Christina did not sleep well last night. With Michael on the same bed, she had to be alert to him all the time, hence she could not help but feel uneasy even after she had fallen asleep.When she woke up the next morning, a big hand pressed down on her waist the moment she was about to sit up. “Sleep a little longer. I’ll send you to the office.”“I appreciate your thought, President Larson, but you don’t have to send me to the office. Being your mistress isn't glorious. You might not care about your dignity, but I do.” Such a scornful remark left Michael speechless.Christina quickly got out of bed and washed up. After that, she left Oak Lake Villa and took a bus to the office. Due to poor sleep, she was tired and dazed at work during the day. Just as she got off work, Ariel called to ask her out for a meal.Coincidentally, Christina did not feel like returning to see Michael’s face at such an early hour, so she agreed to join Ariel without hesitation. Ariel spent a long time
Christina was taken aback. Although she had not been to Hoover Alley, Uncle Francis had always mentioned it to her. That was where her mother and uncle used to live when they were young. Francis said that the area was particularly complicated as it was filled with sketchy people. Besides the poor, fugitives and even drug traffickers lived there. Yet why did Michael take Suzy there?Christina could not figure out the reason. Anyway, Larson’s doings had nothing to do with her. It was better for her to concentrate on her business instead!Since Christina and Ariel chatted over dinner, they ended up spending two hours to finish the meal. By the time they came out of the restaurant, the streets outside were already filled with neon lights.On this busiest street in Perth, the traffic was bumper to bumper and they could not even see the end of the street. Ariel sighed. “Looks like it’s impossible to drive out of this area within two hours.” During their conversation, Christina recei
Ariel thought what Christina said was reasonable. The photo was not convincing at all since Sophia’s face was not visible. However, this was an opportunity to find out more about Sophia. If she really was having an affair with another man, she would definitely slip up in the future.“Christina, why don’t you ask if the old b*tch is at home? Then we can be sure if that’s her.”With that, Christina called Miss Laura and asked if John was at home. Miss Laura told her that John was in his study room. Christina then asked about Sophia and her daughter, to which Miss Laura answered that they were not around. Serena had gone shopping with her friend, whereas Sophia had gone to a foot spa with several rich women.Sophia left for the spa at noon, yet she had not returned home at such a late hour. Christina found it strange, so she asked about the amount of time Sophia usually spent at a foot spa. Miss Laura replied that the fastest it took Sophia to be back was two hours, but it could take h
Christina laid still on the bed, wondering how Michael knew that she was pretending to be drunk. He must be trying to trick her!“Did you think that you can act drunk just by spilling some alcohol on the coat? Don’t forget that I’ve cleaned you in the bath.”Only then did the reason why Michael gave her a bath dawn on her. Moreover, he had seen through her pretense straight away. Despite her urge to chew him out, Christina was aware that now was not the time to hold a grudge against him, so she closed her eyes and continued to pretend.‘I’m just not going to talk. What can you do to me?’Seeing that she did not move, Michael slipped his palm across her body to see how long she could continue to pretend. Christina finally could not bear it anymore as she slapped his hand off and opened her eyes. “Are you crazy? Why are you not letting me sleep at this time of night?”“How dare you pretend to be drunk and treat me perfunctorily, Christina! That’s very bold of you.” Michael looked at
“Christina, are you serious? So you’re willing to start all over again with me as long as I settle my affair with Serena?”Christina did not give him a response. After all, it was his choice to do whatever he wanted. She would not promise him anything.Michael was so surprised and overjoyed that he hugged her tightly. “Don’t worry, Christina. I won’t keep you waiting a long time.”The reason Michael went around collecting all kinds of expensive medications for Serena was that he wanted to cure her infertility. He would only be able to get rid of the guilt once Serena had recovered from it. In order to prevent Serena from feeling pressured, he disguised his attempt to cure her infertility by deliberately claiming that the medication was meant for improving her health. Moreover, for the sake of appearances, he too bought himself a range of medications to tell her that he consumed them as well. It was a well-known, experienced doctor who had prescribed the medication this time. Mic
The bad feeling in Serena became increasingly intense!Serena returned to her room feeling crushed. She was disconcerted that on one hand, Michael had not returned home for a few consecutive days and he had accompanied a beautiful woman to the hospital; and on the other hand, her mom was rendezvousing with a strange man. She spent the whole night tossing and turning on the bed, unable to sleep. She felt the need to figure out what Michael had been doing lately.In addition to that, she had to figure out her mother’s relationship with that man.Christina did not inform Francis about her change of job. Only on the day she visited him did it cross his mind that he had not seen Matthew for a long while, so he casually asked, “Why don’t I see Matthew lately?”After a moment of silence, Christina answered, “Uncle Francis, Matthew has gotten engaged! I’ve also resigned and found another job.”“When did this happen?” Francis was astonished.“Quite some days ago.”“That b*stard behaves
“Sorry doesn’t mean a thing anymore. I’m very disappointed in you. I always thought that you were different from Henry but oh well, like father, like son. I’ve got only myself to blame for barking up the wrong tree!”Francis was seething with rage.“Sorry, it’s my fault. I thought I could provide Christina happiness, but I… I can’t pretend as if nothing has happened after knowing everything.” Every day since Matthew learned about the matter, he could not eat well nor sleep well as he simply could not forget Christina. As much as he hated Christina’s mother the most, he could not stop thinking about Christina.Yet now, the point was not whether he could accept the past. Rather, it was whether Christina would still accept him after she had found out about the truth, namely that her mother, Molly, passed away because of his mother.The answer was crystal clear. Christina would definitely not accept him like how he could not accept her.Now that their unpleasant fate had been sealed
From the time between Molly calling Francis to when she was met with an accident, Molly definitely did not have the time and energy to meet Matthew’s mother. Francis was certain that Molly’s passing was in no way related to Matthew’s mother.Never in Matthew’s wildest dreams did he expect this to be the truth. He had always felt that the incident was not as simple as it seemed. Since Molly’s passing had nothing to do with his mother, why did his mother choose to acknowledge it tacitly?Matthew was on the edge of his seat after Francis had left, so he decided to return home and asked his mother more about the incident. In fact, Madam Henderson did not commit suicide with the aim of frightening her son, but rather, it was because she did not feel like living anymore. Not only had she been abandoned by her husband for over ten years, but she was also misunderstood by her only son whom she depended on. She was so broken-hearted that she lost the motivation to survive, and with that, sh
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