Christina rushed to the bus stop. She waited for some time, yet there were still no buses to be seen. Just as she was prepared to call a cab, she saw a car around the corner and noticed Michael Larson’s cold gaze staring right back at her.Christina had not expected to meet him there. Assuming that Michael was here to meet up with Serena at home, her first reaction was to look away. As she looked in another direction, she forbade herself to glance back at the man.The sound of a car door opening could be heard behind her back as Michael strode towards her. As he quickly shrouded over her, Christina was overcome with a familiar sense of masculinity. “We need to talk.”Christina had completely ignored what he had said. Seeing how calm she looked, Michael’s heart thumped even faster underneath his chest.It was already late at night yesterday but Michael found it impossible to drift to sleep. Twisting and turning in bed, the first thing he did when morning came was to find Christina
Was it not too late for Michael Larson to ask Christina Williams why?“My mind went bonkers,” Christina replied.“Are you back to take revenge on Serena?”Serena! How intimately he had called her! Christina turned her head around with animosity in her eyes. “So what if I am?”Michael glared at her. “She’s my fiancee and I’ll protect her at all cost. I will never let your evil scheme prevail, so you better keep your tricks to yourself!”This was not the first time Micahel said something like that to her. He said the same thing when he tried to protect Suzy the last time. It was hilarious, yet heartbreaking too. She must have been blind to fall for Michael back then. She could not believe that she thought he would give her a happy life.The good thing was that it was all in the past. They had nothing to do with each other now.I deserved the pain and suffering you all inflicted on me in the past, Michael Larson. Things have changed now and I swear to make you pay for everything
Just at that moment, Fred Nelson walked in and was shocked to see Christina there. “You’re back!”Christina nodded her head. Letting out a sigh, Fred raised his hand and patted her on the shoulder to comfort her. “Travis will get better soon. Don’t worry too much.”Seeing how caring Fred had been towards Christina, Matthew Henderson started to feel uncomfortable. “Let’s get down to business.”Fred took out a document. “The National Sports Day will be held in Perth this year. We should be able to bid for the locations for each sporting game and also the construction of the sports arena soon. The profits are estimated to be above ten billion.”Matthew’s facial expression immediately turned serious as soon as they talked about business. “Have they given out the forms for the bid yet?”“No, but I managed to get you a copy from someone I know.” Fred placed the documents in front of Matthew. As Matthew read it, joy lit up his face. “What a gem! I’m going to be loaded this time!”Fred n
Wendy placed her chopsticks down. “Who’s that? Is it your mother-in-law?”Serena nodded her head. A crease had begun to form on her forehead and the smile on her face had been completely wiped off. Nothing bad could happen to the sports arena project this time or Heather Sunderland would show her attitude again. Christina started to writhe at the thought of this. Judging from the fact that Heather had to personally call Serena to check up on the project, it could only mean that the Larsons valued it a lot. If John had not pulled strings the last time, there was no way that Matthew Henderson could win over the project that easily. This time, John might take Michael Larson’s side instead just to make up for his loss.Christina could never let this kind of thing happen. She would never let Michael and Heather live in peace.Travis was still lying in the hospital at this moment, suffering from a disease. How was it fair for the bad guys to thrive in life if Travis was in so much pain?
It was quite an unpleasant meal as everyone’s minds were full of thoughts. Christina eventually did not feel like eating anymore. She put down her fork and left.Christina did not make those remarks merely to humiliate Sophia and her daughter. After coming out of the dining room, she waited for John in the living room. “I’ve got something to tell you.”“Alright. Let’s talk in my study room.” John supposed that Christina would probably make some unkind remarks, so he did not wish to let Sophia and her daughter hear their conversation.However, Christina did not appreciate his intention. “There’s no need for that. We can talk over here.”After coming out of the dining room, Sophia and her daughter initially planned to return to their room to calm themselves down. As soon as they heard that Christina wanted to discuss something with John, both of them lingered for a moment and ended up sitting on the couch in the living room.With Sophia and Serena seated by his side, John frowned an
“Am I?” Christina stared sarcastically at Serena. “I’m just trying to fulfill my responsibility and obligation as a citizen!” “You… You must be jealous of Michael and me because we’ve gotten engaged. This is just sour grapes!” Serena exploded in anger without being concerned about her image.Serena promised the project to Heather on the phone this afternoon, and now she was tricked by Christina. What was Christina’s real intention?“You’re right. I’m really jealous of both of you!” Christina gave a cold laugh. “Are you under the impression that I’ll extend my wishes to a pr*ck and sl*t like both of you? Let me tell you that I can’t wait to see both of you die!”With a pale face, Serena looked at John to ask for help. “Dad!”John had no illusion about the root cause of Christina’s resentment. It was mostly because she was indignant that she gained nothing after being expelled from the Larson family back then. It broke John’s heart to see his daughter being victimized so terribly.
“Mom, you’re really smart. If Michael and Heather find out that it’s Christina who’s messing things up, they’ll surely hate her. I’ll no longer have to worry about Michael having feelings for her.”Serena immediately brightened up. “I’m going to call Mrs. Larson now and tell her what happened today.”“Be cautious about your words. Don’t let the cat out of the bag.” Sophia reminded her.“Don’t worry, Mom. I know what to say.”Serena described everything that had just happened and embellished it on the phone. “Mrs. Larson, I didn’t expect Christina to be this wicked too. She said that if Dad’s bold enough to help the Larson family, she’ll report it to the police. In this case, Dad is left with no choice. She’s probably going to screw up this matter.”Boiling with anger, Mrs. Larson clutched the phone fiercely. “Damn, what a little b*tch! She must be taking vengeance on Michael since he chased her out of the family back then. She’s really awful!”As Mrs. Larson was speaking, she did
Michael had spent a great deal of money attracting entry submissions. He planned to collect all the outstanding design schemes from the community.Since the Larson family had learned about the news, it was impossible that the Henderson family did not know about it. Matthew had actually gotten into gear. Both parties were in a tense atmosphere. Ultimately, the one with a more outstanding design scheme would be the winner.Heather returned to her room and lied on the bed. However, she was unable to fall asleep. Ever since she learned that Christina was John’s daughter, she became uneasy and had difficulty falling asleep.If Heather had known Christina’s identity earlier, she would not have tortured her savagely.If that was the case, Christina would have probably given birth to a son for Michael. Coupled with John’s indulgence toward her, everything would have turned out well.Nevertheless, everything had been ruined at this point. Heather chased a mayor’s daughter out, yet Michael
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