Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)

Agnes knew that getting Berlin back behind bars was going to be tough. With no new evidence to be found, Laura had been sentenced to life without parole, taking the fall for everything. But Agnes wasn't one to throw in the towel.

"May the best woman win," Agnes said with a steely resolve.

Valeria weighed in, "The mess with my dad, I didn't want to drag Jared into it. He was in the dark about it. Sure, he introduced me to Mr. Mansfield, but he had no clue it was to deal with my father's case. At the end of the day, he was an outsider. He only found out after my father was released."

Agnes took a moment, letting the silence hang between them.

She chuckled, a wry smile crossing her face. "You don't need to cover for him. The fact remains that he knew and he didn't tell me."

"Jared has his own stance and thoughts on the matter. If you broke up with him over this, then you are not giving credit to how much Jared cares for you."

Agnes had pondered this later on.

What really bothered her wasn't exactly that. It was the closeness between Jared and Valeria, the kind that usually belonged only between couples or spouses. Agnes felt it was too late for regrets.

"Ms. Thomas, if I may be so bold, is your relationship with him really just professional?" Agnes probed.

Valeria held her gaze steady on Agnes.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally said, "Ms. Pritchard, I'll be honest with you, I love him. I love him more than anything, much more than you do." This wasn't a surprise to Agnes.

Women have their intuitions, after all.

No woman would gamble her whole life on a business deal.

But she would use that deal as a front to stage a real romance and secure her marriage.

That was Valeria's playbook.

She had almost gotten engaged to Jared once.

He had explained it to Agnes-it was all for their vineyard business in France.

But men often oversimplify these things.

Valeria's feelings were either love, or profound love.

Agnes smirked, "Then why not tell him? Why keep explaining your relationship to me on his behalf, afraid I'd get the wrong idea?"

"Because my love is different from yours, Ms. Pritchard. I love Jared, and I want him to find the happiness he seeks. It doesn't matter who he ends up choosing, as long as he's happy. I know his heart belongs only to you, so I'm willing to step aside. I stay silent to avoid burdening him with my personal feelings."

Agnes laughed, "That's noble of you, but it's a kind of nobility I can't understand."

Perhaps such selfless and noble love did exist in the world.

But Agnes considered herself an ordinary person. To love was to care, to be greedy, to crave for more attention. Which was why she and Jared were always at loggerheads. Maybe she just wasn't as enlightened.

Valeria spoke again, "However, I feel it's unfair to Jared. He's been devoted to you from the start, yet Ms. Pritchard keeps taking his love for granted and hurting him."

"I have a question for Ms. Thomas," Agnes asked pointedly. "If you truly wanted Jared and me to be happy together, why step down from your COO position at the Thomas Group to become a marketing manager at the Tim Group?"

Valeria's response from back then still echoed clearly in Agnes' mind.