Chapter 8

Arnold Lawson. Hearing that name again sent a surge of hatred through Felicia. She couldn't forget the cold, decisive way he had sent her to prison in her past life. Nor could she shake the memory of him looking down on her, bloodied and barely alive, judging her from above. She didn't even want to look at him. Felicia strode outside just as Eugene pulled up with the car. Without hesitation, she got in. "Drive," she commanded. With that, Eugene started the vehicle. At that moment, Arnold arrived at the Fuller residence in his own car. As their vehicles passed each other, he casually glanced out, momentarily blinded by the morning light. In that brief moment, he caught a glimpse of a flawless profile—a cool, striking, distant beauty—before it vanished. Arnold got out of his car and turned to look back, but before he could see clearly, he heard Kayla's cheerful voice behind him. "Arnie!" Arnold turned, his expression softening with a smile that made his already handsome face even more attractive. He reached out, affectionately ruffling Kayla's hair. Blushing, Kayla was about to say something when Arnold looked toward the end of the road and asked, "Was that the daughter that Mr. and Mrs. Fuller just brought back?" Kayla froze, suddenly alert. No matter how reluctant she was to admit, Felicia was undeniably beautiful. Just standing there, she effortlessly commanded everyone's attention. Biting her lip, Kayla cautiously probed, "Arnie, have you met her? What do you think?" "What can I think?" Arnold chuckled, teasing her in his usual tone. "I'm just worried that you, my precious pearl, might be doted on less. I wouldn't want to see you crying as you'll need me to comfort you." "Arnie!" Kayla stomped her foot, but inwardly, she relaxed. Some people were simply irreplaceable. … Once the luxury car pulled away from the Fuller residence, Eugene glanced at Felicia in the rearview mirror and respectfully asked, "Where would you like to go, Ms. Fuller?" "To Harmony Medical Center," she replied. Harmony Medical Center was the largest and most prestigious medical center in Khogend, home to many expert-level traditional doctors. People flocked there seeking medical advice. Eugene instinctively asked, "Are you feeling unwell, Ms. Fuller?" "No," Felicia said honestly. "I'm going to work." Work? Eugene was taken aback, feeling a mix of surprise and sympathy. Felicia was different. She had just been brought back to the Fuller family. Given her previous family background, she must have had her fair share of sufferings. He kindly suggested, "Now that you're back home, you could quit your job. You don't need to work so hard." Felicia shook her head and casually replied, "What others give, they can take away. I can only rely on what I have." So what if she returned to the Fuller family? They had discarded her before when it suited them. Only the knowledge, skills, and medicine she had learned truly allowed her to stand on her two feet. Eugene opened his mouth to say something else, but they soon hit a traffic jam. Many cars were stuck, and it seemed a serious accident had occurred ahead—Felicia could faintly hear someone shouting for an ambulance. "I'll go take a look," she said, stepping out of the car. She navigated through the congested traffic and reached the scene of the accident. Two cars had collided, and while it didn't seem too severe, one of the passengers—a frail elderly man—was in distress, lying on the ground with a flushed face, clearly struggling to breathe. Felicia was shocked to see this scenario play out so soon. The elderly man was Arnold's grandfather, the current head of the Lawson family. In her past life, after saving him, he had taken a liking to her and had insisted on tying her to Arnold when the Fuller and Lawson families considered an marriage alliance. Due to that, Arnold had grown to despise her, convinced she had orchestrated everything for her benefit. However, Felicia distinctly remembered that this incident was supposed to happen after the party, and it was due to poisoning—not a car accident—that she had saved him. Everything had happened too early. It was as if the gears of fate were turning, reminding her that no matter how hard she tried to change things, she couldn't escape her predetermined fate! As Felicia stood frozen, a black Rolls Royce was forced to a sudden stop as the lane was congested with traffic. "The road is blocked ahead, Mr. Russell," the driver said cautiously. At the sound, Stephan, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the back seat, opened them. His dark lashes cast a slight shadow over his sharp, sculpted features, making it hard to read his expression, but his presence was imposing. "Mm," he replied tersely, saying nothing more. The driver sighed in relief. Next to him, Mike flashed a gold-embossed invitation in his hand and joked, "You've got the invitation, Stephan! You don't need to sneak into the Fuller residence anymore." Arnold raised an eyebrow, taking the invitation from Mike's hands. He wasn't interested in the other details, but two words caught his attention—Felicia Fuller. So that was the name of the real heiress. Mike, emboldened by the moment, added, "Honestly, on top of her beautiful eyes, she's quite pretty, especially that face of hers. Wow, very charming!" Arnold closed the invitation and tossed it aside. His gaze drifted out the window. "Mike, that looks like Mr. Lawson Senior's car." "What?" Mike's heart dropped. He immediately turned to look and realized the car involved in the collision belonged to Matthew Lawson. While he was enjoying the gossip, he suddenly found out his own family was in trouble. Without a second thought, Mike shouted and jumped out of the car, but he was stopped by Arnold's firm grip. "Why are you holding me back? I need to save him!" he exclaimed, panic rising. Seeing his friend nearly lose it, Arnold pointed toward the accident scene. Emerging from the crowd was none other than Felicia, the very woman he had just been praising for her beauty.