Chapter 13: What Can No Longer Be Obtained

"Hmph—!" Eric suddenly released his grip with immense force, causing Lyndsey to lose her footing and crash violently onto the floor.

Lyndsey gasped sharply from the intense pain of the impact, yet her heart remained entirely devoid of fear.

She was no longer the defenseless girl she once was; since she had possessed the audacity to return from abroad, she had naturally come prepared!

Eric stared down at her from his imposing height, his voice carrying an icy finality: "I can ensure that your existence becomes a living hell."

Lyndsey struggled to push herself up from the floor, casting a rather disheveled look toward him: "Then let us see who prevails. In any case, that foolish woman Chloe is already dead. The things I, Lyndsey, failed to obtain... did she manage to secure them either?"

With a cold snort, she turned on her heel and marched out of the executive suite.

From the very beginning, she had never harbored a single shred of affection for Eric Vance. The solitary objects of her desire were the coveted title of Mrs. Vance and the immense wealth he controlled.

At the mention of Chloe’s name, a wave of intense agony and profound remorse flooded Eric's heart.

"Starting this very day, I want this woman's existence turned into a living hell!" he barked savagely, kicking his massive mahogany desk as he delivered the command to his assistant.

Rarely witnessing his employer fly into such a towering rage, the assistant nodded frantically in agreement before retreating from the room.

Following the devastating fire at the villa, Eric's initial instinct had been to commission a team to restore the structure to its exact original state.

However, after his assistant brought the suspicious nature of the incident to light, he grew certain that Lyndsey’s hand was behind the tragedy, prompting him to order a thorough investigation.

He took up residence within the old apartment where Chloe had spent her youth. Though the lifestyle there lacked the luxury and convenience he was accustomed to, it was the solitary location where his soul could find enough peace to drift into slumber.

To the outside world, the prominent Mr. Vance appeared no different than he always had.

Yet Eric knew better than anyone that with the passage of time, his existence was slowly dissolving into a hollow void.

Chloe’s departure had permanently dragged away the solitary trace of warmth his life had ever known. His natural disposition was freezing, and he had never harbored an interest in women.

Throughout those years, the sole reason he had treated Lyndsey with such care was due to his belief that she was his savior.

Yet he had never once possessed the desire to touch her form. The only individual capable of eliciting such reactions from him was Chloe; even when he was buried beneath misconceptions, believing her to be a greedy, calculated woman, his body had still yearned for her presence.

Eric refused to label these emotions as love, because the realization that he had personally orchestrated the destruction of the woman he loved was enough to drive a man completely insane.

He forced himself to maintain a facade of absolute calm, comforting his mind with the lie that his sorrow was merely temporary—that it would fade with time, and he was simply struggling to adjust to her sudden absence.

Yet once a soul has experienced true warmth, returning to a frozen existence is no simple task.

"Knock, knock, knock—" A sudden rapping on the door broke the silence.

Eric's eyes lit up with a sudden brilliance, and he sprinted forward to fling the door open: "Chloe!"

But upon discovering the identity of the individual standing before him, the light in his eyes instantly vanished.

The elderly neighbor from down the hall stood there holding a plate of fresh dumplings, freezing slightly at his reaction: "Oh, young man, it's you. I noticed the lights burning in this apartment for the past few days, and I thought Chloe had finally returned. As it turns out, it's just you. Why have you moved in?"

Eric's gaze turned as absolutely still as a stagnant well, incapable of producing a single ripple of emotion: "Chloe... she is my wife."

This was the very first time he had openly acknowledged Chloe as his wife to an outsider, yet the recipient of that title would likely never hear it.

The elderly woman froze in surprise: "Well, bless my soul! So you two are married! Where is Chloe then? Did she not return to live here with you?"

The darkness in his eyes deepened significantly, yet no words could form past his lips.

The elderly woman slid the plate of dumplings forward: "It's perfectly normal for a young couple to have their disagreements. A little coaxing is all it takes to mend things. My family prepared some fresh dumplings today; you ought to boil some to eat. Chloe and her brother used to adore the dumplings we made!"

Eric accepted the offering, offering a stiff, hollow word of thanks.

He gently closed the door, allowing the oppressive silence to reclaim the apartment once more.

He walked silently into the kitchen, washing a pot, boiling water, and placing a few seasonings into a bowl.

Listening to the gradual bubbling of the water, Eric's consciousness was dragged back to a distant memory.

He recalled how throughout their three years of marriage, Chloe would constantly busy herself within the kitchen, preparing meals for his return.

In his memory, the food Chloe prepared was exceptionally delicious. Even though he would constantly maintain a freezing expression and offer no words of praise, he would always unknowingly consume a larger portion.

The water in the pot reached a roaring boil.

Eric retrieved the dumplings from the water, extinguished the flame, and carried the meal over to the small dining table.

He took a silent bite, a dense, suffocating pain rippling through his chest.

In truth, the flavor could not compete with the finest delicacies he had tasted, yet unlike the meals found in extravagant restaurants, it carried the unmistakable scent of a home.

Eric could even vividly visualize the exact expressions Chloe and Zack must have worn while seated at this very table sharing a plate of dumplings—how the siblings would laugh and converse, sharing the amusing anecdotes of their day.

His eyes turned a sudden, fiery red as he finally recognized just how utterly farcical his behavior had been over the past three years.

As he sat frozen at the table for an eternity, the sudden ringing of his phone broke the silence.

He answered the call, and his assistant's frantic voice rushed through the speaker: "Mr. Vance, we've discovered that Lyndsey entered into a secret alliance with Isabella long ago. With her protection shielding her, it is proving exceptionally difficult to make a move against Lyndsey at this moment!"

Chapter 14: One Wrong Step

Isabella!

Eric’s gaze darkened significantly as he suddenly understood the absolute confidence Lyndsey had displayed upon her departure that day.

As it turned out, she had secured Isabella as her financial backer. Did she truly believe that with his stepmother shielding her, he would be entirely incapable of taking action against her?

"I understand. I will handle it personally. Have our people continue looking into the villa fire," Eric commanded before terminating the call with his assistant.

In a matter of moments, he had pieced together the underlying connection between Lyndsey and Isabella.

Four years ago, Lyndsey had been escorted out of the country by his own arrangement. Given that a human life had been extinguished, she should have never possessed the audacity to return under normal circumstances. Yet, she had chosen to reappear precisely when his marriage agreement with Chloe was drawing to its conclusion.

In all likelihood, Lyndsey and Isabella had already entered into a secret alliance back then. Before the three-year mark could be reached, a catastrophic fire had claimed Chloe’s life, ensuring that the remaining corporate shares left behind by his grandfather could no longer fall into his grasp.

He had been entirely too careless! He had never once questioned the validity of Lyndsey rescuing his life all those years ago. He had failed to recognize that a single wrong step would ultimately lead to a cascade of irreversible errors!

The dumplings inside the bowl were still radiating thick plumes of steam, yet Eric had lost every single ounce of his appetite.

No matter what task he attempted to focus on, his consciousness would instinctively drift back to Chloe.

An existence devoid of her presence seemed to rob everything of its underlying purpose.

Yet clearly, he had navigated his life in this exact manner prior to her arrival. Why had it suddenly become completely unendurable?

Nevertheless, those who had harmed and broken her had yet to face retribution, and he had no intention of letting them escape lightly.

Eric vividly recalled that during their final encounter, Chloe had declared with absolute resolve that she would never let the matter rest—that she would make Lyndsey pay for her brother's life in blood!