“An urgent matter came up at work,” Michael simply replied. He was about to go upstairs when Heather called out to him. “Come over here, I have something to tell you.”He glanced at her before walking over to sit on the couch opposite her. “What’s the matter?”There was no emotion on his face and his voice reeked of impatience. Her son’s unusual mood today caught her by surprise. “What did John Garcia say when you went over for dinner today?”“Nothing really,” he replied.“I thought you were going to discuss the engagement.”“The engagement?” He laughed sarcastically. “I thought you wanted to do everything by yourself?”“What do you mean?” she said, annoyed. “You’re the one getting married after all. You should at least have a proper chat about it with them and be more thoughtful about Serena.”“I don’t mind. Just do everything according to your wish.” The indifference was evident in his voice.“Are you deliberately trying to upset me, child?”“Did I say anything wrong?” He sm
Michael tossed and turned on the bed the entire night, unable to sleep in peace. He dreamed of a scene that happened many years ago when he met Christina in school. She was smiling radiantly like a beautiful flower as she dashed toward him, shouting his name. He was lured uncontrollably toward her soothing voice. “Christina!”Michael extended his arms to catch her but in a blink of an eye, she was pulled into another man’s embrace. That man’s tender smile was so warm, it was as if he was a bright sun. He lifted her off the ground and twirled around. Then, the two of them walked away together holding each other’s hand.“Sean!” He felt a sharp pain in his heart as he jolted awake. It was yet another stupid dream!It was already late at night. Travis had fallen asleep and he even began to snore. Meanwhile, having trouble sleeping, Christina stared at the ceiling in the dark.She tried hard from prohibiting herself to reminisce about the horrible past. However, like stubborn sprouts
Michael’s persistence left Heather with no other choice but to agree for the young couple to be together although she was still dissatisfied with Christina.Christina never had a peaceful day after their marriage as Heather mocked and ridiculed her daily. It only got worse when she still had not conceived a baby. Heather even openly brought Serena back home to make things awkward for her.Apart from that, in order to improve her fertility, Heather also forced her to drink all sorts of traditional remedies such as a special alcoholic concoction made by preserving scorpions and red ants.She started throwing up at the sight of those wriggly worms. One day, she finally had enough and refused to drink the concoction.Infuriated, Heather scolded her incessantly and asked her to pack up her belongings to leave if she refused to drink up.The continuous mental and physical torture finally pushed Christina to her limits. She could not endure this anymore.She began to stand up for hersel
It finally occurred to Christina at that moment that she was the only one being kept in the dark from the truth. She was the stupidest woman in the entire world!Without hesitation, she signed the papers and left the Larson house wearing the red dress Francis bought for her.She did not sleep well that night. The next day, she went to work with dark circles beneath her eyes. Matthew teased her when he saw that, saying, “Where has this panda come from?”Christina, who was in a low mood, could not be bothered to joke with him. She returned to her desk and started working. However, he would keep stealing glances at the woman, wondering if she was troubled by anything.Was it because of Sean?In all the years he was friends with Sean, he knew that the man was deeply in love with a woman, but he had no idea it was Christina. He also had no idea what had happened between them.It was evident that Sean liked her dearly but was the feeling reciprocated?She was a straightforward woman.
“No!” Matthew explained, “I’m just upset that I’m not the first man you met and that I only met you after you’ve been hurt by others!“Christina, it’s not too late. Be my girlfriend and let me take care of you. I won’t let you be hurt anymore…”Before she could reply, a sarcastic laugh rang in her ears. “Young Master Henderson, have you changed your career to be an actor? Which drama are you rehearsing for?”Michael was standing by the restaurant’s entrance, dressed in a freshly pressed suit. He leaned against the door frame casually as he threw a spiteful glance at Matthew.The dislike he had for the latter had now turned into hatred.Matthew was using Christina as bait to seduce John so in order to acquire the old town redevelopment project. He clenched his teeth in fury.He had been watching Matthew’s every move. He knew what Matthew had planned when he heard that the man reserved an entire restaurant and decorated the venue with lots of fresh flowers and balloons.As such, h
“I’m going to kill you, Michael Larson!” Realizing that his confession had failed again, Matthew Henderson placed all the blame on Michael.The two men tore each other apart as anxiousness overtook Christina. She threw a fit and stormed out in frustration. It was not until the men reached a bloodbath did they stop fighting.Moving forward, Christina helped Matthew up. “Are you okay, Matthew? Gosh, you need to go to the hospital.”By now, a black patch had formed around Matthew’s eye. Still pissed, he took a glance at the other guy as blood trickled from the corner of Michael’s mouth. “Damn you, Larson! Why do you have to ruin everything?! I’m going to kill you one day!”Seeing how Christina paid no attention to him, Michael decided to throw shade at her. “Don’t forget what had happened with Miss Moore, Miss Williams. Learn from your lessons.”Ignoring him, Christina and Matthew walked out of the door as they got into the car. Soon, they were on their way to the hospital. Pulling
It was only when Fred informed him about Christina’s safety did Matthew let out a sigh of relief. It turned out that she had already gotten into a cab and was arriving at her house soon. Relieved, Matthew drove himself to the hospital.On the other hand, Christina had already discussed with Francis about the move to a new house. It would only be a matter of time until the two finally moved out of the old town.Although it was small, their new place was wider and brighter than the apartment they were living in now. Christina made her way to the local vegetable market where she bought some fresh supplies for the small celebration with Francis and Travis later. A few rounds had passed and Francis slowly became drunk. As the alcohol got to him, Francis started to blabber. “Thank God you’re so capable, Christina. Your mama would’ve been so proud of you if she were here.”“Yeah. Mama must be guiding us from heaven. She must be looking at us now, so we must show her that we’re living a g
The car stopped by the entrance of the alley as Christina, Sean, and Travis got down. The trio looked on as several excavators tore down the houses and mowed them into land.Upset, Christina said, “Silly me. They’ve probably been demolished by now anyway. The grocery shop and the noodle restaurant had already moved out a few days ago, so there’s nothing to eat here anymore.”Creasing his forehead, Sean looked at the banner hanging outside the excavation site. “Is Michael Larson’s company in charge of the excavation here?”“Yeah. A mall will be built on the east side while a parking lot will be built on the west.” Christina stared at the excavator. “The old town will be a commercial district in a few months’ time, and my childhood will be nothing but a memory.”Sean looked over at her. “Are you gonna miss it, Christina?”Christina shook her head. “The old town is the poorest area of this city. Demolishing it could mean that society has become wealthier. That means that things are g