Love Gambit: The Perilous Union of Fortune and Affection

July came to its last day, with the sky a dazzling blue and sunlight shining. Liam Hartwell turned to Arianna Hartwell and said, "It's rare, a beautiful day like today."

On this day, he wasn't confined to the long periods of unconsciousness as before. He woke up in the afternoon, surprisingly alert.

Lying in the hospital bed, he gently held Arianna's hand and smiled faintly, "It's been so long since I've had your homemade noodles."

After Arianna left the room, Liam realized he could walk again. His spirits were better than they had been before, and he stood barefoot in the room, hardly moving for a long time.

In the hospital corridor, doctors and nurses along the way glanced at Liam with surprise, then lowered their heads. He saw it, the pity in their eyes.

With the hospital corridor windows open, letting in the heat of midsummer, he dialed a set of phone numbers from the hospital's public phone booth.

"Please come and pick her up! I won't see her again from now on."

Hanging up the receiver, he said to himself, "This lifetime, our fate ends here."

...

Arianna waited for water to boil in the hospital cafeteria. Half an hour ago, she had entered Liam's attending physician's office, and the doctor told her, "Deep down, you know very well that he's experiencing a brief resurgence."

Arianna stood in the office, her head down, a bit numb. The doctor thought she might cry, but she didn't. She just looked up at the doctor, her beautiful face marked by weariness.

"After we finish the noodles, can I take him out for a walk?"

"...You can."

Liam had a good appetite, better than ever before. Sitting on the hospital bed with Arianna, they shared a bowl of noodles. By the time they finished the noodles, the soup was gone too. Holding hands, they went for a walk outside, and he spoke quietly about their past.

They had lived together for so many years, with countless memories. Their conversation, if uninterrupted, seemed like it could last forever.

In the midst of their talk, he suddenly asked her, "Where did the money for my hospitalization come from?"

Arianna's breath caught, and she fell silent, composed.

He seemed to ask casually, not pressing for an answer, and let it go when he didn't receive one.

In the hospital's grand hall at dusk, they sat on a bench in the lounge area, watching TV. "Mr. Bean" was playing on the television, and he watched it intently, occasionally laughing.

After a long pause, he whispered, "Anna, I'm about to leave."

Arianna seemed not to hear, and after a while, she asked, "Will you come back?"

"I won't come back."

This time, after a long silence, Arianna finally responded with a quiet "Mm."

Liam tightened his grip on her hand and then slowly let go. "The Hartwell family has only you left. Can you take care of yourself?"

"Mm." Her voice sounded lighter than before. She watched TV for a while and then said to Liam, "You can go now. Don't worry about me. I can live well on my own. When autumn comes, the first year of graduate school will start. I'll eat well and study hard. After I graduate, I'll find a good job. In a few years, I'll find a man who treats me well, get married, have a child, and live the most ordinary life..."

Listening to her words, Liam smiled faintly, but silent tears filled his eyes.

"Mr. Bean" played from dusk till late at night. Arianna was quiet, but that day she spoke a lot, while Liam struggled to listen. But his awareness gradually faded, until Arianna's voice grew distant and he couldn't hear her anymore. He leaned against her shoulder and seemed to fall asleep.

On the TV, Mr. Bean spent Christmas alone, talking to a teddy bear...

Arianna looked at the TV screen, her eyes sore from smiling.

-Liam, that day watching "Mr. Bean," I forgot about Mr. Bean's loneliness, forgot about that teddy bear. I only remember the funnier he got, the sadder I felt. As I watched, I laughed until tears came.

After Liam's death, Arianna took care of his affairs alone, from cremation to burial, with detachment as if she were an outsider.

Jackson Grey watched in amazement, having come to New York this time at Belia Williams' request: "Liam Hartwell has passed away. Go to New York and bring the young miss back."

This trip, Jackson Grey's emotions were complex and torn. He kept questioning himself: How could Arianna leave New York?

The Williams family had a long-standing reputation, and Belia Williams was the chairman of Williams Group. Belia had been married twice, her first husband being Alexander Hartwell. They were college sweethearts, and they got married after graduation. They had a daughter named Arianna Hartwell, who took her father's last name. Their marriage eventually ended, and Belia Williams remarried Gabriel Harrington shortly after their divorce. They had a daughter together named Juliana Williams, who took her mother's last name.

Later, Alexander adopted the son of a friend and renamed him Liam Hartwell. With two children, he settled in M City.

Four years ago, Arianna was 17 years old. That year, Alexander died in a construction site accident, a sudden and tragic death.

At that time, Belia Williams intended to take Arianna away from M City. Jackson Grey had also come to pick Arianna up back then.

Jackson Grey still remembered that day. 19-year-old Liam carried Arianna's luggage and handed it over to Jackson Grey. After that, he embraced Arianna tightly, saying, "Goodbye, Anna."

Arianna allowed him to hold her, not saying goodbye, not shedding tears.

"You should leave now," Liam let go of her, signaling for her to get into the car.

She seemed not to hear, standing still without moving.

Liam stared at her, gritting his teeth and turning around to walk upstairs, a few steps later realizing Arianna was quietly following him. He felt his eyes welling up with redness from suppressed tears, "We're not related by blood. I'm not your brother. Dad is gone. Why are you stubbornly following me?"

She hesitated slightly, as if sighing softly, "You're all I have left."

At the stairwell, Liam turned his back to Arianna, trembling all over. Seeing his quivering shoulders, Jackson Grey knew Liam was crying.

Arianna turned to Jackson Grey and smiled lightly, "Uncle Jackson, you can go back now. Please tell Chairman Williams that my home is in M City."

Since she was sensible, Arianna never called Belia Williams "mother." She referred to Belia Williams as "Chairman Williams." In this ever-changing world, four years later, on this day, Liam was gone. This handsome young man had been by Arianna's side for 19 years, but from cremation to burial, Jackson had not seen Arianna shed a single tear.

It was as if all the past regarding Liam had nothing to do with her.

Before coming here

, Jackson only worried about completing the task assigned by Belia, but now, he worried about Arianna.

He was afraid this child wouldn't be able to let go.

...

On the day of Liam's burial, the sky was dark and covered in a layer of mist.

Arianna took out a document and set it on fire at Liam's grave.

"Wait for me. Two years from now, I'll come find you."

In the flames, the faint outline of the document's contents could be seen.

It was a contract.

Party A: Ethan Thornwood.

Party B: Arianna Hartwell.

Party A must cover all expenses during Liam Hartwell's hospitalization, including previous hospital debts.

Party B must marry Party A after Liam Hartwell's passing and bear a child for Party A within two years. If no child is born within two years, the agreement will extend until childbirth occurs.

M City.

This marked Arianna's 19th year of settling in M City, but in a moment of realization, she understood that this was a city that could no longer warm her.

Returning from the cemetery, Arianna got off at an intersection, with Jackson following worriedly.

After walking a few steps, Arianna turned to Jackson Grey, her eyes without emotion. "Uncle Jackson, I'm going back to get my luggage. In ten minutes, I'll go back to A City with you."

This statement caught Jackson Grey off guard. He thought she would never want to return to that city again, but he hadn't expected...

A year ago, to pay for Liam's medical treatment, Arianna had sold her home where she had lived for many years. Later, she moved into this narrow alley, living there for more than half a year.

The alley was close to the hospital, making it convenient for Arianna to care for Liam. Yet, because of the mixed population, it looked rather dilapidated.

Two days ago, Jackson Grey drove to M City and visited Arianna's residence for the first time. He felt uneasy, not expecting the eldest daughter of the Williams family to live in such a place.

The alley was too narrow for Jackson to drive in, so he parked his car at the entrance. He had been walking around the alley these past few days and had heard numerous rumors about Arianna.

Some said the girl at the end of the alley was peculiar, rarely interacting with others, her whereabouts a mystery, distant and indifferent.

Some said the single room she lived in had curtains tightly drawn from morning to night, never letting in light.

Some said she was becoming more like a wandering soul.

...

Now, M City was in the midst of twilight.

The thick summer air clung, and Jackson leaned against his car, lighting a cigarette. Children played and frolicked in the alley, giving way when they saw Arianna. They looked at her with curiosity as they passed by her.

Taking a drag from the cigarette, Jackson felt the urgency, choked by the smoke and coughing.

In the dark alley, Arianna's black dress clung to her slender body. The evening breeze rustled her long hair, revealing a pale and numb face.

Children ran past Arianna, and as they reached the end of the alley, one of them accidentally bumped into Jackson's arm. The cigarette fell from his hand without warning, caught by the flickering flames, imbued with elusive emotions, waiting to be redeemed.

...

This was an ordinary residential courtyard. The landlord lived on the first floor, and there were five single rooms for rent on the second floor. Among them, Arianna had lived in one for a long, long time...

This year, time seemed to move slowly in M City, so slowly that Arianna blurred the changing seasons.

As she climbed the stairs, the landlord was cooking and didn't notice her. Returning to her room, Arianna glanced around at the simple rental place. She went straight to the bed, picked up the bag she had packed the night before, and left.

She could take very little with her; the things she couldn't take would be left behind forever.

Not long ago, Arianna's dormant phone suddenly rang, an unfamiliar number. But she knew who was calling.

The male assistant paused for a few seconds, seemingly emphasizing, "Mr. Ethan Thornwood is currently on a business trip in Australia and is expected to return tomorrow."

Though spoken softly, this sentence carried profound implications, which Arianna understood.

Early August was the time to bid farewell to M City.

Arianna left the room, checking out and bidding farewell to the landlord. The landlord handed back the deposit Arianna had paid earlier, looking puzzled as Arianna stood at the door holding only a package. She quickly invited Arianna inside.

Arianna shook her head, aware that just after handling the funeral, it might not be appropriate to enter someone else's home.

The landlord chalked it up to Arianna's personality and didn't think much of it. She handed Arianna her deposit, seeing her carrying just one bag. She was surprised and asked, "What are you planning to do with the things in your room?"

"Could you please dispose of them as waste?" Arianna said this as she left.