"No, let''s head back," Alexander said, shutting the lid and tugging Quinn along.


    Quinn was puzzled. She''d just gotten there half an hour ago, and now they were leaving?


    Usually, she''d have a meal and get a couple of gifts. What was up with this?


    They hopped in the car, and Alexander drove away from the vi.


    Quinn thought about the photo. "Where''d that photoe from?"


    Alexander replied casually, "It''s always been in Ulysses'' room."


    He''d found it in an old house, tucked inside a book with a few other photos. Two of them were group shots of Ulysses, and he''d just given one to Calvin. "So, you''ve had the photo all along?" Quinn asked.


    Alexander nodded slightly.


    "I thought about giving it to you, but I was worried it might bring back bad memories," Alexander said gently.


    Another reason he didn''t mention was that he feared the photo would reignite Quinn''s hatred for the Kennedy family.


    So, he kept it hidden. But after meeting Calvin, he decided to give it away.


    Quinn asked, "Do you have a copy? Can you give me one when we get back?"


    "Yeah, I''ll give it to you when we get back," Alexander replied.


    Quinn sighed in relief. She wanted the photo but felt awkward asking Calvin for it.


    They soon returned to Iris Estates. Alexander went to the study, grabbed the photo, and handed it to Quinn.


    Quinn caressed the photo, her eyes showing a hint of nostalgia.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Most of the people in the photo were strangers, with a few familiar faces mixed in. Seeing them, she vaguely recalled some childhood memories.


    Memory is a crucial part of a person''s life. Without it, you''d be like a soulless walking corpse.


    Alexander sat beside her, holding her in his arms, and whispered, "Quinn, I''m sorry."


    Quinn was slightly startled and turned to look at him. "Why are you apologizing out of the blue?"


    Alexander lowered his eyes to gaze at her, looking at her face as if seeing further into his memories.


    He said sincerely, "I did a lot of things that hurt you in the past. I can''t even exin myself. When you chose to leave, I knew you werepletely disappointed in me. When I saw you would rather choose death than stay with me, I realized that we might really be impossible. I had never felt so helpless and powerless."


    It hit him like a thunderbolt, shattering the confidence he once had. It turned out there were so many things in this world that he couldn''t control.


    Finally, Cynthia''s appearance revealed Alexander''s true identity.


    Alexander, who had lived nearly thirty years, became aplete joke.


    With one blow after another, he suddenly felt that the world was like an illusion, everything was unreal, as if he had been dreaming, and when he woke up, he had nothing. Everything seemed insignificant.


    He even thought it would be better to die. However, Quinn forced him to live on.


    He could only struggle in pain, deceiving himself that Quinn was still alive, embarking on a journey to find her.


    He had nned to spend his entire life searching for her.


    To his surprise, he met her again in Las Veges. She was still alive.


    So, his once lifeless heart started beating again, filled with joy and excitement, but also a bit lost.


    Her appearance threw all his ns out the window.


    He didn''t have time toe up with new ones and just stuck close to her. He couldn''t afford to lose her again.


    He tried everything he could, but in the end, he was at his wit''s end, still unable to open her heart.


    When Aron ambushed him, he actually felt a weird sense of relief.


    At that moment, he thought, ''It''s not me seeking death. It''s an act of God.''


    He wondered if, without him, Quinn would really live a better life like she said.


    He could finally fulfill her wish. Only by dying would he stop clinging to her. But fate had other ns; he survived once again.


    It wasn''t a blessing; it was a punishment.


    Quinn listened quietly. It had been a long time since she heard him talk so much.


    By now, she couldn''t tell right from wrong anymore. If she had figured it out two years ago, the events in Municity might not have happened, and things might not have turned out this way. Listening to his heartbeat, she felt a sense of unreality.


    "Let''s not think about the past anymore. We still have a long time ahead of us. Let''s not dwell on the past," Quinn said.


    Alexander raised his hand to ce it on her head, "Okay, I''ll listen to you."


    After the New Year, thewsuit over the Vitex Group''s technology theft blew up. Aron had been searching for the person who sold the technology, but they had fled to another country, and he couldn''t find them. Luckily, the Vitex Group hadn''t announced the technology yet. Hugo decisively fired everyone involved in the project.


    Future Era demanded $800 billion inpensation. The Vitex Group was on the verge of bankruptcy; where would they get $800 billion to pay?


    Even if they sold everything, they couldn''te up with $800 billion.


    The rest of the Lynch family didn''t want to get involved, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire. Zeke also imed that this was Aron''s mess, and he had to solve it himself without dragging the entire family down. Aron was swamped with work, leaving him no time to look for his son.


    Luke was still locked in that small room, beaten daily, barely hanging on.


    Kyle kept watch over him, just making sure he didn''t die.


    During thewsuit, Future Era''s chief engineer was killed.


    When the police investigated the scene, they found the murder weapon. Through screening, they caught the culprit, who confessed that Aron had sent him to assassinate the engineer.


    He even provided evidence a text message. Tracing the IP address, they found it was sent from the Lynch family and eventually linked it to Aron.


    This clumsy frame-up was believed by everyone.


    Aron was furious, especially since he didn''t know who was framing him by sending the text from his room.


    When the police found the phone in his room, he couldn''t argue his way out.


    It had escted to a criminal case, and Aron would be sent to the international court. He sought help from Zeke, begging him for help.


    Zeke mercilessly refused him and even hoped he would voluntarily sever ties with the Lynch family.