In theory, when Louis publicly announced Elisa as his fiancée, there should have been many blessings and support from people. Elisa is beautiful, with great acting skills, and she won a major award, directly ascending to the position of queen of the screen. Although she’s retired from the entertainment industry now, her own excellence is undeniable.
Ultimately, the main reason is the exposure of Louis’s background, his billions in assets, backed by the White Group, not to mention his achievements in the entertainment industry, having won many more awards than Elisa. Many fans have turned their backs, and surprisingly, it’s Elisa who’s facing the backlash.
Some believe that Elisa’s departure from the entertainment industry means she has hitched herself to the White family’s wagon, having married into wealth, and thus, what’s the point of striving further? This has triggered a lot of resentment toward her.
People are inherently biased, with their own scales of judgment. To Louis’ “fans,” apart from her looks, Elisa seemingly only has her acting skills. There used to be many who enjoyed watching the two of them collaborate in movies.
But now, with Elisa giving up acting and leaving the entertainment industry, she seems to have nothing left. Is she going to be just a housewife? What good is her beauty then? In this world, many are harsh on women, hoping they’ll be housewives taking care of the home, yet also disparaging them as mere spenders. If women have their own careers and work outside, they are accused of neglecting their families.
Netizens have started tearing into this topic, with career fans being somewhat unwilling to accept Elisa’s departure from the entertainment industry, now turning into incomprehension. They fail to understand why Elisa, despite being a reigning queen, has chosen to marry.
Moreover, even if she marries, it shouldn’t hinder her career. Does she really have to sit back and rely on a man to support her? Many people don’t understand Elisa, and Elisa doesn’t need their understanding. She wants to live her life for herself, not for others.
Leaving the entertainment industry doesn’t mean giving up her career. Elisa has another identity; she is the chairman of AW Group, a cloak that has yet to be revealed. The TV series she invested in have started production with actors getting involved.
Due to the incident with “Starbound,” Louis is temporarily on hiatus. After his recovery, he will return to work on set. Louis had been in the hospital for a month, continuously undergoing blood tests. Only after it was confirmed that there was no virus in his system, was he discharged.
Louis’s recovery owes a lot to Micah, who discovered the virus abroad and developed a cure. If not for him, Louis might have died by now.
The White family decided to celebrate this development. With Louis’s identity now exposed, there was no need to keep it a secret. Mr. White decided to throw a grand banquet to dispel the negativity, and if possible, to also formalize the relationship between the two young people.
Finn didn’t escape legal repercussions. The evidence of him killing “Lorelei,” along with the charges of kidnapping Elisa, carrying a firearm, carrying the virus, and intentionally causing harm, led to the court’s decision-death penalty.
Elisa, upon hearing this news, returned to the small house, which was bought by Aoife. She looked at the walls, every decoration, and every piece of flooring, all filled with memories that belonged to Aoife.
Elisa squatted down beside the wardrobe, opening the bottom drawer, which held Aoife’s past. It was the story she wrote after leaving Finn. Aoife didn’t like writing in a diary; she preferred turning her experiences into stories, short and long. After meeting Finn, every male protagonist in her stories bore shades of Finn.
He was the earnest one, the one who didn’t understand love, the controlling one, the one who liked to threaten but had never laid a hand on anyone, and also the deceitful one. Aoife’s wishful thinking was laid bare in these stories.
With severe depression, Aoife found it difficult to complete an entire book. “The Ghost” was her final work. There’s a saying, “Evil spirits hurry to harm people, pedestrians slowly calculate.” On a rainy night, hundreds of spirits roam. People fear spirits three parts, spirits fear people seven parts. People fear the terror of spirits, spirits fear the malice of people.
Elisa sorted out the manuscripts from the drawer, along with the diagnosis of depression for which Aoife had been examined. Louis accompanied her all the way, noticing that Elisa was not in a good mood at the moment.
Arriving at the prison, the guards checked her belongings for any dangerous items, and after confirming that it was just a few pages filled with writing, they handed them over to Elisa, relieved.
“If you want to visit, you need to fill out some paperwork,” the guard said. Elisa nodded. Visiting regulations allowed only one person inside, and Elisa had planned to speak to Finn alone about certain matters.
“I’m going in,” she said.
“I’ll wait for you outside,” Louis replied.
“Okay,” Elisa nodded, then followed the guard inside, arriving at the waiting window.
Finn’s execution was in two weeks. He had been in prison for so long, and only Elisa had come to see him. It was both pitiful and laughable.
Elisa sat for a while, and in less than three minutes, she saw Finn being escorted out by the guard. He wore a dark blue prisoner’s uniform, his hair shaved close. From Elisa’s angle, she could see the stubble on his gaunt chin.
With his haircut, Finn’s face looked even more haggard than before, his dark circles deep, his eyes extremely gloomy and lifeless.
When Finn saw Elisa, his eyes briefly lit up, but then, like a flame being snuffed out by the wind, they turned into ashen darkness. He wouldn’t get to see the one person he had been waiting for.
Finn’s hands were shackled, and with every step, they made a clinking sound. Elisa sat upright, gazing at him intently.
Finn looked as desolate as ever, like a beaten stray dog.
“Surprised to see me?” Elisa asked.
“Not at all,” Finn replied, taking a seat at the window, his voice slightly hoarse. “I knew you would come.”
Having been locked away in the windowless prison for so long, Finn was unaware of what had been happening in the outside world.
The potent virus injected into Louis – he must have died. Finn felt no satisfaction in the aftermath of “revenge.” After all, he was close to death himself. His only concern was to protect Aoife’s well-being. Reality held no relevance for him. As long as he protected Aoife’s body, that was all that mattered.
Looking at Elisa’s calm demeanor, Finn felt a sense of unease rising within him. After a while, he saw a faint smile appear on Elisa’s lips, and heard her cool voice.
“If you’re not surprised to see me, then I’ll tell you something that will definitely surprise you. Louis didn’t die. The virus you had someone inject into him has disappeared.”
“How is that possible?” Finn exclaimed, getting up in excitement, but the guard beside him forcefully pressed down on his shoulder, warning him not to move.
Elisa calmly said, “You can ask the officer next to you. He’s the one accompanying me today. Not only has Louis recovered, but… we are getting married soon.”
After a brief moment of astonishment, Finn calmed down. Elisa was not someone who lied, and there was no reason for her to fabricate such a story just to taunt him. Her expression confirmed that it was all true.
“Married.” These days, marriage had been on Finn’s mind a lot. Growing up in an unlucky family, his mother had been a mistress for a man, and even in death, she had clung to him. Influenced by her, Finn had always scorned “love.” He never thought he would ever fall in love in his life. Elisa and Aoife were both unexpected in his life.
Finn and Hamish were similar – arrogant and self-assured. They believed that what they had done would not lead to regret, nor leave room for it.
Repentance was for the weak.
Five years ago, Finn probably never imagined he would become such a weak person, and that the person he had discarded like an old shoe would one day become the person he wanted to have.
Someone he couldn’t have.
Someone full of regrets with just a casual thought.
Someone standing right in front of him that he couldn’t see.
If he had known the outcome would be like this, he should have treated Aoife better, much better…
Aoife was easy to please. Just a few soft words, a little bit of insignificant respect and care, and she would willingly do anything for you.
If he had been better to her, would he be married to Aoife by now?
Would there still be a chance for Elisa to appear?
Was revenge against Hamish really that important?