and


    polite. Even Juana, who’s not easily pleased, adored her. How could I resist? Ever since we were


    young, I’ve been drawn to her. I think it was around when she turned 15 that I realized I had feelings for


    her. And now, it’s been eight years. Eight years of not being able to gather the courage to confess. And


    now, I don’t even have a chance. It feels like a failure. I deserve to lose her.” With those words, he


    downed a drink, his voice bing slightly husky.


    Even Kyle, despite his sharpness, hadn’t anticipated the depth to which Edward had concealed his


    feelings. Eight years of unrequited love. What kind of love could withstand such endurance? Was it


    Edward’s remarkable ability to hide his emotions, or was Miss Foster simply oblivious to his affections,


    failing to see what was right in front of her?


    Ultimately, it was Edward who had missed his chance. The oue might have been different if he


    dared to speak up earlier. Now, not even a sliver of opportunity remained.


    If Edward were to make another confession now, it would be a two-for-one deal.


    Kyle couldn’t help but recall a quote he hade across in a video recently. “I love you, but you have


    no idea. When I wanted to share this secret with you, you had already married someone else.”


    But now, it wasn’t about marrying someone else. It was about bing a mother.


    Perhaps this was one of the most tragic and heart-wrenching love stories.


    Kyle sighed and couldn’t help but say to Edward, “I warned you earlier. You insisted on keeping


    everything bottled up, hiding your true feelings.”


    Damon, known for his swift actions, lived up to the name of his organization. Velocity Expeditions. The


    speed was genuinely


    remarkable.


    The next day….


    The news spread like wildfire, stering the headlines with revtions about Emily. Photos surfaced


    from her high school days, showing her in ambiguous situations with the affluent elite of Athana. There


    were even scandalous pictures of her entering and leaving hotels with men during her college years.


    Natalie, showing mercy, refrained from pursuing the release of more explicit photos. After all, she was


    Mr. Foster’s granddaughter, and she couldn’t be too ruthless, preserving a semnce of dignity for


    her.


    It shattered her aspirations of rising like a phoenix to new heights. It seemed unlikely that she would


    find any high-quality suitors in the future, and the Wilson family would certainly never ept her.


    Following closely behind was another piece of news, undoubtedly about Mia.


    The news revealed the factual background of Mia. She was linked to the Sullivan family. She was


    imed to be the niece of Joy from the influential ckwell family. Earning the fondness of Henry, she


    had chosen to adopt the name Mia ckwell. However, it was unveiled that she wasn’t the ckwell


    family’s biological granddaughter.


    To make matters worse, photos revealed Mia’s flirtatious behavior with the project manager from the


    previous bidding project. Although there were no explicit captions, they were ced beneath the news


    article about her questionable status as a genuine ckwell family member. Those with keen eyes


    could easily decipher the implications. In this modern and progressive era, people’s minds are adept at


    filling in the gaps, often indulging in vivid spections.


    Thement section was already buzzing with discussions. Mia was currently a trending topic with a


    higher poprity than Emily, mainly due to her prominent status as a supposed granddaughter of the


    ckwell family. The more famous one bes, the more scrutiny and opinions they attract. As a


    minor character, Emily had no intention of creating a major uproar. She was merely the catalyst, while


    Mia yed the role of the puppet master behind the scenes.


    “Damn, Mia is truly despicable. She’s already Joy’s niece, yet she insists on adopting the ckwell


    surname.”


    *Could Mia be having an affair with the project manager? And isn’t she connected to that other person?


    Does this mean the bidding for the project was biased?”


    “Yeah, you know what? I heard that the other day, that person won the bid. Could it be because of


    some special rtionship


    with Mia!”


    In Athana, even when people were discussing sensitive matters, they avoided using direct names.


    They would resort to using euphemisms or cryptic references.


    Hardly anyone dared to discuss Trevon openly.


    Unbeknownst to Natalie, her actions had caught Trevon off guard as well. Due to Mia’s connections,


    some individuals who did not win the bid gathered the courage to demand a review and a fair re-


    bidding process. This was in response to murmurs and behind-the-scenesints from influential


    figures who were well-endowed. Feeling somewhat helpless, the leadership eventually conducted a


    RêAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    thorough investigation.


    Naturally, they had discreetly approached Trevon beforehand to seek his insights.


    They knew the importance of maintaining a harmonious rtionship with such a powerful man and


    didn’t want to risk offending him.