How cold and dark is the bottom of the sea? How painful is it to drown? The body deforms, the flesh rots, and that once beautiful face now decays with maggots. Winifred Dawson, who always loved cleanliness, bathed daily and applied lotion to make herself smell nice. Now she was dead, rotting and stinking.
Garrison Reeves couldn’t accept the stark contrast between life and death; he couldn’t bear to think about it in detail. He didn’t want Winifred Dawson to die this way and prayed fervently that the corpse wasn’t hers.
He lacked Leland Burns’ decisive judgment and had to wait for the police’s identification results. During this waiting period, Garrison Reeves stayed nearby, constantly asking for updates.
He knew Leland Burns had come earlier but left after a glance, declaring it wasn’t Winifred Dawson. The subordinate who accompanied Garrison Reeves to see the corpse fell ill the next day and didn’t recover even after visiting the hospital. Garrison gave him leave to rest and assigned a braver assistant to stay by his side.
After three days, the police results confirmed that the corpse wasn’t Winifred Dawson. Garrison Reeves let out a heavy sigh of relief, slumping in his wheelchair. The tension released left him slightly breathless.
Since it wasn’t Winifred Dawson, did that mean she was still alive? As his emotions settled, Garrison Reeves thought of Leland Burns again. How could Leland Burns be so sure with just one glance? Did he know Winifred Dawson better than he did?
Garrison felt irritated; he didn’t want to lose to Leland Burns or admit that Leland knew Winifred better. He couldn’t identify her with one look, but Leland could. For a moment, he wished the corpse was Winifred’s just to prove Leland wrong.
Shocked by his own thoughts, Garrison gripped his wheelchair tightly. How could he wish for such a thing just to spite Leland Burns? He was horrified by his own malice. He tried to rationalize it-Leland had spent more time with Winifred over the past year; maybe that’s why he could tell immediately.
Comforting himself with this thought made him feel a bit better. Since the corpse wasn’t Winifred, he would continue searching. Leland may have given up, but Garrison wouldn’t stop until he found her-alive or dead.
Leland Burns was like a mountain overshadowing Garrison Reeves, pushing him to prove himself stronger. The police results also reached Henry James, who marveled at Leland’s ability to identify the body at a glance-was it some kind of telepathy?
Even though Leland had already judged correctly, Henry James informed him of the police results. Leland remained silent for about three seconds before saying “I know” and continuing his work.
Henry James wanted to see more emotion from Leland; it made him feel like Leland was truly alive. So he mentioned Garrison Reeves again.
“Garrison also saw the body and waited three days for the results. Now he’s gone back to continue searching for Winifred Dawson. If he finds her and they get together, will you go after her?” Henry James teased.
Leland didn’t even pause. “If you’re so concerned about Winifred, why don’t you keep looking for her until you find her?”
Henry James quickly backed off. “I was just joking. We’ve had so many people searching day and night without success; how could Garrison’s small team find her?”
Leland said nothing more, and Henry James found it dull standing there. He was about to leave when Leland handed him some documents to deliver.
After Henry left, Leland stood up and instinctively opened his drawer for a cigarette but found only a lighter-he had quit smoking and drinking.
He had recognized immediately that the disfigured corpse wasn’t Winifred Dawson but still felt relieved when the results confirmed it.
He wasn’t as calm as he appeared on the surface. If Garrison did find Winifred and they got together, even Leland didn’t know what he’d do. But he didn’t want to push her away again.
Though he hadn’t officially tasked Henry or Wesley with finding Winifred anymore, he continued gathering information about her secretly.
Letting go of someone completely is incredibly hard, especially for someone like him who never gives up easily.
Leland touched the ring on his neck; he’d remove it once he truly moved on.
Five years passed in a flash. During this time, Leland Burns developed Burns Group extensively, expanding from Peachshire Town to Chiwood and beyond-Fig Town, Westhaven, Eastbridge, Bankshire-all under his influence.
His rapid development made him a prominent figure in any setting-young and promising with a net worth in billions. At twenty-six, he made it onto the global rich list as its youngest member.
His photos graced financial newspapers, TV news segments, and various online trends; his name became well-known…
Despite all this success, Leland still wore the ring around his neck. As per hospital arrangements, he flew to Midlands to sign documents for IVF treatment because he still wanted two children as planned.
Ensuring the pregnancy took forty-five days before he returned from Midlands.