Chapter 22
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Candace’s birthday arrived quickly, and she was bombarded with calls from Yelena first thing in the morning. She immediately blocked the number. Then, Yelena showed up at her place with a pile of gifts, begging to see her. Candace simply refused to let her in.
That evening, Candace was heading to her birthday party with Zayne when Yelena blocked their path at the club entrance.
She looked frantic as she insisted, “Candace, that dream Shawn talked about might actually be real! I was right there beside him when he was unconscious after his brain surgery!
“I heard him say it with my own ears! He was rambling nonsense and calling out your name!
Please go to the birthday party he’s throwing for you! Give him a chance for you guys to start over!”
“No.” Candace didn’t want to deal with her, and her expression was one of indifference.
“I don’t believe in such ridiculous things, and I’m not getting back together with him. Step aside and stop blocking our way!”
Yelena still begged desperately, saying that Nathan had been running a high fever for days and was seriously ill. If Candace didn’t come to the party tonight, he’d probably…
“That’s your problem and has nothing to do with me.” Candace’s tone was ice–cold.
“You should have considered the consequences when you were plotting to take my place.”
“I regret it, Candace!” Yelena was crying now, snot and tears streaming down her face.
“I had surgery on my uterus and can’t have children anymore. Nathan is my only child, and he has a heart condition! He can’t handle stress!” She pleaded and wailed.
Zayne waved his hand dismissively, and countless bodyguards stepped forward to drag Yelena away.
She screamed hysterically, “Candace, if anything happens to Nathan, I won’t let your boy off either! Just you wait!”
Candace’s heart jumped with alarm, but Zayne squeezed her hand tightly. “She’s just a pariah now. She can’t do anything to hurt you, so don’t worry.”
Candace pushed down the unease flickering in her mind and nodded. Shawn kept calling her phone throughout the party, but she didn’t answer.
“Candace, Shawn’s been waiting downstairs for hours. Do you want to go down and see him?” Zayne asked as he approached her.
“I heard he didn’t sleep a wink for an entire week to prepare for your birthday gift.”
“I don’t want anything he’s giving me,” Candace replied calmly.
“Let’s cut the cake.”
After the party ended, Candace was getting into the car to get home. She saw Shawn still standing by the vehicle, with some kind of device behind him.
She frowned and said impatiently, “Are you never going to give up? I don’t want your birthday present!”
“Candy, this gift is something related to your mother. You’re definitely going to love it!” Shawn said while handing her a pair of glasses.
“Put these on and take a look.”
“Candace, this birthday gift is pretty amazing. You should try it on,” Zayne chimed in.
Candace couldn’t resist their combined persuasion and put on the glasses. She was immediately stunned by what she saw. The person in the video before her was unmistakably her mother!
This Marika looked exactly as she had when she was alive. She was graceful and beautiful, wearing a lily–patterned dress as she raised her arms. “Candy, come and let Mom hug you.”
Candace found herself walking forward and nestling into her mother’s shoulder, clearly feeling the warmth of her body and sensing the lily fragrance clinging to her clothes.
She breathed in the scent greedily, feeling somewhat lost in the moment, until the person she was embracing gradually faded into an empty shadow.
“Candy, I created this immersive experience using Al technology. Do you like this gift?” Shawn asked.
He observed her before carefully continuing, “If you think your mother’s voice or expressions aren’t realistic enough, I can make adjustments.”
Candace snapped back to reality and wiped the tears from her eyes. “It’s quite good. How much did this project cost you? I’ll wire the money to you.”
“Candy!” Shawn stared at her with a pained expression. “I came here to give you a gift, not to discuss business with you!
“We’ve known each other for over ten years. Why do you have to be so cold and distant? Why are you trying to hurt me like this?”
Candace looked up at him, her eyes completely devoid of emotion. “Mr. Hamilton, you and I have no personal relationship to discuss. We can only talk about business. Is five million dollars enough?
“If the price is right, we can sign a contract now, and I’ll take the equipment home tonight.”
Shawn trembled with rage. He clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground.
Chapter 22
In
the
last second
before losing consciousness, he gripped Candace’s
change
your
mind and
come back
to me,
even if I have
to
wait
until my
tightly tears
with sliding down his cheeks. “Candy, wait
I’ll
turns white and I’m old and
for
you to
frail. I’ll
still wait for you!”
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