Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I was still totally zoned out even after the press conference wrapped up and the TV switched to commercials.

Snapping back to reality, I grabbed my phone and dialed Ethan.

The phone rang once, twice, three times still no answer. My chest felt heavy, like something was sitting on it, making it hard to breathe.

It was 9:30 PM. Ethan should've been back at the hotel by now. What the heck was he doing that he couldn't pick up?

I let my mind spiral for about five minutes, feeling like absolute crap. Just as I was about to call again, my phone rang.

The ringtone played for a bit. I took a deep breath and answered.

"What? Miss me already?" Ethan's teasing voice came through.

Trying to stay cool, I asked, "Yeah. Where you at?"

"At the hotel, just got out of the shower, about to crash," he said.

It was super quiet on his end, so I figured he was actually at the hotel, not out partying.

"So early, no social stuff?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

He chuckled softly and asked, "What, you don't trust me?"

I stayed silent, so he kept going. "The event ended early. Don't worry. I took your advice and didn't drink."

His attempt to cheer me up didn't really work. I kept picturing Ethan at the press conference, and it made me uneasy. "Over the phone, sure, whatever you say," I replied.

"Hold on a sec," he said.

Then, silence.

I waited anxiously for a minute, and then my phone buzzed with a notification.

"Cat Who Loves Fish" had sent me a bunch of pictures.

"See? This is my hotel room," Ethan's voice came through the receiver.

Turns out he had gone to take photos. The pics showed his room from every angle.

"Rest assured, I'm definitely staying faithful," he said with a smile in his voice.

I didn't bring up the press conference. I decided to play dumb and see if he'd mention it when he got back.

"Go to bed early, honey. Don't miss me too much. Goodnight."

Before hanging up, he gave me a warm reminder.

But after hanging up, I couldn't sleep.

He had gone to see Faye behind my back. Even though he made her leave Starlight City, he still couldn't let her go.

If Faye became a big star because of this movie, a beautiful and popular actress would obviously be a better match for Ethan's status. What would I be then?

I didn't sleep well all night and woke up late the next morning.

As soon as I cracked my eyes open, I remembered I had a road test that day. When I saw the time, I nearly lost it. I barely washed up and bolted to the test site, skipping breakfast entirely. Michael looked like he wanted to throttle me. But he held back, probably afraid of messing with my head before the test. In the end, he just said, "Don't be nervous."

But when I got in the driver's seat, my mind was all over the place.

So, yeah, I bombed the test.

When I came out, Michael let me have it.

"Emily, did you think you were driving a go-kart? Haven't you been practicing? Why'd you mess up as soon as you got to the test?"

I hung my head and mumbled, "I'm sorry, Michael. I didn't sleep well last night, so..."

"Again? What are you doing at night?"

I was stunned for a sec before I remembered that the last time I messed up, I used the same excuse.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking down even more.

After another round of Michael's ranting, I finally left the test site.

Already feeling like crap, failing the test was just the final straw. I walked down the street, totally bummed out.

I almost got hit by a car while crossing the street 'cause I wasn't paying attention to the traffic light. Luckily, someone yanked me back.

The car zoomed past, bringing a gust of wind and the driver's curses.

When I looked up, I saw it was Faris who saved me.

He looked down at me and teased, "Failing the test isn't a reason to give up on life, you know?"

I didn't plan to stick around and was about to leave.

He grabbed my arm. "Where you headed? I'll give you a ride."

"No need, thanks," I said coldly, not even looking back.

"I heard Victor busted Ethan's head and got so mad he ended up in the hospital?" Faris's slow voice came from behind.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to look at him.

He leaned against his car, lit a cigarette, and looked up with a smug smile.

I got it and said sarcastically, "No wonder you didn't care about fifteen grand. A piece of land in Starlight City is worth way more. You're really something."

Faris didn't get mad. He just smiled and said, "I've already started construction on that land. Wanna check it out?"

After five seconds of hesitation, I got into his car.

We finally stopped at Silent Grove Village.

He rolled down the window and pointed to a piece of land next to Silent Grove Village, where excavators were leveling a hill.

"I'm planning a big project."

I never expected the land Ethan gave Faris would be right next to Silent Grove Village.

"What are you planning to build?" I asked.

The cold winter air blew in, but Faris looked as content as if he were basking in the spring sun. "A cemetery."

I was so shocked I couldn't close my mouth, and I finally understood why Victor was so furious.

Silent Grove Village was an entertainment and tourism project. Building a cemetery next to it would totally tank its business. "Why?" I asked.

Faris leaned back in his seat, took a leisurely puff of his cigarette, and smiled. "Because I like it."

I felt like Faris was doing this on purpose to mess with the Windsor family.

But if Ethan knew Faris was gonna do this and still gave him the land, did that mean Faris's target for revenge was only Victor?

After a while, Faris drove away. After a short distance, he suddenly turned his head and asked, "Can you do me a favor?"

His tone was pretty sincere at that moment, but he's the kind of guy who never plays by the rules, always setting traps for people. "What?" I looked at him suspiciously.

He clenched his fist and brought it to his mouth, coughing lightly, looking a bit embarrassed.

"My grandma's been mad at me for a long time, and I've been too scared to see her. But she's getting old, and I want to visit her. If I bring someone along, she might not give me a hard time." "I'm not going," I said firmly without even thinking.

Faris glanced at me, smiled faintly, and said forcefully, "You're going whether you like it or not."

Was this how he asked someone for a favor?

I demanded to get out of the car, but he ignored me.

It wasn't until I didn't know how many times I reiterated my demand to get out that he lazily glanced at me.

"What's the rush? We're almost there."

As soon as he finished speaking, he made a sharp turn, driving into a village and finally stopping in front of a small farmhouse.

"Get out," he said.

I got out of the car, reluctantly following him towards the small courtyard.

The gate was open, and under the eaves sat an elderly woman, about sixty or seventy years old, wearing reading glasses and doing some needlework.

Hearing footsteps, Cindy Melville looked up, pushed her glasses up her nose, and squinted at us.

"Faris, you finally decided to come back?" Cindy's first words were indeed a scolding.

Faris walked over quickly and said in a small, ingratiating voice, "Grandma, we have a guest. Please don't embarrass me."

Cindy looked at me, standing behind Faris.

"And who is this young lady?"

Faris suddenly grabbed my hand. "She's my girlfriend, Emily."

"What are you talking about?" I glared at Faris, trying to pull my hand away from his.

But he held on tightly, leaning close to my ear and whispering so only I could hear, "Just play along, okay? I'll owe you one."

"My grandma's been hoping I'd bring a girlfriend home. Just make her happy, okay? I'm begging you."

I glared at him with a look that could kill.

Cindy's eyes lit up immediately. She put down her needlework and waved me over.

"Emily, come here, let me see you."

Not wanting to disappoint Cindy, I slowly walked over.

Cindy held my hand and started asking me all sorts of questions. When she learned I was an orphan, her face was full of sympathy.

Just when I was about to be overwhelmed, Faris pulled me up and said, "Grandma, you've been talking so much. We're hungry." Cindy seemed to realize this and quickly stood up to make dinner.

While Cindy was busy cooking, I said, "You should explain things to your grandma. I'm leaving."

I turned to leave, but Faris grabbed me, looking down with a serious and sincere expression.

"Just stay for dinner, okay? You see how happy my grandma is. How can you bear to break her heart?"

Not wanting to hurt Cindy's feelings, I stayed for dinner.

Faris kept piling food on my plate, and Cindy praised him. "Emily, you see, Faris does know how to take care of people."

Faris put some food on Cindy's plate and said with a smile, "Grandma, I've always taken care of people, haven't I? Don't you feel it?"

Cindy laughed heartily. "Whether you take care of me or not doesn't matter anymore. Just take care of your girlfriend."

After dinner, as we were leaving, Cindy walked me out of the courtyard, holding my hand and urging me to visit often.

I obediently agreed on the surface, but in my heart, I vowed never to come back.

In the car on the way back, I seriously said, "You'd better explain things to your grandma to avoid giving her false hope."

Faris suddenly raised his hand, and I thought he was going to hit me, so I instinctively dodged.

He was stunned, as if amused by my reaction, and then turned on the music.

Turns out he just wanted to listen to music.

After a while, he said with a smile, "Even false hope is better than none."

I thought, in fact, that every elderly person's feelings were the same. Ethan's grandfather and Faris's grandmother all hope for the best for their descendants.

"You should find a girlfriend to make her truly happy," I said.

Faris didn't respond, so I turned to look at him.

He was looking ahead, a faint smile on his lips. After a while, he said, "Other people want to be my girlfriend, but I don't give them the chance. You should feel honored."

I rolled my eyes at Faris's smugness and stared out the window, ignoring him.

Faris parked the car outside the villa. As I got out, I saw Ethan standing on the second-floor balcony, looking at me.