Fred made his way into the ward. “How’s your recovery going, Assistant Williams?”“Much better now.”“President Henderson had to fly over to America for something important. I’ve already told him about everything that happened here and he’ll be here the first thing tomorrow morning to visit you.”Fred paused for a second before he took out an agreement. “President Henderson also told me to relay a message to you. If you remember, you’ve signed a letter of employment with Henderson Corporation before. If you wish to breach the terms of the contract by refusing to turn up for work, the company has the right to sue you and demand a certain amount of money for compensation. Please think wisely and come back to work.”“But...” Christina did not know what to say.“President Henderson knows that you’re still recovering from your injuries and has allowed you to take paid leave. He hopes that you’ll be able to come back to work after this or the company will take you to court for your brea
“I have no idea. Perhaps he happened to pass by that area. What a dangerous situation! Luckily, Michael came just in time to save them, or there could have been serious consequences.”“Go and investigate what happened!” Matthew looked somber. “I knew something was going on between Michael and Christina. There must be something!”“They are… probably having an affair. Assistant Williams usually seems to have a strong dislike for Michael, and what’s more, she’s not the sort who will easily fall for someone.”Matthew knew that Christina was not the kind of person, but Michael could be. To him, Michael looked like a greedy person with evil intentions.Would Michael fall for Christina? That was absolutely possible. Casting Michael’s character aside, Matthew thought about Christina’s appearance. There was hardly anyone who could resist Christina’s beauty, right?He had to come up with an effective strategy to prevent Michael from cashing in on their relationship!While Matthew was worry
When Michael visited Francis in his ward with the packet of food, he got a cold shoulder from Francis as well.In a forthright manner, Francis said, “Thank you for saving Christina and me, President Larson. We’ll remember your kindness and return you the favor in the future. But at this moment, we don’t want to see you.” Michael’s face turned pale after he heard Francis’ words. He just silently accepted his words since he had no reason to get angry.Travis did not understand why adults spoke in such a strange way. “Granduncle, why did you say that we don’t want to see this mister? I’m happy to see him!”“Did you forget what Mommy has told you, Travis?” Francis reminded him.“I didn’t. Mommy told me not to talk to strangers.” Travis tapped his head.Michael’s gaze darkened. Did Christina already consider him to be a stranger at this point?Michael did not leave the hospital just because of Christina’s and Francis’s resistance. He continued to stay there and did not bother to go
“Old Madam Larson, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I won’t leave Perth. It’s my home. If you don’t want me to approach your son, you can take him away and get lost with him! Why must you come and pester me?”After shouting at Heather, Christina hung up and felt anxious deep down. What a woman! At night, Ariel came to the hospital. It made her blood boil when she learned about Heather’s intention. “This old witch is clever at charming people!” After some thought, Ariel said, “Actually, you can take the deal. Once you leave Perth, you don’t have to worry about being pestered by Michael anymore. Furthermore, you can obtain a sum of money. Anyway, that’s what the Larson family owes you. It’d be a waste if you don’t take it!”“Ariel, I know you want me to take the deal for my own good, but I don’t want to leave this place. I don’t want their dirty money as well.”“You’re just too stubborn!” Ariel sighed.After having two days of rest, Christina felt that she had recovered. She was
“You must have suffered a lot, Christina!” John was about to hold Christina’s hands after he entered the ward, yet she shrank away from his touch. He subsequently withdrew his hands. “Sorry, Christina. It was Dad’s fault.”“Mayor John, it’s all over. An apology won’t change anything.” The two people she hated most in the world were Michael and John.“Mayor John, considering that things have been going well for you, I advise you not to meet an ordinary person like me. If I expose your private affairs with another mistress someday, you’ll lose your position as a mayor.”“Christina, I don’t have a mistress, nor did I cheat on your mom. I’ve never thought of betraying your mom. Sophia and your mom were best friends back then. At that time, I was on business and I drank a lot. I accidentally entered the wrong room, so I ended up sleeping with her…”John looked miserable. “I’ve been wrestling with a guilty conscience. I didn’t expect that Sophia would get pregnant and consequently give b
Michael and Christina used to be an intimate couple, yet he had failed to realize her real identity.If Christina revealed the fact that she was John’s daughter back then, Michael’s mother would not have caused her trouble by going to great lengths to make them divorce. They could still be leading a blissful life together. Nevertheless, Christina chose to conceal her identity all these years. She did not tell the truth even when she was misunderstood, bullied, and expelled from the Larson family.It really broke Michael’s heart to know that she even hid from him despite sharing the same bed with him. “Christina, have you ever loved me? Even if it's just a little bit?” “No! Never, not in the slightest!” Christina lost her cool.At this point, Michael actually questioned her whether she had ever loved him. If she had not, why would she have insisted on marrying him despite her uncle’s objection? Why had she endured the brutal torture that Heather inflicted upon her over the past
Sophia and Serena had both analyzed the possible outcomes. Even if Michael now knew about Christina’s real identity, they knew how to deal with it, so they were not at all worried.“You knew Christina’s real identity long ago, didn’t you?” Michael stared piercingly at Serena as if he was going to see through her.“Michael, you’ve found out about everything?” A look of surprise crossed Serena’s face. She immediately looked down to suppress her emotions. “Yes, I knew earlier on that Christina is my sister. Because of Mom, Christina has been very hostile toward us and never forgiven us. She has even changed her last name.”“Does this mean that everyone else, except my mom and I, has already learned about your surrogacy? Since you knew that Christina is your sister and that she hates you so much, why did you still provoke her by agreeing to bear a child for her?”“I didn’t mean to provoke Sister, Michael. Admittedly, I lied to you, but Sister couldn’t get pregnant back then. Dad and Mo
‘Christina’s having a row with Mom in the house?’ Michael was taken aback, then he quickly stood up. Serena heard the caretaker’s words as well. “Michael, let’s go and have a look.”Christina went to visit Francis in his ward after Michael left. Francis’ injury was more serious than hers as he was hit by a brick on the head and consequently had a concussion. Christina sat on the side of his bed chatting with him while Travis was left playing alone in the ward. The two adults did not notice when Travis went missing until a nurse came holding an envelope. The nurse gave Christina the envelope. “Someone asked me to hand this to you.”Feeling puzzled, Christina took the envelope from the nurse and opened it. There was only one sentence in the message: [If you want your child to be safe, get out of Perth soon!]“Travis!” Christina finally realized that Travis had gone missing. Just as she ran out of the ward in a panic to look for him, she bumped into Ariel. Ariel noticed Christina’s
In fact, Matthew was the one who planned this entire thing. He had been keeping a close eye on Rachel since she returned.He could let bygones be bygones if she was willing to settle down. However, the woman did not learn from past mistakes and once again partnered up with Serena to plot against Christina.Matthew went along with their plan. He even found someone to set this up to lure them into the trap.Christina’s due date was approaching after Rachel and Serena were taken care of. Michael began making preparations for Travis’ transplant operation.He hired the best hematologist and gynecologist before arranging for both Christina and Travis’ operation to take place in the same hospital.The delivery went smoothly. Christina gave birth to a baby girl, and Heather was over the moon.Everything had gone well, and it was about time to start on Travis’ operation. Christina was accompanied by Matthew and Rachel whereas Heather stayed close by the baby’s side. Michael comforted Chri
Besides, even if the plan failed, intentionally causing a pregnant woman to miscarry was not considered homicide by the country’s criminal law. The punishment was less serious as the behavior would be categorized as an assault occasioning bodily harm.Assault and criminal homicide were two completely different crimes.Rachel agreed to the suggestion. Scarface was indeed a ruthless man. He came up with this vicious revenge that would put Christina in pain forever.Upon agreeing on the details of the plan, Scarface and his friends from the streets proceeded to kidnap Christina. Rachel and Serena were told to sit tight and wait for the good news.Scarface had a well-thought-out plan and got his hands on Christina before long. Her head was covered with a black cloth as they forcefully pushed her into the van.Serena and Rachel were already at the agreed-upon location when Scarface instructed Christina to step out of the vehicle. The latter’s belly was round, and both of her hands were
Serena lost everything. She had no choice but to work as a bargirl to survive.Scarface was the person in charge of the bar she worked at. The ruthless man had pretty much slept with every woman who worked at his place. Naturally, Serena could not escape from that fate either.Serena was different from other bargirls. She came from a prestigious family and was highly educated. Even in dire straits, she still maintained a certain grace that made her stand out from the crowd.Scarface spotted her on her first day at the bar. He ordered his men to drag her into the private room and tortured her the entire night.She resisted in the beginning. However, without anyone to depend on, she had no choice but to give into Scarface’s tyrannical abuse.Several times later, he found himself attracted to her. Every night, he would ask for her instead of other women.Serena, who could not escape from him, gave in eventually. She even ended up becoming his lover.By doing so, she found someone t
“Just a little while ago.” Sean came closer. “Christina, we need to talk.”She nodded and followed him to the garden. He helped her to get comfortable on the bench. “Do you believe in fate?”She shook her head, unsure where this was leading. “I didn’t either as I’m a firm believer that hard work always pays off. But now I do.”He looked her in the eye. “I’ve been lost and struggled a lot since that incident, unsure how to face you. After considering this seriously for the past few days, I’ve finally mustered enough courage to meet you again.”A sigh escaped her lips. “Sorry, Sean. It’s all my fault.”“No! It has nothing to do with you, Christina. It’s my fault that my love is not strong enough. I discovered that Suzy is really great after spending the past few months with her. She’s just like you. She’s gentle, kind, pure, and adorable. I realized I’ve fallen in love with her.”This was not what he really thought.He loved Christina since the beginning of time and believed he
“That’s old history. We think Michael is actually pretty good.”“We? Who do you mean?” Christina teased.Ariel and Matthew had been spending a lot of time together lately. Christina went through that herself and understood the passion in her friend’s eyes. This silly girl was actually in love. She could not be happier for her.“Who else? Matthew, of course!” Ariel glared at Christina.“I say whatever’s on my mind, unlike you, who always keep everything to yourself and get stuck in dilemmas. Every good opportunity slips past you because of your indecisiveness!” “How can I not be? I promised to marry him but I’m now trying to convince him to marry someone else. Is this really the best thing for him? Will he be happy?”Ariel questioned after a brief silence, “Christina, let me ask you this. Who do you care for more? Michael or Sean?”Christina asked herself the same question too. She naturally cared more about Michael in the past, but she also started to develop a strong feeling f
The following morning, Serena hurried to the police station to file a report.The police treated this with high importance and warned her to be careful of Darren Cain as he was a vicious gang member who had served over a decade in prison.She became more frightened after hearing that. Immediately, she moved out of that house and rented a place somewhere quiet. As she was terrified, she stayed indoors for the next few days.Much of Christina’s stress was relieved without having to deal with Serena’s pestering.“Christina, John was at the last stage of cancer. It was lucky enough that he lasted until he did. This is his fate, so try not to get too upset.” Francis comforted the dispirited woman. It did not make any difference even though he was not the real Francis. He had long adapted to the identity after assuming it for so many years. Most importantly, Christina was still willing to treat him like a real uncle even after finding out the truth.“Don’t worry, Uncle, I’m fine.”
The harassment continued after the funeral. Serena went around spreading accusations and threatened Christina to give her money. Otherwise, she would report John to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for private corruption.If reported, the antique art collection would be seized and no one could get it!Christina became more frustrated after hearing that.She never expected John’s leniency toward Serena would cause her such a big problem. Matthew was infuriated by Serena’s unreasonable behavior. He suggested they could shut the woman up by teaching her a lesson. Sean shook his head. “That’s not going to solve the problem. Serena must’ve come prepared if she dares to stir up trouble. This is a lawful society. We can’t do as we wish.”“Are we actually going to pay her off then?” Ariel asked, “I think giving her money isn’t going to put an end to this. She’s certainly going to keep threatening for more!”Michael scoffed. “Why should we give her money? She can go
“I will, Dad, don’t worry. I’ll listen to Sister,” Suzy replied.“Christina.” John grabbed Christina’s hand in his own. “My greatest regret in this life is failing to take good care of you and your mother. I’m going to meet your mother soon. I hope she’ll forgive me!”Tears rolled down Christina’s cheeks. Men would speak kindly in the presence of death. She was unsure if Molly would forgive him, but she had long forgiven her father.He strained to pull Suzy and Christina’s hands closer together as he looked at them with pleading eyes. “The both of you must live peacefully together. Suzy, listen to your sister, and Christina, you must take good care of her on my behalf.”Christina looked at Suzy before nodding quietly. Then, John shifted his glance to Michael.“I’ve done many wrongs in this life. I betrayed my wife and disappointed my daughter. I hope you’ll do better than me. I’ll hand over Christina to you now. I’ll come back to haunt you as a stubborn ghost if you dare to wr
Suzy felt guilt-ridden and knew she was not in the position to demand anything from Christina. However, her mother had gone mad. She did not wish to see Christina continuing the fight with her mother.At a loss for what to do, she cried her heart out while in Christina’s arms.Sean felt a heavy feeling in his chest. He knew Christina too well after all the years they spent together. She was a soft-hearted person behind her stubborn facade. Seeing others in sorrow was her greatest weakness.There was no doubt she would choose to forgive Suzy and accept her as her sister.If that was the case, then the marriage between them was destined to fail. Christina would reject him for the sake of the child in her sister’s belly.At this moment, he was thinking of how everything was falling apart at this moment even after he had consistently pursued her all these years. He stood there in a daze for a long time before finally heaving a sigh.Perhaps this was their destiny. Suzy cried for a