Downstairs at the apartment building, he didn't say "get some rest" as he usually did; instead, he got out of the car with Elena.

"Uncle?"

"I don't want to leave today," Arthur said, looking at her.

Elena’s heart began to beat wildly.

"You..."

"I want to stay with you." He took a step forward. "Elena, I’ve already waited twelve years. I don't want to wait anymore."

Elena lowered her head, her fingers clutching the corner of her shirt.

The wind blew, quite cool, but his gaze was scorching.

"Okay," she said.

There were only the two of them in the elevator. She watched the floor numbers rise bit by bit, her heart pounding like a drum.

"Nervous?" he asked, looking down.

"A little."

Arthur laughed, reaching out to hold her hand; his palm was dry and warm.

"Don't be nervous; I’m not going to eat you."

The elevator doors opened, and Elena pulled his hand toward the apartment.

She unlocked the door and turned on the lights.

The small living room suddenly felt cramped because of his presence.

Elena stood in the entryway and turned to look at him.

"Arthur."

"Yes?"

"Are you really sure? Being with me means you have to face a lot of rumors and gossip. Others will say you’re a pervert, say that you raised me for over a decade just to—"

He didn't let Elena finish.

Arthur kissed her.

"I don't care what others say," he whispered against Elena’s lips. "I only care about you."

That night, he didn't leave.

The moonlight outside the window was bright, shining on his sleeping face.

Elena leaned in his arms, listening to his heartbeat—one beat after another, steady and strong.

Twelve years.

From age twelve to twenty-four, she could finally lie by Arthur’s side in the open.

Finally, she didn't have to write her secrets in a diary anymore.

Finally, she could say—Arthur, he belongs to Elena.

But when dawn broke, Elena opened her eyes and found no one beside her.

There was a note on the pillow in his handwriting:

[Elena, there is an emergency at the company, I left first. Breakfast is on the table.]

She picked up her phone and saw a news notification—

[Former Gu Group fiancée Cassie breaks the news: Arthur and his adopted daughter Elena are in an improper relationship; diary screenshots attached!]

Her blood froze instantly.

Cassie had lied to them.

She hadn't deleted them.

Elena’s hands were shaking.

The news page loaded, the headline so blindingly harsh it made her feel dizzy—

Gu Group President Arthur exposed in incestuous relationship with adopted daughter; woman’s diary exposed

The accompanying image was a screenshot of her diary.

The page read: "I want to be with him forever. Not the kind of being together of an uncle and a niece."

The comment section had already exploded.

[Pervert! You raised her for over a decade just to get your hands on her?]

[Things written when the woman was mentally incapacitated can’t possibly count as consensual, right?]

[Arthur is committing a crime!]

[I heard the woman was targeted by him as soon as she was cured. Disgusting.]

Chapter 23

Every comment felt like a knife blade digging into her eyes.

Elena called Arthur, but the line was busy. She called again; still busy.

Suddenly, a message popped up on her phone from Cassie’s number.

[Elena, did you think I would obediently take the money and leave? I also have photos of you and Arthur kissing in his office. I’m going to ruin you both.]

Elena felt an icy chill seep through her, but at the same time, a strange sense of calmness rose from the depths of her soul.

In Switzerland, her therapist had taught her: when the worst happens, don't panic—first, figure out exactly what you want.

What did she want?

She wanted Arthur.

She wanted to be with Arthur in the light, without secrets.

She wanted to silence everyone who was attacking them.

Elena took a deep breath, got dressed, and hailed a taxi straight to the Gu Group headquarters.

There was a swarm of reporters downstairs. Seeing her was like sharks catching the scent of blood; they rushed forward, cameras raised.

"Miss Elena! Is what was written in the diary true?"

"When did things start between you and Mr. Gu?"

"Did he do things to you when you were eight years old..."

Elena stopped.

The reporters, thinking she was about to answer, went instantly silent.

She looked at the female reporter in the front holding the microphone and said, "I came to the Gu family when I was twelve and began a relationship with Arthur when I was twenty-four."

"For the twelve years in between, our relationship was that of uncle and niece. Does anyone have proof that he did anything inappropriate toward me during those twelve years?"

No one answered.

"The diary is mine. Those were the secret crushes of a fifteen-year-old girl, written in a private journal. Is having a crush a crime?"

Elena turned and walked into the office building, leaving a profound silence behind her.

When the elevator reached the 88th floor and the doors opened, Arthur was on the phone.

He saw Elena, paused in surprise, then hung up the phone and walked over with long strides.

"Why are you here? There are reporters downstairs—"

"I know," Elena looked at him. "Arthur, hold a press conference."

"What?"

"Hold a press conference and set the record straight." She looked directly into Arthur’s eyes. "Are you afraid?"

Arthur stared at her for a few seconds and then suddenly smiled.

That smile held heartache, pride, and a sense of relief she had never seen before.

"Elena, you’ve grown very brave."

"Because when you weren't by my side, I had to rely on myself."

He reached out to touch Elena’s hair, then picked up the internal phone.

"Secretary Zhou, arrange a press conference for three o'clock this afternoon."

Three hours later, the largest conference room in the Gu Group was packed with reporters.

Arthur stood on stage, flanked by the company’s legal counsel and the PR director.

Elena did not go on stage; she sat in the first row.

One reporter took the lead: "Mr. Gu, Ms. Cassie alleges that you and Miss Elena are in an improper relationship. How do you respond?"

Arthur looked at the camera, his voice steady and powerful.

"First, Elena and I are not blood-related. She is the daughter adopted by my late brother and sister-in-law. Legally, I am her uncle, but there is no biological connection."

"Second, she came to me when she was twelve and we became a couple when she was twenty-four. During the twelve years in between, we never crossed the line."

"Third, from the time she was twenty-four until now, we have established a romantic relationship. It is the free choice of two consenting adults."

Another reporter stood up.

"But her diary was written when she was mentally incapacitated. As her guardian at the time—"

Arthur interrupted him: "At that time, her mental capacity was that of an eight-year-old. Writing in a diary is her privacy."

"As a minor, she had the right to keep a diary. Even if the content was about me, what is the problem with that?"

The reporter was speechless.

"Any other questions?" Arthur scanned the room. "If not, I have one last thing to say."

He paused.

"In this relationship with Elena, I was the one who fell in love first."

Chapter 24

"From the time she turned eighteen, I realized my feelings were inappropriate, so I kept pushing her away, sending her off, and even tried to marry someone else to escape them."

"But I failed."

"If you want to blame someone, blame me alone. She did nothing wrong."

The room was quiet for a few seconds, then erupted into even greater chaos.

"Mr. Gu, are you admitting that you had 'inappropriate' feelings for her?"

"What is inappropriate?" Arthur retorted. "Is it inappropriate to love someone?"

Elena sat in the audience, tears sliding silently down her cheeks.

After the press conference, Arthur walked over and, in front of all the reporters, held out his hand to her.

"Let's go. Let's go home."

She placed her hand in Arthur’s palm.

Behind them, the sound of camera shutters was like falling rain.

That evening, the forum thread updated.

[I held the press conference and admitted it. She is braver than I ever imagined.]

[From today on, I will not hide anymore.]

[I am going to marry her.]

The comment section was a mix of insults and blessings, but most people were asking: Who is that girl? Is she worthy of him?

Elena scrolled through the comments and suddenly received a private message.

It wasn't Cassie, but a stranger’s ID.

[Miss Elena, I am one of the people who gave your uncle advice years ago. Seeing you together makes me very happy. Don't worry about what others say; happiness belongs to you.]

Elena looked at the words and smiled.