One year, one love by Aurora Miller

Chapter 16

After three days of recuperation, the wounds on Doris’s back had mostly healed..

She decided to request a discharge slip from the doctor for the following day. Although the doctor advised her to rest for another two days, she persistently pleaded for an exception, assuring him that she was perfectly fine.

Seeing that her condition had indeed improved significantly, the doctor relented after a thorough check–up.

The thought of leaving the hospital tomorrow brightened Doris’s mood considerably. She wandered into the small garden behind the hospital, finding herself in a long corridor adorned with vibrant blooms. Spring had painted the world in bursts of color, and the sight was breathtakingly beautiful.

Doris sank onto a bench, closing her eyes as the gentle spring breeze brushed against her skin. The soothing warmth carried the faint fragrance of flowers, wrapping her in a cocoon of tranquility.

But the peace didn’t last. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her, blocking the sunlight and halting the breeze. Doris opened her eyes to find the person she least wanted to see–Ryan.

“Doris, fancy meeting you here,” Ryan said, his voice tinged with mockery as his eyes swept over her blue–striped hospital

“What’s this? Got yourself injured and ended up in the hospital?”

gown…

Doris didn’t dignify him with a response. Her immediate reaction was to stand and leave, but Ryan was quicker. He gripped her shoulder, forcing her back onto the bench.

“Ryan, don’t touch me,” she snapped, glaring at him with open disgust.

Unbothered, Ryan smirked and casually twirled a strand of her hair between his fingers. “You still smell the same–just like I remember, he said.

Doris felt a wave of humiliation crash over her. Yanking her hair out of his grasp, she shot him a scornful look. “I haven’t showered in three days.”

Ryan’s smirk only widened. “Doris, I came all this way just to see you. So, how does it feel to get whipped by a cane?” His voice dripped with mockery, the corners of his lips curling into a smug grin.

Doris’s eyes widened as her gaze snapped to his face. “How do you know about that?”

“Your brother told me,” Ryan taunted, his tone gleeful, his eyes sharp with malice. “All I wanted was for your dad to give you a little lesson. Who would’ve thought he’d go this far and land you in the hospital?

“You see, without me, you’re nothing. When you were with me, did your dad ever lay a hand on you?”

Doris’s fingers dug into the edge of the bench, her nails pressing against the wood as anger simmered beneath her calm facade. “Stop pretending to care, Ryan. These injuries are all thanks to you.”

“And yet,” Ryan said, his arrogance radiating from every pore, “you still think you can resist me? Stop fighting. In Hampstone, who can hold a candle to me?”

Doris raised a brow, her voice sharp and unyielding. “What, you think you can possibly compare to the Hartman family heir?”

The Watson family, while wealthy, was nowhere near the apex of Hampstone’s social hierarchy. At the very top stood the Hartman family–a storied dynasty with a legacy spanning more than a century, their wealth and influence unmatched.

Their ancestors had even held noble titles, making them true aristocrats.

Ryan’s expression faltered for a brief moment before he laughed, brushing off her remark. “Doris, did I mention that the Hartman heir happens to be a good friend of mine?

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Chapter 16

some the fairly bone and I rea family is on the guest list. I was planning to introduce you to his hot your gut the

her

me, for

a cold smile curling her lips. “You want

by a chilling ear Brake This time on the same says to guess what it’ll be next time? Cross me again, and there won’t be anyone who can you

a a

warring, threer writer noms

tense interaction was being lonely okerred from nearby tree, Lewis took in the scene with an expression

or fed on the

and strode hack to his waring Rolle Rogue the cinched note toot the thermos he’d been holding into the driver’s

the thermos, sensing something was off, but wisely kept his

time Lewis arrived at Hartman Group headquarters, his focus hard already shifted to the mountain of

assistant, stepped in and reponed eagerly. Me Hat I’ve done some digging into the man in the photo you sent me. His name is

came from a modest background, which is why Ryan’s parents never approved of their relationship dengine the three years they were together. The Watson family has always favored someone more compatible

Leia Martin, heiress to the Martin family fortune and their long–time family ally. Ryan’s mother even approached Mrs. Hartman personally to

Hartman, realizing the Watson family would never accept her agreed to breakup settlement–one million dollars. Ever since, she’s been labeled a gold digger. And Leis was actually Ryan brother

it that Leia and Jake broke up just before Jake’s car accident put him into a coma. But the timing seemed convenient, likely orchestrated to save face. Otherwise, how would it look if the future sister–in–law had been moled with her fiance’s brother?”

dramatically, shaking his head, “Poor Jake. Not only did he lose the CEO position during his coma, but his girlfriend ended up with his little

palpable, his expression practically begging for confirmation that

sardonic smile. “Ryan’s a cruel pragmatist. Marrying into the Martin family secured his position as CEO, giving him both

agreed, his cynicism now matching Lewis’s. “To men like him, when it comes to power, women are just

button, Lewis heard his secretary, Alyssa Evans, announce. “Mr. Hartman, Ryan Watson, the CEO of Watson Group, is here for your ten o’clock appointment. It was scheduled

hesitate. “Cancel it. Find an excuse to send

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Chapter 16

glint of disdain in his eyes. He wants to meet me? As if

sharp pang of irritation clawed at him. In his eyes, Doris

responsibilities and boundaries. The very idea of being disrespected by her actions,

or worse,

being

storm of disdain and calculated fury as he pondered, “Doris and I are already married, yet she still dares to tangle with Ryan? If she’s trying to play both sides, then her scheming runs

woman, yet he’s still trying to meddle with my wife. Then he shouldn’t blame

just say you wanted to meet him? Isn’t it the perfect chance now that the enemy is handing himself over on

his chair, exuding an air of aloof superiority. “Do I seem that easy to meet? Don’t give him more credit than he

boss’s calculated approach. “You’re right, Mr. Hartman. Best to cool down his arrogance first.”

barely raised an eyebrow and looked up, a cryptic smile playing at the corners of his lips, like the calm before a storm.

felt a chill of anticipation. Ryan has no idea what he’s up against. This is going to be brutal,