John felt burdened about this. Both girls were his biological daughters and he did not want to let go of either one of them. Therefore, he just kept trying to convince Christina. Later on, Christina suddenly disappeared. John freaked out and sent a lot of people to search for her. He found out later that she ran away to her uncle Francis’s house. John sent someone to bring her home but she refused and would never accept Serena and Sophia. Finally, Christina moved out from the Garcia family by changing her address and changing her last name to ‘Williams’. John felt pity towards her but he could not do anything and could only agree to it. Ten years later, she completely ended her relationship with the Garcia family and never stepped foot into the house ever since. John was busy electing to be the Mayor during that time so he did not have much time to handle his family matters and only made time occasionally to see her. Christina had a stubborn personality. She would lock the
Matthew had successfully obtained the old town redevelopment project and Christina’s attitude toward John was not as cold as before, considering that she even agreed to have dinner with him.John drove her back home after their meal. Yet when they passed by the old town’s alley, all he could see was its filthy and gloomy environment while his other daughter was living in a bright and huge mansion. He felt really guilty.“Christina, this place is about to be demolished. Why don’t… you come back?”Bang.Christina slammed the door shut. “I won’t go back.”She was initially in a good mood, but her face changed immediately upon hearing what he said.John got out of the car, chased after her, and stopped in front of her. “Christina, I did something wrong back then, which I’ve regretted for many years and I’ve paid the price. Christina, I’m old; I can’t wait any longer. Please forgive me.”“You must pay the price if you did something wrong. I’ll never forgive you.” She sneered before s
The national anti-corruption policies were stern. Hence if the Mayor dared to have an affair or harassed a maiden, all it needed was for everything to be uploaded onto social media and he would be dead in the blink of an eye! He would be dead as a doornail even, with no chance to turn things around!Even if Matthew could not win against him head-on, it would not be difficult for him to take him down. Director Carter was the best example!Christina was shocked when she heard Matthew’s words. Did Matthew know about John’s previous affair?Was he that well-connected? Then, did he know about her relationship with John?John brought Sophia and Serena back home after Christina’s mother passed away. At first, she thought he wanted to marry Sophia and adopt Serena as his stepdaughter.Only later did she realize that Serena was John’s biological daughter. Moreover, Serena was the same age as her and their age difference was only a few months apart!John had been cheating. All these years
“Be honest with me. John is so old, what’s good about him? Why do you want to be with him?”Christina was fuming with anger. “What the f*ck are you talking about?”“You’re pretending! So be it!” Matthew then took out his phone and played a video. “I’ve recorded everything. He’ll be screwed in an instant if this video is out on the internet!”He had been thinking of a way to deal with Michael for the past few days, so now he felt at ease after having gotten the scoop on Michael’s father-in-law. Since John asked for it, he could not blame Matthew for being harsh to him.Matthew showed the video to Christina, full of himself. “What now? You still don’t want to admit it?”Christina was so angry that she wanted to throw his phone away. “Matthew, you… how can you be so cruel?”Matthew may be a rich brat and a good for nothing, but in her eyes, Matthew was smarter than everybody else. He was clever and ruthless; better than anybody when it came to playing tricks behind somebody’s back.
“Matthew, you can’t bite the hand that feeds you. I’m warning you. Don’t push your luck!”“Christina, if you promise to be my girlfriend, then I won’t say a thing about it.”“Are you out of your mind, Matthew?”“Yes, Christina, I have lovesickness. It has gotten very critical and only you can save me.”Matthew beamed and changed the topic. “You know, I’m a blabbermouth. It will be hard to tell when I will spill your secret. However, if you become my girlfriend, that means your family scandal will be mine. Then, I’ll button up my lip and not a word about it will slip!”Christina was even more irritated by this rich brat’s half-hearted attitude, but chasing women was an exception. He would not stop until he reached his goal, and he was a hard nut to crack for girls!“Matthew, you only want me to become your girlfriend because you found out that I’m John’s daughter?”“No!” He declined instantly. “I’m obsessed with you, Christina. You know, I’m more vulnerable to prettier ladies.”
That night, Sophia immediately brewed John some tea when he returned home, while Serena stood beside the couch and gave him a massage.“Dad, what’s with the old town redevelopment project?”As John was preparing to have some tea, he stopped. “What’s the matter?”Sophia knew how impatient her daughter was, so she quickly explained on her behalf, “John, the Larson family has prepared for this project for a long time, but they did not get selected. They questioned Serena, and since she was anxious, she came to ask you about it.”John sneered as he put the cup down on the coffee table. “The Larsons asked you to give them reasons? Don’t they know that the project is handled personally by the city council himself? Why did they look for you but not the city council?”He had a bad impression of the Larsons, especially after his meeting with Christina. He felt quite annoyed when he heard their names, he did not care how harsh his words were.With such a harsh reply, Serena panicked and di
After the lecture, Serena went back to her room and started to cry. She felt wronged.“Mom, why is Christina the only one in dad’s heart even after she has left home for so many years? He never thinks of me, and now, how do you want me to explain to Aunty Heather?”“Are you that useless?” Sophia stared at her daughter. “What did I teach you? A woman needs to suffer for a little before she can be outstanding. You call that suffering?”“Mom, I don’t think dad treats us right. I just don’t understand why it is always about Christina!”“Serena, cancel your marriage with the Larsons if you can’t even take such a small hit. Even if you’re married to him, they will chase you out!” Sophia scolded in a stern voice.“Mom, you're not helping me?”“You know the Larsons were harsh to Christina. If you can’t stand your father’s words, then what are you going to do when you’re with them? Every one of them is like a devil.”“I…” Serena had nothing to say. After all, John’s scolding was nothing
That was the only possibility she could think about. Simply the thought that Christina was making money by taking care of an old man with a belly delighted Heather.‘Isn’t she stubborn? Wouldn’t she rather die than lowering her head? Now she knows life is hard once she leaves our family, right?’Just when she was having a good time, she saw a young, handsome guy walk in and sat opposite Christina.The joy in her heart instantly disappeared. She knew that guy; he was the Larsons’ competitor, Matthew Henderson.The Hendersons were not weaker than the Larsons, but Matthew… He was too foppish and a playboy too!Matthew must be one of her many sex partners, living her life by pleasing and begging him. Heather felt better as she thought of that.Michael happened to walk in at the same time. “Mom, is there anything?”Heather glanced in Christina’s direction, thinking that Michael must not know that Christina was here too.Michael followed her moving-gaze and realized Christina was sit
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