"Lyse!" Jasper became rmed.


    Landon was such a tall man. At this moment, his body was leaning forward feebly as Alyssa yanked at


    him. It was as if he had no backbone and was going to break into pieces at any moment.


    "Landon... You didn''t give Lauren any freedom. You said that that was to protect her... And, what was


    the end result? You ended up ruining everything anyway! You didn''t even manage to ensure her basic


    physical safety!"


    Tears welled up in Alyssa''s eyes. She was furious and saddened at the same time. "You think that you


    are a great man who''s willing to sacrifice your all for Lauren. But have you lost anything at all? All these


    while, Lauren was the only one who kept giving!"


    Jasper held his breath. He saw that Alyssa was standing in the rain, so he decided to give up on the


    umbre and join her.


    One was the love of his life. The other was his brother from another mother.


    He couldn''t bring himself to take a side, so he decided that it was best for him to remain neutral.


    "It was Lauren who sacrificed her freedom. She put her reputation at stake to be together with you


    even though she could''ve chosen to be our sister. She could have been that younger sister who never


    aged and never had to lift a finger!


    "But she chose to follow you during her prime years and give her everything for you. She chose to grow


    up quickly for your sake. For your sake. she learned how to be a good wife!"


    Without her even realizing it, Alyssa''s face was already covered in tears while she rebuked Landon.


    "She has tried her hardest to cater to you and topromise. She has already done everything she


    could to avoid causing you any trouble!


    "But ultimately. At the end of the day, why was this the oue? What did Lauren do wrong? Why did


    she deserve to be tormented in this way?"


    Alyssa''s queries pierced through Landon''s heart. In a second, Landon felt like infinite cracks had


    formed in his aching heart.


    His lips were trembling. He opened his mouth to speak but was unable to form aplete sentence


    despite trying his best. "It was my bad. It was all me."


    He apologized again and again. His tears mixed with the raindrops on his face.


    Gone was the vibrant spark that once flickered in his eyes, now hidden beneath a curtain of wet,


    tangled strands.


    Landon was someone who was uniquely exuberant in all of Sna City. At this point, he was so


    crestfallen that Jasper could barely recognize him.


    "Last time... No matter what I gave her... she would be happy. She said that she loved me. She wanted


    to be with me forever."


    "That''s because Lauren has never known how to say ''no.'' It''s because no matter what she does, she


    alwayses from a ce of wanting to make you happy!" Alyssa gave him a hard shove. She


    pushed him with so much force that he fell hard onto the ground.


    Lauren had wanted to make him happy.


    Landon had always said that he wanted to love Lauren for the rest of his life. Those few words were


    massive insults to him.


    He just realized that he was the one who was being loved.


    What he thought was affectionate love was, in fact, the loving home that Lauren had built for him. She


    had done so through grievance and suffering, and with that kind heart of hers.


    "Landon feels sorry for his mistakes now, Lyse. He also loves Lauren very much," Jasper said very


    softly. He removed his suit jacket and put it on Alyssa''s shoulders.


    "Lauren''s world is very simple and pure. She has no absolute idea about deceitful, treacherous power


    struggles. All she wants is to live a simple life."


    Alyssa rubbed her swollen eyes and sniffled. "Yet, right now. you have already gotten her involved. She


    doesn''t even have the strength to fight back.


    "Since she was young, she has never berated anyone. How would she be able to bear with the


    maliciousness of the Harpers? Right now, she hasn''t even married into your family. Even so, the


    Harpers have already schemed against her in such a cruel way.


    "If she married you in the future, she would only end up being worn down by those evil schemes again


    and again. Will you be able to live under such mental stress for your entire life?


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "As long as you hold the position of power, those assholes in your family will not stop trying to attack


    her! Sooner orter, she will lose it again!"


    The plutocrats weren''t a single, unified family. They were a flock of vultures, circling each other, their


    wealth and influence a corrupting force that only amplified their negativity. A warm and peaceful family


    like the Taylors was truly one of a kind.


    "I''ll do it." After much time had passed, Landon finally spoke up. In a shaky voice, he said, "I will handle


    the Harpers. I love Lauren, Lyse. I. cannot live without her.


    "Please don''t separate us. Can you. give me another chance. Just onest chance. Can you?"


    It was obvious that he was begging her.


    Alyssa lowered her eyes and shook her head. "That''s not my say. I''m also not the one in control."