Chapter 161

Chapter 161 Apollo Acknowledges Them as Family

Alice was dressed as Tanner, and the identification documents she used belonged to her as well.

“You’re here, Alice.” When Jane opened the door, she couldn’t help but feel her heart ache upon seeing

Alice’s haggard state. “You must be tired from the journey, right?”

“I’m fine. I’m going to check on Pierce.” Alice smiled as she looked at Jane, but it was slightly forced.

Although she was usually skilled at masking her emotions, it was difficult for her to do so whenever she

faced her brother.

“Okay.” Jane’s eyes darkened, her tone turning downcast.

Alice didn’t say anything in reply and walked into Pierce’s ward.

Although it looked like a regular residential ward from the outside, it was filled with cutting–edge

medical equipment, and there were also specialized doctors making daily visits, putting the ward in a

much better, condition than even the most advanced hospitals.

For the sake of her brother, Alice had done everything she could. However, seven years had gone by,

and Pierce was still unconscious.

As she gazed at Pierce lying on the bed, her usual mask left her face, and her eyes reddened in an

instant. She walked over and bent over before the bed, the corners of her lips twitching slightly as she

looked at the unconscious man. “Pierce, it’s been seven years. Aren’t you done resting yet?”

There was a beat of silence as Alice gazed at Pierce before her lips twitched. There was an attempt at

a smile, but the tug of her lips didn’t bear the impression of a smile at all, and the sight was all the more

tragic to look at. Even Jane, who was standing off to the side, only felt her eyes turn hot with tears.

Although the arc on her lips didn’t look like a smile, she still tried her best to force them upward. “I know

you haven’t gotten enough rest yet, Pierce, so rest well.”

However, this single sentence made Jane unable to hold her tears back any longer, causing them to

flow freely down her face.

Alice’s eyes were brimming with tears as well, but she still fought to keep the corners of her lips lifted

upward. “There are some things I was waiting for you to deal with once you woke up, but now, I have

no choice but to resolve them.”

At this, her words came to a slight pause, and when she opened her mouth next, her voice had turned

slightly softer. “Pierce, can you wake up when I’m done with everything? Praise me like you did when

we were younger, and tell me that I did a good job.”

Seven years had passed since she took everything on herself, but she had to be strong. She couldn’t

loosen her guard in the slightest, nor did she dare to. It was only in front of Pierce that she could let up

her act and allow herself to appear weak. How she wished for Pierce to wake up right now.

Jane covered her mouth with a hand to suppress her sobs, but her tears gushed down her face fiercely.

It had been seven years, but she knew more than anyone else what Alice had gone through. Seven

years ago, Alice faced everything alone in order to protect Pierce. In these seven years, countless

people had been sent to murder her.

Seven years ago, Alice was only eighteen, and she was a princess basked in love and affection before

she

turned into an adult. The Alice back then had an enviably perfect life and she was both pure and naive.

However, she was struck with the cruelest fate in just a single day, and she was forced to grow up in

that one day. Jane still remembered the first time Alice got hurt. It had barely been a month since they

arrived in Cliaria, and they weren’t even able to settle down before Elijah sent someone to end her life.

Back then, she had not expected the attack, resulting in her getting terribly injured.

When Alice woke up and realized the circumstances, she did not cry. She only sat by Pierce’s bedside

and said in a soft voice, “Thank goodness Pierce wasn’t the one who got hurt.”

Ever since then, Alice kept every single piece of information about Pierce tightly hidden, and it was also

from that moment that she did everything she could to make herself even more powerful.

In the past seven years, as those people had repeatedly sent their minions to end Alice’s life, Jane

witnessed her gradual change from a spoiled and sheltered princess into a cold–hearted woman who

barely batted an eyelid when faced with an assassination. However, despite everything she had been

through, Alice’s heart had managed to remain kind.

Although she was constantly met with struggles, and even though she was treated so unfairly, she still

rescued another person’s child and put her all into raising that child. Jane firmly believed that if

someone else were in Alice’s shoes, they wouldn’t have been able to act as she had.

“Jane.” Alice rose to her feet, wiping the tears off Jane’s face for her.

After the car accident seven years ago, Jane visited Pierce at the hospital without anyone knowing and

said to Alice through reddened eyes, “Let me see Pierce. Whether he’s alive, or… dead, I still have to

see him.”

Alice was acquainted with Jane, but before that incident, she always assumed that Pierce had a one–

sided crush on her. However, the moment she saw Jane, she instantly realized that she loved Pierce

deeply as well.

Then, Jane followed them to Cliaria. Throughout the span of seven years, she remained by Pierce’s

side and spent her days taking care of him.

In fact, Alice yearned to call Jane her sister–in–law, even if it was to provide some form of support as a

family member or to comfort her psychologically.

However, she was unable to say this selfish wish of hers aloud, afraid that if Pierce never woke up, this

title would turn into a burden constricting Jane instead.

“Alice, did something happen? You must have a reason to be here.” As she had already heard Alice’s

words earlier, Jane could guess that something was up.

“Yeah.” Alice slowly nodded her head. “It’s about time to confront Glenn Group.”

She took out the documents she had prepared and placed them by Pierce’s bed, after which she slowly

closed her eyes to suppress her emotions. Then, she opened them and held Pierce’s finger, stamping

his fingerprint on the document she had prepared.

She could replicate Pierce’s signature. Although she had always been waiting eagerly for him to regain

consciousness, her experiences over the past seven years had given her a habit of preparing herself

for everything. Because of that, she had long since learned to imitate Pierce’s handwriting.

Of course, it was definitely not enough to only have Pierce’s signature, not even with his seal. After all,

these things could be forged while others could easily deny their authenticity.

However, fingerprints couldn’t be falsified. Pierce’s fingerprints could be easily found in the company’s

previous contracts, and as long as they matched, those people would have no choice but to

acknowledge it.

Meanwhile, Jane stood off to the side and watched. When Alice was finished, she reminded her softly,

“You should watch out for yourself. Those people aren’t human; they can do anything.”

“Yeah.” Alice nodded gently. She understood the Woland Family more than anyone else, and she knew

that her actions would certainly force them into a corner.

However, this was a step she had to take. Even if Pierce hadn’t awakened, she would take all the

responsibility in order to ensure that he was out of danger.