"I have submitted evidence proving that the matter had nothing to do with the Landon Group, and they have already withdrawn their lawsuit."

As she spoke, both Lucas and his mother were stunned.

After a long silence, his mother asked slowly:

"You are Clara?"

She nodded with a smile.

His mother’s eyes were filled with appreciation and gratitude:

"When Lucas first said he wanted to marry you, I wasn't entirely satisfied because you were the marginalized 'true heiress,' but I never expected it would be you who saved our family."

"Clara, thank you."

Upon hearing this, Clara’s eyes flashed, and she glanced at Lucas inadvertently.

"You are too kind, ma'am."

"I had always assumed the marriage alliance was your idea. Was it actually Lucas who proposed it himself?"

As she spoke, her eyes locked onto Lucas.

He felt himself blush.

His mother smiled and nodded:

"Looking at it this way, Lucas’s taste in choosing a partner is better than mine."

"After this incident, I can rest easy knowing he’s marrying you."

Lucas remained silent.

His taste in women wasn't actually that good; if it weren't for the ten years of memories from his previous life, he wouldn't have known that this "Clara" who had just been found would be so capable.

During the ten years he spent in a mental institution, he had lived in the same room as Clara’s mentally ill mother.

Clara’s visits weren't scheduled.

Sometimes it was every week, sometimes once a month.

Their interactions weren't frequent.

It wasn't until Lucas jumped from the building and his soul was about to depart that he saw Clara crying as she held him, confessing her love for him.

Only then did he realize that Clara had been loving him in silence all along.

But because of his status as Joanna’s husband, she had never dared to take a step forward.

After being reborn into ten years ago, Clara was the only person Lucas could truly trust.

"Mrs. Landon, rest assured, I will cherish him."

Clara answered earnestly.

His mother nodded in comfort, then feeling exhausted, she drifted back into a deep sleep.

Lucas saw Clara out.

The two walked side-by-side in the hospital courtyard.

He spoke first:

"Clara, thank you."

She laughed lightly:

"You seem to be saying thank you to me constantly."

Lucas was startled, then lowered his eyes, feeling somewhat embarrassed:

"You’ve helped me so much that I don't know how to thank you properly."

Clara paused in her steps, her tone unusually serious:

"I helped you of my own free will, not asking for any repayment."

"Besides, I have already obtained what I wanted most."

He raised his eyes to meet her dark, ink-like gaze.

It was filled with surging emotions.

It crashed into his soul in an instant.

"Lucas, have you also been reborn?"

16

Lucas’s pupils contracted violently.

Immediately after, he noticed the specific word "also" in her sentence.

A terrifying thought arose in his mind.

Could it be—

That Clara had also been reborn?

In the next second, he heard her continue:

"You canceled your engagement with Joanna and chose to form a marriage alliance with me because you were reborn, right?"

He looked straight into her eyes; there was a power in them that was inexplicably reassuring.

He didn't want to hide anything from her and nodded.

"Yes, I died and was reborn ten years into the past."

A faint smile curled on Clara’s lips, and she added:

"Just as you guessed, I was reborn too."

"In my previous life, when I heard the news of your death, I regretted deeply that I hadn't stopped you in time."

"In this life, I used the fastest speed to deal with those people in the Clara family, but to my surprise, I still couldn't prevent the tragedy from happening..."

Her voice was laced with heavy guilt.

Lucas remembered the sight of her clutching his corpse, refusing to let go, and his heart softened:

"Clara, it’s not your fault."

"Without you, I’m afraid both the Landon family and my mother would have ended up on the same path as in the previous life."

"So, I’m really—"

Before he could finish, Clara stepped forward.

The distance between them was so close that he could count her thick eyelashes.

His heart skipped a beat involuntarily.

"Lucas—"

Her voice was lingering and seductive,

"I am so happy that you were willing to choose me in this life."

Her intense gaze made him unable to meet her eyes.

"Clara—"

"Call me Wanqing."

Her voice was soft but extremely assertive.

Lucas lowered his eyes, looking at her, unconsciously whispering:

"Wanqing—"

Her lips curved slightly, her breathing drawing closer.

He watched helplessly as her lips leaned in.

"What are you two doing?!"

A familiar female voice rang out from behind, filled with boundless rage.

Lucas turned his head and saw Joanna with red, swollen eyes.

Clara frowned and stood in front of him, instinctively protecting him.

"Lucas, come with me!"

Joanna looked at Clara, finding her eyesore in every way, and spoke with a livid face.

Before Lucas could speak, Clara looked Joanna up and down with a condescending attitude, her lips curling into a cold, mocking sneer:

"Joanna, who do you think you are?"

"Daring to openly snatch my fiancé right in front of me?"

"Your fiancé?"

Clara’s words easily ignited Joanna’s anger. She clenched her fists, wishing she could slap the woman in front of her to death.

"Lucas is the future CEO of the Jiang Group! He is my husband!"

"Joanna!"

Lucas spoke coldly, his tone extremely impatient,

"Our engagement has already been canceled; please stop treating me like your private property."

There was no love in his eyes, only a faint irritation that made Joanna’s heart feel stifled.

She hurriedly explained:

"I know you are still angry with me, but I have already investigated the matter."

"It was Julian who was pulling the strings behind the scenes. It was my blindness that led me to mistake a fish eye for a pearl."

"Lucas, come back with me. I swear, this will never happen again."

Her voice was rarely laced with a hint of pleading.

"Please, forgive my previous foolish behavior."

In both lifetimes combined, this was the first time Joanna had ever lowered her head to him.

However, Lucas didn't feel much of a ripple in his heart.

This apology and concession came too late; he hadn't cared for a long time.

"Joanna, I will not forgive you."

His words made her snap her head up, staring at him in disbelief.

Lucas’s expression was calm.

He just didn't care anymore, which didn't mean he could forget the bone-deep pain he had suffered.

In the previous life, the pain of hearing about the deaths of his parents, the despair of being forced to the hospital rooftop with no choice but to jump...

He couldn't forget those intense emotions and memories.

Nor did he dare to forget them.

Lucas’s words left Joanna with the things she wanted to say stuck in her throat.

She had envisioned many scenarios—him crying, scolding, getting angry, or questioning—but she had never expected this one.

His tone sounded so calm, yet his words were extremely cruel.

Joanna took a deep breath and pulled out a forced smile:

"I will compensate you. I will transfer all my equity in the Jiang Group to you."

"You will be the sole owner of the Jiang Group, and even if it’s me, you can kick me out if you want to."

She pointed at Clara and said,

"Can she do that?"

"Even if she saved the Landon family, what can she, a CEO who just took office, do in front of the board of directors?"

"She cannot provide you with the security you want."

But Lucas remained unmoved.

He chuckled, his eyes full of disdain:

"Joanna, what I care about has never been money."

"I have nothing to say to you. Please don't come looking for me again."

With that, he took Clara’s hand and prepared to leave.

"Lucas!"

Joanna’s voice trembled; she reached out to grab him,

"I don't believe that you can let me go so easily."

Lucas was silent for a moment.

Letting her go indeed hadn't been easy; it had taken him ten full years.

He shook off her hand:

"Joanna, enough. Further entanglement is meaningless."

Seeing that Joanna was still refusing to give up, Clara finally lost her patience.

She slapped Joanna across the face.

Joanna stumbled back and fell to the ground.

"Joanna, stay away from Lucas!"

"Otherwise, I will make the Jiang Group suffer a miserable fate!"

With that, she protected Lucas and left quickly.

Just as Joanna was about to pursue them, her phone rang.

Her assistant’s panicked voice rang out:

"Miss, it’s bad! The international luxury giants have changed their target of litigation and are pointing their spears directly at the Jiang Group!"

After that, she did not appear in front of Lucas again.

He was happy to enjoy the peace.

Half a year later, he and Clara held their wedding of the century.

On the day of the wedding, he received the wedding gift money sent by Joanna.

A thick envelope.

Clara looked at the envelope with a hint of jealousy and spoke indignantly:

"If I had known, I should have stomped on the Jiang Group while they were going bankrupt too!"

Lucas casually set the gift money aside, looking at her with a smile in his eyes:

"Wanqing, I love you."

The single sentence was enough to make her forget everything else.

Her small face flushed bright red.

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her lips.

He thought, his future—

Had only just begun.

[End of Story]