Time had moved on, yet Kevin still carried that same distant grace, though something in him now felt more grounded and settled.

Back then, five years earlier, Roselyn had gone to the countryside to see her uncle, Arthur Cunningham. During that visit, Arthur had brought home a man who had tumbled down a hillside.

That man, as fate would have it, was Kevin Wheeler.

It was only later that Roselyn came to understand the meaning behind his name in Oresey.

No family matched the Wheelers in wealth or power.

Being the only heir, Kevin held control over a large part of the northern region's economy. Power and privilege had always been part of his life.

Light itself seemed drawn to him, as if it chose to rest on him.

After the call ended, Roselyn put on a polite smile. "It's been a while. How have you been?" she said.

Kevin gave a short reply. "I'm fine."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. Knowing someone like him meant Stefan had truly climbed high.

Once they got into the car, Roselyn took her place in the back seat. Her posture stayed straight, and her hands rested on her knees.

She sat stiffly, like a student in front of a strict teacher, careful not to make any mistake.

Kevin didn't need to speak. The air around him already felt heavy.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Roselyn thanked him and quickly pushed the door open.

A faint look crossed Kevin's face. Was she really that uneasy around him?

Inside the elevator, only the two of them stood there, and the same tension crept back in.

Kevin broke the silence. "How's Arthur?"

For a brief moment, Roselyn didn't respond. Tears slowly filled her eyes. "He's gone. It's been six months."

Even as Roselyn spoke, her voice wavered, and the grief she tried to hold back still showed.

Everything had happened without warning. Losing him had not been something she could accept easily, and the pain had stayed with her for a long time.

Without Arthur back then, she and her mother would have had nowhere to turn.

Hearing that, Kevin went quiet. He had been away overseas for years and had only come back recently, so he hadn't known any of this.

Regret passed through Kevin's eyes. He lifted his hand and rested it lightly on Roselyn's head. "I'm sorry."

The touch caught Roselyn off guard, and she stiffened before lowering her head at once.

A soft sound signaled the elevator had reached the third floor.

As she stepped out, something pulled Roselyn's attention toward a private dining room with the door left slightly open, and she stopped.

Noticing her reaction, Kevin followed her line of sight. Inside, several people sat around a table, laughing and celebrating. At the center, a large cake had been placed.

Near the table, a man stood close to a woman with their backs facing the door, and he carefully put a necklace around her neck.

The sight struck Roselyn hard, and her eyes turned red right away.

Looking at her, Kevin spoke in a low voice. "You know them?"

"Yeah..." Roselyn said, forcing her tone to stay steady. "That's my husband. And the woman with him is his mistress. She's also my half-sister."

That necklace Adrian had just placed on Emma had been something he secured months ago. He once told Roselyn it would be her birthday present.

Now, it rested on Emma instead.

The situation felt almost unreal.

Talking about something like that felt humiliating, yet Adrian had never tried to keep things hidden. People around them had known all along, while Roselyn remained the last to find out. Behind her back, she had turned into something people laughed about.

Since the divorce would be finalized in a month, keeping quiet no longer mattered.

Pushing down the bitterness, Roselyn looked away and headed for another private room.

For a short while, Kevin stayed where he was, watching her leave before he finally spoke.

"Roselyn."

At the sound of her name, Roselyn stopped and turned around.

Kevin walked closer, his voice calm and firm. "Your uncle once saved my life, and I haven't forgotten that. Ask for anything, and I'll make it happen."

Those words caught Roselyn off guard, and her eyes brightened.

Doubt crept in for a moment. Was he serious?

She hadn't expected Kevin to go this far.

"Then... thank you," Roselyn said, her voice filled with sincerity.

...

Walking into the private room, Roselyn greeted them. "Uncle Frank, Aunt Janice, Stefan."

Without hesitation, Janice Hudson reached for her and guided her to sit beside her. Concern showed on her face as she looked Roselyn over. "What happened to you? You've gotten so thin. Have you been working so much that you're skipping meals?"

Her hand rose to her cheek, and Roselyn hesitated, unsure what to say.

Once work took over, everything else faded into the background.

Meals often slipped her mind until the pain forced her to notice, and medication had become something she depended on.

If not for the checkup last week, she wouldn't have realized the truth. What she thought was a small problem had already turned into stomach cancer.

From what the doctor said, it wasn't just her eating habits that caused it. The strain she had been carrying for so long had also played a part.

Everything she kept inside had slowly taken its toll.

The past repeated itself in the worst way. Emma's mother had once taken Roselyn's father, and now Emma had done the same by taking her husband.

How ironic.

Both of them had torn apart other families, and somehow, Roselyn had let her own life fall apart because of them. The whole thing felt almost ridiculous.

At this point, her body demanded more than just medicine. She needed a steady routine and a calm state of mind.

The moment Roselyn stopped letting them matter, a sense of relief slowly settled in.

When no answer came, Janice leaned closer, concern showing on her face. "Roselyn, did you hear me?"

Coming back to herself, Roselyn gave a small smile. "I've been eating on time. It's just the weather. Wearing lighter clothes makes me look thinner."

Just then, Frank slid the menu over to her. "Go ahead and pick anything you like. Don't think about saving money for Stefan. He just got promoted today, so this meal is for him."

Taking the menu, Roselyn looked at him. "Congrats, Stefan."

With a nod and a grin, Stefan replied, "Come on, don't hold back. Order whatever you want."

After a quick look through the options, Roselyn chose a few simple and affordable dishes.

Looking over Roselyn's choices, Frank couldn't hide his dissatisfaction. "Why are you only eating this? A salad and soup won't do anything for you. You've lost too much weight. Get something proper."

Before Roselyn could respond, Frank reached for the menu and added several warm dishes she used to enjoy.

As the meal went on, Janice kept filling Roselyn's plate, making sure each serving was something she liked.

Despite that, Roselyn barely touched the food. After a few bites, she found it hard to continue.

Janice caught on right away. "Roselyn, what's the matter? Does it not taste good?"

Roselyn gave a small shake of her head. "It's fine, really. I had something earlier, so I'm not very hungry."

In truth, her condition had taken away her appetite, but she kept that to herself to avoid worrying them.

Not long after, a dull discomfort spread through her stomach. Roselyn pushed her chair back and stood. "I'll step out for a bit," she said before heading toward the restroom.

As she passed the smoking lounge, familiar voices reached her ears. They belonged to people who often stayed around Adrian.

"Adrian, you're staying out tonight again? Didn't your wife start calling you already?" one of them said.

"Knowing her, she definitely did. Adrian probably shut her down right away."

"She used to watch his every move. Anyone would get tired of that. No surprise he lost interest. After so long, there's nothing left."

"Come on, Emma's on a different level. Looks, figure, family, everything. Anyone would pick her."

Their careless tone made it clear Adrian had never tried to stop them from speaking like that.

Lowering her head, Roselyn let out a quiet laugh at herself and turned away.

Inside the lounge, Adrian sat with his head lowered, a cigarette between his fingers. Through the drifting smoke, a familiar figure caught his eye.

Without hesitation, he stubbed the cigarette out and stepped outside.

His sudden move made the others follow, each putting out their cigarettes as they went after him.

"Roselyn," Adrian called sharply. "So this is your new move now? Calling wasn't enough, so you decided to trail after me?"

The people around him went still, glancing at one another with unease.

None of them had expected her to appear here.

Roselyn's brother, Cristian Hudson, had specifically chosen a private VIP room to keep Emma's birthday dinner quiet. Roselyn's presence disrupted that sense of control.

No one could tell how much Roselyn had already heard.

Roselyn halted where she stood, and a sudden ache tightened in her chest.

Without warning, a memory came back. There was a time when Adrian had stood in front of her, shielding her without hesitation.

That version of him overlapped with the man in front of her now. He once cared deeply for her.

At some point, that love shifted into irritation and distance.

Taking a slow breath, Roselyn composed herself before turning back with a faint smile. "You're mistaken. I came here to eat. You're not the reason I'm here."

Roselyn moved to leave for the restroom, but Adrian reached out and caught her arm.

Adrian's patience snapped. "Roselyn, do you have to do this here? I'm meeting people for work. You're making things uncomfortable."

Without raising her voice, Roselyn pulled her arm free. "What exactly did I do?"

Even something as simple as walking to the restroom was now considered a problem. The thought almost made her laugh.

When she saw the shift back then, Roselyn held on to Adrian and wouldn't let go.

She knew what it felt like to be loved, so when that feeling disappeared, she recognized it right away.

Trying to force things back to how they used to be had been her mistake.

That wouldn't happen again.

A shift passed over Adrian's face, and his gaze turned even colder.

Sensing the tension, Adrian's friends quickly stepped in, trying to ease the situation.

"Roselyn, don't take it the wrong way. We're really just here for work."

Roselyn gave a small nod. "Alright. Then go ahead and continue."

Without waiting for anything else, Roselyn turned and walked off.

Once she faced away from them, a faint, mocking smile appeared on her lips.

Whether he was talking business or sharing something more personal with another woman no longer held any weight for her.

After one month, Adrian would simply become someone from her past.

As she disappeared from view, the group stood there, still unsettled.

"Adrian, she's always watching you closely."

"You might want to follow her and fix this before it gets worse."

Adrian looked toward where Roselyn had left, his irritation building. He took another cigarette from the pack, and someone stepped in to light it.

Taking a deep drag, he exhaled sharply. "Enough. Drop it."

After a few moments, the tension eased. Adrian turned around and headed back into the private room as though nothing had happened.

After stepping out of the restroom, Roselyn made her way back to the private room. The meal had already ended, and not long after, everyone began to leave.

Later that night, Roselyn returned home, but Adrian still hadn't shown up. She took a shower, then went straight to bed without waiting.

Sleep came easily, and the night passed without dreams.

Morning arrived, and Roselyn followed her usual routine by heading to work.

Once she completed last month's report, she walked over and knocked on Gerald's office door.

Gerald skimmed through the document, then gave an approving nod.

After she left, Gerald stayed seated for a moment before opening his drawer. He took out the resignation letter she had handed in the previous day and stood up, heading toward HR.

When the elevator doors slid open, he ran into Nate Robinson, the CEO's assistant. "Morning, Nate," Gerald said with a friendly smile.

Nate returned the greeting with a nod.

As the elevator began moving, Nate glanced at him. "Which floor are you heading to?"

"I'm going to the tenth," Gerald replied.

A brief pause followed before Nate spoke again, his tone light. "Handling paperwork with HR too?"

Gerald raised the document slightly. "Not exactly. I'm turning in a resignation. It's for Ms. Hudson."

Nate's expression shifted, surprise flickering across his face. "Wait, whose resignation?"

"Roselyn Hudson," Gerald answered, looking at him with mild confusion.

The reaction felt stronger than expected.

For a moment, Gerald wondered if Nate also didn't want to lose someone like her.

Gerald let out a quiet breath and shook his head. "I did what I could to change her mind, but she wouldn't budge. She said her health couldn't keep up with the job anymore. At that point, I had no grounds to argue. Nothing comes before that."

Nate was one of the few people who knew about Adrian and Roselyn's marriage.

Nate's eyes lowered to the name signed at the bottom of the document. There it was, written plainly. Roselyn Hudson. The sight caught him off guard for a brief second.

A faint, knowing curve formed on his lips. From what he had seen, Roselyn never showed any signs of being unwell. For her to suddenly claim illness felt questionable.

It looked more like a calculated move. Another way to draw Adrian's attention.

Another attempt that leaned into drama.

The elevator chimed as the doors opened. Gerald stepped out, while Nate stayed behind with the file before heading back toward the executive floor.

After passing the documents to a secretary, Nate noticed another one preparing to deliver a separate batch to the CEO's office.

Nate stepped forward and reached out. "Let me take those. I need to speak with Mr. Riley anyway."

With visible relief, the secretary handed them over. "Thanks, Nate. I owe you one. Coffee's on me next time."

She didn't mind at all. Her workload had already piled up.

Once she walked off, Nate approached the office door and knocked.

From inside, Adrian's voice came through, steady and low. "Come in."

Nate entered, placing the documents down before giving a thorough update on ongoing matters and the schedule for the day.

When he finished, he paused, weighing his next words. "There's something else I need to bring up."

Adrian lifted his gaze. "Go on."

Choosing his words with care, Nate continued, "It concerns your wife..."

Thinking back to the previous night, Adrian immediately assumed Roselyn had stirred up something again. His expression turned grim at once.

Nate hadn't even finished when Adrian cut him off, "You don't need to bring her up anymore. Whatever she does has nothing to do with me."

"Got it," Nate replied, pressing his lips together as he held back the rest of what he planned to say.

Anyone could tell Adrian had run out of patience with Roselyn. If that wasn't the case, he wouldn't react this way just hearing her name.

At this point, Adrian clearly had no interest in anything related to her.

With nothing more to add, Nate gathered the signed documents and walked out of the office.

Around noon, Roselyn headed to the company cafeteria. A few coworkers glanced at her, surprise showing on their faces.

After picking up her tray and finding a seat, someone she was familiar with came over and sat beside her.

The colleague leaned closer and spoke in a quiet tone. "Roselyn, you're not heading home to cook for your husband today?"

She knew Roselyn was married, but she had no idea who her husband actually was.

Roselyn pushed her food around with her fork. "Not today."

Before this, she would leave every noon to cook. Adrian rarely returned home, so she would pack the meals and bring them to him instead.

Seeing him eat what she made had once been enough to make her happy. That routine had gone on for years.

Later, she learned those meals often ended up thrown away.

Curiosity got the better of her colleague. "Did something happen between you two?" she asked.

Roselyn took a bite before answering, "He's seeing someone else." Her tone was casual as she spoke while chewing.

The colleague stopped talking and focused on her food.

The news shocked her. If she were in Roselyn's place, she would have confronted him right away. Yet Roselyn stayed composed.

Later in the afternoon, around three, Roselyn received a message from her business partner, Roger Gill.

It was the same topic as before. The Medical AI Research Department had contacted her again for the third time, and Roger asked if she wanted to turn it down once more.

He added a reminder. Chances like this didn't come often. If she rejected it again, there likely wouldn't be another offer.