Shortly after, she placed a call to cancel her leave of absence.

Life had to go on, after all, and she still had a younger brother to support.

The next day, she reported for work as usual.

The front desk suddenly called her down, stating that a strange woman she had never met before was asking to see her.

Filled with confusion, Chloe walked into the reception lounge and instantly spotted Lyndsey, who was dressed in glittering jewels and looked conspicuously pretentious.

Strangely enough, while she was certain she shouldn't know such a person, the woman felt inexplicably familiar.

Chloe stepped forward with a professional smile: "Hello, ma'am, were you looking for me?"

Holding her coffee cup, Lyndsey looked up at her with immense arrogance: "Are you the woman who went on a blind date with Er—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Lyndsey caught a clear view of Chloe's face.

The coffee cup slipped from her fingers in sheer terror and shattered against the floor.

Wasn't this woman the very person from whom she had stolen the bracelet that night?

She was Eric’s true savior! How could it possibly be her!

Chloe couldn't comprehend why Lyndsey was exhibiting such a bizarre reaction, so she merely maintained her professional smile and asked, "Is something wrong, ma'am?"

Panic consumed Lyndsey's mind, and she pushed past Chloe, fleeing the room in frantic haste, terrified that Chloe might recognize her.

Only when she returned to the villa Eric had gifted her and ran her hands over the luxury items filling her walk-in closet did she finally manage to calm down.

If this woman named Chloe did not die, her secret of masquerading as Eric’s savior could be exposed at any given second!

A murderous glint gradually crept into her eyes.

This Chloe absolutely had to die!

Chapter 4: The Entire World Collapses

The Riverfront Hotel.

Night fell completely as the rain outside poured heavier by the minute.

Chloe glanced at the time, an inexplicable sense of unease creeping into her heart.

It was already past eight o'clock, and Zack had not arrived yet, even though they had agreed that he would come pick her up from work today.

A sharp ringing tone broke the silence.

The phone suddenly chimed, and as Chloe stared at the unfamiliar number on the screen, her chest tightened instantly: "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Chloe? Your brother has been in a car accident. He is currently at Mercy Hospital..."

The rain came down in a furious torrent.

Chloe rushed frantically into the downpour to hail a taxi, but at this hour, every single cab passing the hotel gates was already occupied. She couldn't find a ride at all.

With a sharp screech of brakes, a sleek car slowed down and pulled up right in front of her.

The window rolled down smoothly, and her eyes met Eric's detached gaze.

At that moment, she cast all reservations aside, pleading through choked sobs, "Mr. Vance, something happened to my brother, and he's at the hospital right now. Could you please drive me there? I beg of you..."

The torrential rain had soaked Chloe completely, streams of water tracing down her hair, and as Eric looked at her crimson eyes, a certain string in his heart seemed to be struck deeply by her.

"Get in."

The hospital.

The light above the operating room remained illuminated for a very long time.

Chloe stared blankly at the red sign, standing completely motionless as a small puddle of rainwater formed beneath her feet.

It felt as though she had been transported back to that night years ago when her parents were taken from her; on that night, the red light had burned for an eternity while she held her tiny brother, feeling utterly abandoned by the entire world.

And now, it was happening all over again.

Only this time, she didn't even have a single shoulder to lean on, because the very last family member she possessed lay inside that room.

Countless thoughts raced through her mind, yet she couldn't grasp onto a single one.

Only Zack's bright, smiling face kept flashing before her eyes.

He had said, "Chlo, don't work yourself so hard. Once I start making money, I'll take care of you..."

He had said, "Chlo, you get so tired every day. I can skip the evening study sessions to stay home and cook for you. It's all the same wherever I study anyway..."

He had said, "Chlo, I'm coming to pick you up after work..."

Chloe was entirely unaware that tears were streaming down her face, while Eric, who for some reason had chosen not to leave, watched her silently from the side.

Late into the night.

Chloe sat frozen on a bench in the hallway when a cup of hot milk suddenly appeared before her eyes. Lifting her head in a daze, she realized it was actually Eric.

She hesitated for a few seconds before accepting the milk, her voice hoarse as she spoke: "Mr. Vance, Zack will be fine, right?"

Before Eric could even respond, the light above the operating room suddenly snapped from red to green.

The surgeon walked out, and Chloe immediately lunged forward: "Doctor, how is my brother?"

The doctor pulled off his surgical mask, his expression heavy with sorrow: "I am truly sorry."

Those four words slammed brutally against her chest, shattering her entire world into pieces.

"No, that's impossible! Zack is still so young, nothing could have happened to him!"

Suddenly, she grabbed the doctor's hand, pleading desperately, "Please, doctor, save him! I beg of you..."

The doctor allowed her to cling to his arm, remaining entirely silent.

The gurney, draped beneath a stark white sheet, was wheeled out from the theatre, leaving nothing in Chloe’s vision but that heartbreaking white and a devastating streak of crimson.

She trembled uncontrollably, reaching out her hands only to grasp empty air, before her entire body went limp and she collapsed onto the floor.

A day later, outside the corridor of the morgue.

The police arrived to take her statement.

"Miss Chloe, the location where your brother was struck is not far from your workplace, but there are no surveillance cameras in that area. We only have a witness account stating that a red supercar struck your brother and fled the scene."

Chloe was dressed entirely in black, her eyes appearing as lifeless as a corpse.

She asked softly, "Once you catch the driver, can they be sentenced to death?"

The officers were stunned by her question, and it took a long moment before one of them stammered, "Miss Chloe, that... I'm afraid... it's highly unlikely..."

A hit-and-run; a human life extinguished.

Death truly was the most cruel separation in this world.

Chloe could no longer shed any tears.

Behind her, Eric kept his eyes lowered and remained silent, unable to comprehend why he still hadn't departed.

Perhaps it was because she reminded him of someone—of the woman who, when he was only eight years old, had died in a car accident brought on by her husband's infidelity.

Once the police departed, he finally stepped up to Chloe’s side.

"I will take you home." He was unaware that his voice at this moment could actually be described as gentle.

Chloe froze slightly, seemingly surprised that he was still present, before she murmured vacantly, "Home... I don't have a home anymore."

"As long as you are still here, you can build a home for yourself."

His words acted like a sudden surge of strength, and Chloe’s eyes finally lost that bleak, grey quality that had been bothering him so much.

After dropping Chloe off at her apartment, Eric pulled out his phone with a trace of annoyance, discovering dozens of missed calls from Lyndsey.

He turned the car around and drove toward the villa.

"Eric!" The moment she saw him, Lyndsey rushed into his arms, weeping hysterically. "What should I do? I've made a terrible mistake! I didn't mean to do it! He just ran out of nowhere, and my brakes failed, so I accidentally hit him!"

Eric's brows knitted tightly as he pulled her away from him.

Suppressing the fierce urge to throw away the clothes she had stained with her tears, he asked coldly, "What happened?"

Lyndsey wept like a fragile flower, looking entirely aggrieved: "Last night... near The Riverfront Hotel, I hit someone with my car. But I swear I didn't do it on purpose! For the sake of me saving your life, Eric, please help me, okay? I don't want to go to prison!"

An accident near The Riverfront Hotel... it was Chloe's brother!

After a long, heavy silence, Eric's brow remained furrowed, his face dark and absolute as he spoke in a tone that brooked no argument: "I will have someone arrange for you to go abroad."

Chapter 5: Tears Like Wilting Flowers

Lyndsey's eyes tightened in panic; if she were sent abroad, how could she ever hope to marry Eric!

She opened her mouth to protest, but seeing the faint trace of fury written across his face, she didn't dare say another word.