Although she was not in the picture, Ariel could not tolerate the evil deed Sophia and her daughter had done. Ariel was similar to Matthew in this aspect since he too found it hard to turn a blind eye to this. “I understand that you care about Christina a lot, it’s just that we should do things slow and steady. If we pay more attention to this, I believe that we will find a mistake no matter how careful they are.” “Does that mean you’ll look into this matter?” Ariel became excited. It had been some time since she wanted to expose Sophia, but she had not enough influence and power to do so. Having Matthew on her side was way better than tormenting herself to come up with a solution. “Yes.” Matthew nodded his head, “I’m not planning to pay much attention to John since he’s Christina’s father. No parent would hurt their children and I’m sure that this is the same case for Christina. On the other hand, Sophia isn’t her mother and we need to pay extra attention to her.” “Yeah. I thi
“To me, compared to that place, it feels more like home here.” Christina was blunt. She did not feel like seeing John in at all, yet she could not chase him away right in front of Travis. At that very moment, Francis came. Since Christina had moved into Matthew’s villa with Travis, Francis came over to help out as well. He was astonished to see John here, and his expression instantly darkened. “Why are you here?” Delighted at Francis’s appearance, Travis left John and ran toward Francis. “Granduncle, I just had some snacks. I’m not hungry yet, so you can cook later. Now play with me first.” “Alright. I’ll play with you for a while and cook later.” While speaking to Travis, Francis headed to the kitchen to put down the vegetables he had bought. Christina then stretched out her hands to take the vegetables. “Uncle Francis, go ahead and play with Travis. I’ll cook today.” “No need. I’d better do it since Travis likes my cooking.” “Granduncle cooks better than Mom. I want Gra
Christina did not want to see Francis and John come into conflict. In fact, her resentment toward John stemmed from her concern for him. When she was young, John was a good father in her eyes. Only because she had a good impression of him back then, she was unable to accept that he betrayed her mother. Even though Francis was just her uncle, he cared for her in a fatherly way. Compared to the Garcias, Francis had spent a longer time accompanying her ever since she left home. “You can leave first,” Christina said. From her words, John supposed that she was trying to chase him away on behalf of Francis. With that, he got even more furious and resented Francis even more strongly deep inside. John did not want to leave a negative impression on his grandson, so he swallowed his rage. “Travis, I’m going to visit you again tomorrow, okay?” “Okay. See you, Grandpa!” John turned his gaze to Francis before he left. “Thank you for taking care of Christina all these years. I’d like
This was the first time Christina and Michael had spent time alone together since they had returned from overseas. Looking at Christina carefully, Michael said, “Sorry, Christina. It’s my fault, I caused you so much trouble this time.” “Michael, what else can you do besides saying sorry?” She turned around. “You’ve been making mistakes and saying sorry again and again, but what’s the significance of it?” “I won’t do it next time,” he answered tactfully. “There’s still a next time?” Christina gave a cold laugh. Michael was at a loss for words after being teased by her. After a while, he begged, “Christina, I want to come and visit the kid frequently. Is that okay?” “Can I say no?” Christina replied huffily. Assuming that she did not reject his request, Michael beamed with joy. “Thanks, Christina.” “Thanks for what? Michael, I’m warning you not to push your luck. I’m just letting you visit the kid. Don’t ever get any ideas.” “I’ll just visit the kid, and I won’t get idea
Michael nodded with his gaze fixed on Benny. He somehow got the sense that Benny felt a little nervous, but at the same time, he wondered if he was overthinking. Judy’s heart thumped as she watched Michael gaze at Benny. Forcing a smile, she asked, “Who’s the man just now?” Michael was stunned by her question. From what she said, the implication was that she did not know Benny. In fact, he saw the two of them greeting each other at the entrance before they entered the pharmacy just now. In the blink of an eye, it turned out that she did not know him. ‘What’s going on?’ Despite having doubts about it deep inside, Michael did not betray himself. “Mayor John’s chauffeur.” “Ah, he’s actually Mayor John’s chauffeur!” Judy answered dully, then added, “I’ve been a bit under the weather these past few days, so I came to get some anti-inflammatory drugs.” “I appreciate your hard work!” Michael knew for sure that his mother vented all her anger on Judy, who was too afraid to talk back
“Go for a test now.” Heather urged. Having been feeling dull for days, she finally heard a piece of good news. If Serena got pregnant, she would absolutely not allow Christina to be part of the Larson family. After Serena left the ward, Sophia waited for her outside. The two of them then went home together. The minute they stepped into the house, John came back as well. He asked them to tidy the house immediately and clear out the things in one room to be used as a nursery. He also asked them to hire a baby caregiver. Without having to ask John, Sophia knew full well that he did so for Christina and Travis. She felt like gritting her teeth deep down. To avoid showing her slip, she tactfully asked, “Did Christina agree to move in and stay here?” “Both of you go ahead with the decoration first. I’ll make Christina come home. Remember to decorate nicely and buy more toys.” Upon hearing the news, Miss Laura was overjoyed. “Let me tidy the room. I’ll certainly decorate it nice
“Dad, I don’t want to study abroad. I can’t bear to part with you and Mom.” Serena begged. “What? You’re just planning to stay home with us forever, huh?” Serena looked down without saying a word. Sophia instantly chipped in, “Johnny, since our daughter is reluctant to study abroad, don’t force her. I’ll make her get a job and start working sometime soon.” “The issue here isn’t about going to work, but what’s at issue is Christina. Since she’ll be moving in with Travis, it’s inevitable that Michael will come over here. In that case, Serena will always bump into him in the house which isn’t really fine. After some thought, I’d better send you abroad which will do everyone good.” Serena bit her lip. “Dad, if that’s your concern, I’ll just move out.” “You still don’t get my point. Your presence here will make Christina and Michael feel uncomfortable, so the best solution for this issue is that you go abroad.” After John made himself plain, Serena’s face was distorted with ange
John gave a hum of acknowledgment. “Pay more attention to the affairs in the family.” Miss Laura nodded. “I will.” After watching Michael leave, Judy bought some anti-inflammatory drugs and left the pharmacy as well. On his way home, she gave her son a call. “Did he suspect anything?” “Don’t worry. We have nothing to do with each other, so he wouldn’t have thought of it,” Benny answered. Judy was relieved upon hearing that. She had been hiding the fact that Benny was her son very well. The only people who knew about it were Sophia and herself. Speaking of Sophia and Judy, both of them came from the same hometown, Hoover Alley. Judy was a few years older than Sophia, and they were old acquaintances. Hoover Alley was filled with a good and bad mix. In that kind of environment, it was difficult to lead a pure life. Judy, who came from a poor family, naturally faced a lot of hardships while living there. Since young, she had helped out with her parents’ stall but earned very
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