Back at the clinic, the blush on Elowen’s face hadn’t fully faded.

But with the busy work schedule in the afternoon, she quickly forgot about what had happened at Grove Restaurant earlier.

After a while, during a lull, she received a message from the bank. She quickly checked it, and when she saw that it was a notification for a 300,000 dollars deposit, she couldn’t help but cheer!

Finally, the 300,000 life-saving money had arrived!

Elowen hurriedly called the hospital to inform them that she would pay the bill after her shift. Then, quite suddenly, she remembered her flash-marriage husband.

Dylan’s deep, intimidating eyes from earlier that day flashed in her mind, and she shuddered involuntarily.

Forget it; he was probably just drunk. He seemed normal enough otherwise.

Tomorrow was the day they’d agreed to look for an apartment together. Since Senior Mr. Lockwood had already kept his promise by transferring the money, she figured she should take the initiative.

She pulled up Senior Mr. Lockwood’s contact and called to ask for Dylan’s number.

Senior Mr. Lockwood was very enthusiastic and promptly shared Dylan’s WhatsApp account and phone number with her.

Elowen first sent a friend request but waited half an hour without receiving a response.

Worried she might miss Dylan’s message while working, she decided to call the number directly.

After about three rings, the call was rejected. Thinking she might have dialed the wrong number, she double-checked and called again.

This time, it was cut off after a single ring. When she persistently tried a third time, there wasn’t even a ring--it went straight to, "Sorry! The subscriber you dialed is busy now, please redial later..."

Elowen: "???"

Was he really on another call?

She decided to wait a bit longer, thinking she’d try again once he finished his call, and set the phone aside.

But once she got busy, she forgot all about it.

It wasn’t until after her shift, when she stretched and moved around a bit, that she remembered she hadn’t managed to reach Dylan yet.

She pulled out her phone to see that her friend request was still pending, and there were no missed calls. Apart from a text from her sister about bringing fish soup to their mother, there were no other messages.

Frowning, Elowen stepped out of the clinic and dialed Dylan’s number again.

But once more, she got the same response: "The subscriber you dialed is busy now."

Now she was completely confused. Could Dylan really be on the phone from noon until night?

Something felt off. Just then, her friend Ophelia returned. Ophelia hadn’t worked that afternoon--she’d gone bar-hopping after lunch and drinks at Grove Restaurant.

Elowen walked over and asked what it meant when a call was consistently met with a "busy" signal.

Reeking of alcohol, Ophelia replied, "Isn’t it obvious? You’ve been blocked!"

Elowen froze, finding it hard to believe Dylan would block someone for no reason, unless...

She stretched out her hand toward Ophelia. "Give me your phone; I’ll try."

She wouldn’t believe she’d been blocked unless Dylan’s number went through on another phone.

...

Dusk settled as the sun sank low on the horizon.

Dylan slept through the entire afternoon at his grand villa, waking only as the day faded into twilight. When he’d first returned in the afternoon, he was just about to doze off when he vaguely heard his phone ringing. Irritated, he reached for it and rejected the call.

He absolutely hated being disturbed when sleeping.

But the phone rang again and again, as if the caller was deliberately testing his limits.

Frustrated, he blocked the number, and finally, peace returned.

After a good nap, Dylan sat up in bed, clearing his head before heading to the bathroom. He shrugged off his robe, revealing a muscular physique reflected in the mirror.

He narrowed his eyes, gazing absentmindedly at a faint scar on his collarbone, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he looked away and stepped barefoot into the steaming shower.

Once done, he picked up his phone and noticed a WhatsApp friend request from someone named "StriveOn," with a sunflower profile picture as tacky as it could get.

How could just anyone manage to add him on WhatsApp?

His private account was rarely shared with others.

Just as he was about to ignore the request, his phone screen flashed--an unknown number was calling...

Unexpectedly, just as Dylan was about to answer, the caller hung up first.

His face darkened immediately.

Instinctively, he felt that the person behind this call was the same one who had disturbed his nap earlier.

Who had the nerve to play games and harass him like this!

Meanwhile, at Ronan's private dental clinic.

Elowen, who had hurriedly ended the call, felt a moment of shock.

The call had gone through.

That meant Dylan had really blocked her.

The first question that popped into her head was, Why?

She couldn’t think of any reason. They had no grudges, and she was even his grandfather’s life-saver. Just this morning, they’d registered their marriage, making them legally married. So why would he block her?

And yes, the friend request not being accepted--it was probably intentional too.

For some reason, a sense of humiliation rose in Elowen’s heart. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and her nose turned red with anger.

Ophelia, noticing her friend’s unusual behavior, gently placed a hand on Elowen’s thin shoulder. "Elowen? Are you alright?"

Elowen handed the phone back to Ophelia, sniffing as she forced a weak smile. "It’s nothing, Ophelia. I’m going to the hospital to be with my mom."

She still needed to rush to the hospital to pay for the surgery!

Elowen grabbed her scooter keys and left the clinic.

...

At the villa, Dylan came downstairs to have dinner after waking up from a nap. He was about to instruct someone to investigate the owners of the two mysterious phone numbers when his assistant, Jasper, rushed in.

"Mr. Lockwood, Senior Mr. Lockwood has arrived. He’s waiting for you in the living room."

Dylan raised an eyebrow.

What was Grandpa doing here at this hour?

He wiped his mouth with a napkin, then stood up and walked toward the living room.

Senior Mr. Lockwood was sitting there, sipping tea. His butler, Walter, saw Dylan approaching and bowed, "Young Master."

Dylan maintained a courteous attitude toward his grandfather’s long-time attendant and nodded in acknowledgment before taking a seat across from Senior Mr. Lockwood.

"It’s late. Why aren’t you at the estate? Is there something urgent, Grandpa?"

Dylan’s usual cold demeanor seemed softened, thanks to the beige loungewear he was wearing, making him appear obedient, much like in the past.

Seeing this, Senior Mr. Lockwood felt slightly reassured.

After returning home earlier, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his grandson seemed different lately. Worried that Dylan had discovered something he shouldn’t have, he had tossed and turned all night.

So, he found an excuse to drop by.

Adopting the tone of a senior scolding a junior, he said, "What, can’t I come by to check on you? I got tired of staying at the estate, so I thought I’d visit you here for a few days. Are you going to kick me out?"

Dylan chuckled. "What are you talking about, Grandpa? You can stay as long as you want."

Satisfied, Senior Mr. Lockwood nodded.

If Dylan still respected him like this, it meant he probably wasn’t aware of that matter.

Feeling relieved, he got up, leaning on his cane, ready to head to the guest room.

"Don’t worry; I’ll leave tomorrow," Senior Mr. Lockwood mumbled. "Elowen asked for your contact information earlier today, saying she wanted to arrange to look at apartments with you. So, I guess you won’t be staying in this villa for a while. And it wouldn’t be fun for me to stay here alone."

As he shuffled along, he muttered to himself, "Why leave a perfectly good villa to play poor and rent a place outside? I’ve told you before, Elowen isn’t just after money. But you refuse to believe it. You’re so insistent on testing her... Well, go ahead, but don’t come crying to me if you regret it..."

With that, Senior Mr. Lockwood yawned and closed the guest room door behind him.

His words suddenly made Dylan think of the strange calls he’d received earlier.

Could it be that the persistent calls were from that girl?

Realizing this, Dylan’s frown deepened.

He took out his phone and tapped a few buttons, unblocking the number he’d blocked that afternoon.

He glanced at Jasper, who was standing nearby. "Find the smallest apartment among my properties."

"Understood."

If he had agreed to play along with her, Dylan wouldn’t mind the trouble.

His fingers moved quickly as he dialed Elowen’s number again.

But what was going on?

He tried twice, but each time, he received the same message: the line was busy...

...

At that moment, Elowen was angrily waiting for the elevator at the hospital.

She wasn’t a saint--having her number blocked for no reason had made her furious.

On her way to the hospital, she’d thought things through. After careful consideration, she’d blocked Dylan’s number in return!

If he wanted to block her, so be it. No contact was no contact.

She thought that once the year was up, she’d march up to him, drag him to the Department of Civil Affairs, and get the divorce certificate!

Then, she’d return the 300,000 dollars she’d saved up, and they’d be even. That would spare her a lot of trouble!

As the elevator reached her mother’s floor, Elowen cleared her mind and replaced her angry expression with a relaxed smile.

But as soon as the doors opened, she was hit by the sound of a child’s heart-wrenching cries, a woman’s stifled sobs, and a familiar man’s angry curses, all flooding into her ears unexpectedly.

"Iris Halloway, you’re nothing but a leech! How did I end up marrying someone like you? You know I barely make enough to cover the family’s expenses, mortgage, and car payments! Where am I supposed to find the money for the old woman’s surgery?!"