When Kathryn looked down on instinct, she noticed her belly sticking out a bit. She trembled in fear. "Um, maybe I ate a lot recently? I have a good appetite nowadays," she explained as calmly as possible.But immediately, Chris exposed her lies and said, "You haven't been eating a lot at all!" Not only that, her appetite had been particularly poor lately.Kathryn almost couldn't breathe when she heard that. Her entire body had gone stiff.Chris sounded casual, but everything he said was the cold, hard truth. Kathryn didn't know how to handle it.Chris' phone rang as she racked her brain to think of an explanation. When he picked it up, she could see "Mia" on the screen.At that moment, she felt the grip on her waist tighten. But the next thing she knew, Chris let go of her and gently placed her on the couch before heading for the balcony.She couldn't hear what Mia said, but Chris was frowning. After that, he said, "Alright, I'm coming."Then, he hung up and walked toward Kat
That sentence struck Kathryn like a bolt of lightning. She paled, then asked, "You didn't erase it all? I thought you've always been …""Now's not the time to talk about that. There really was a part I didn't delete!" Tally said in despair.Kathryn's face also turned ashen. It seemed as though fate was determined to bring them down. Right now, she wasn't just confused. She felt like she was losing her sanity. "What do we do? What do we do?" Tally asked."I …" Kathryn didn't know either. She was already scared to death seeing Tally this scared.After some thought, Kathryn asked, "Should I go to Albert Group?""What are you coming here for?" Tally didn't know what to say. With both Brian and Black Dickens here to restore the footage, they'd be dead as soon as it got restored.Everything they did was connected, meaning it would reveal everything else if one thing were exposed. "What if you tell them you were getting something for me if they ask? Because I was so anxious?" Kathry
When Chris recalled how terrified she was of Lewis, he began to understand why Kathryn acted like a coward. Some people could have compromised anything to survive, and Kathryn was especially willing to do that. After her grandmother passed away, her mother refused to take care of her, so Mr. Huber took her in. But she was always worried about risking her next meal, so she was very careful.That risk seemed even bigger once she got involved with him, as her mortgage was likely substantial. Kathryn looked at Chris pitifully. "Um, can you spare Tally?"When she met Chris' serious gaze, she knew Marcus and the others had probably restored the footage and reported their findings to him.Kathryn closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "It was that time of the month, so I asked Tally—"Clang! Chris slammed down his fork before Kathryn could finish and pinched her chin. "No, it wasn't," he said.Kathryn's mind went blank when she heard that. She was about to ask how he knew, but t
Chris tilted Kathryn's chin up forcefully, forcing her to look into his cold eyes.Kathryn closed her eyes on instinct, but Chris ordered with a dangerous tone, "Open your eyes!"Kathryn didn't dare do that at all. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel how murderous Chris was. She didn't dare look at Chris at all."Open them!" Chris said with even more weight in his tone. This time, Kathryn didn't dare protest. She opened her eyes to meet Chris' cold gaze. She was so scared. She was about to close them again when Chris warned, "You dare close them?"She didn't dare. Chris was satisfied with that, but his gaze was still icy when he asked, "What did you lie to me about? Talk."What did she lie about? Kathryn's heart pounded. She wondered if she should just come clean. What would happen if she did? Would she still get to keep her house? Would she get to keep all the money she worked so hard to earn?After much thought, Kathryn gritted her teeth and said, "I'm ill! I'm seriou
Even if Kathryn confessed now, she'd probably lose her house and savings. She couldn't have that!But Tally's next words shocked her. "Even if you plan to lie, you can't just say you're sick. Mr. Albert would get you the best doctors! How are you supposed to hide your pregnancy like this?"Kathryn's mind was blown. She hadn't thought of that. If Chris got her a doctor, wouldn't she be immediately exposed?Kathryn's breathing got heavier. "I mean, I don't think I could have found a better reason than that, could I?"She had been scared witless. It was a miracle she found a reason in the first place."Seriously?" Tally said. Now, she had no idea what to say."What do we do now?" Kathryn asked."Just confess what you did!" Tally had given up. She'd lost sleep and appetite trying to cover things up all the time. She was always scared. More importantly, Chris still hadn't let go of what happened at Northvale. They hadn't found out the truth yet, but the investigation would still le
After ending the call, Kathryn's heart pounded so intensely that it felt unbearable. She was truly desperate at that moment.Now she had to keep up a lie that could be easily uncovered. If what Tally had mockingly said was true, she probably wouldn't be able to hold on until she sold the house. Kathryn only came out of her room after two whole hours. When she opened the door, she saw that Chris finished the video call. He was making a phone call right now.When he noticed her, Chris said to the listener, "Mm-hmm, come here at once." Then, he hung up and waved Kathryn over, even though she was only halfway out the door. "Come here."Kathryn's chest tightened when she saw him calling her like he was calling a pet.She wanted to retreat into her room but didn't dare to once she met Chris' sharp gaze. So, she shakily got out and walked toward Chris.She stopped and wrung her hands together when she was about three feet away. "M-Mr. Albert?"Before she could react, Chris pulled he
Tally's demeanor had become more arrogant than usual due to her dilemma. As she left Albert Group and saw Markus, she instinctively straightened her back.She would usually hide when she saw Markus or Chris because of all the secrets that had been weighing on her. But now she didn't want to hide anymore.As she passed Markus, she walked with her head held high, as if she hadn't done that in a long time. She was about to walk past him when Markus stopped her. "Tally, come to my office."Tally stopped in her tracks. She could sense how sharp and dangerous his tone was, and all her pride disappeared right there.Tally couldn't help but curse inwardly. Guilt was guilt, and she knew she couldn't escape its grip so easily. Did she truly believe that giving up would set her free? She realized that lies were like an oppressive chain that wouldn't let go of her conscience. By opting for lies, Tally had essentially forfeited any opportunity for freedom. Tally turned around and forced a
Meanwhile, every minute was torture to Kathryn at Rexton Manor. Chris was sitting on the couch, looking through documents. Cara served freshly cut fruit to them, but Kathryn had no appetite at all. It was almost an hour now, and Kathryn got nervous just looking at Chris.When the doorbell rang, Kathryn flinched. The fruit plate she was holding fell on the carpet with a dull thud.Chris looked at Kathryn coldly in response, making her tremble in fear. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that," she said.By then, Cara had already opened the door to reveal an old man with white hair. "Dr. Garcia, you're here! Please, come in!" she said respectfully.Adrian Garcia was the Albert family's personal doctor, so even the servants knew him well.Upon hearing that the doctor had arrived, Kathryn became very nervous and quickly bent down to tidy up the mess."Stop that," Chris said with a scolding tone.Kathryn suddenly felt like she had two left feet and hands. Her body wasn't listening to her
After leaving the Hunt residence, Tally made her way directly to Victor's company.Worried she might lose her way, Drew had been waiting downstairs in anticipation of her arrival.When Tally saw Victor, her face lit up with joy."You should've seen Mr. Hunt Senior's expression earlier. He looked like he wanted to eat me alive." Tally couldn't help but laugh.Victor reached for her hand as they sat down on the couch together. "Were you scared?" he asked.As Tally sat down, she casually looked back and noticed a framed photograph on Victor's desk.Out of curiosity, she picked it up and examined it. But with just one glance, she froze in surprise."When... when was this taken?" she asked. Her shock was evident as she turned to Victor.The picture was taken back when they were at Beverly Peak, during his hospital stay after being bitten by a wolf.She remembered looking after him until she herself fell asleep.In the picture, her eyes were closed, her expression peaceful.Victor
What made it even more absurd was that Elijah bought into it, too.Tally couldn't believe Elijah couldn't see through Markus' façade. He actually bought into Markus' excuse that his behavior was all because of her.And now he was acting like he'd rather die than leave her."Fucking hell," Tally muttered inwardly. She wondered who came up with this messed-up plan for Markus.Clearly, Tally couldn't quite grasp how Markus' mental state could deteriorate like this. However, given his history of going insane, this outrageous plan didn't seem entirely implausible.He was perfectly fine when he was with Albert Group, so how did he end up like this back at Skyline Group?Tally just couldn't figure it out.Elijah shot her a sharp look, gritting his teeth as he said, "You, leave!"Zane hesitated, saying, "Sir, but…""Just let her leave!" Elijah insisted.Elijah's words were punctuated by short, hurried breaths.Tally nodded, saying, "Mr. Hunt Senior, you're indeed the more rational o
Elijah and Zane glanced at each other. Then, their stares turned sharper as they both fixed their eyes on Tally.Tally swallowed nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?""You're not even married to Victor, so why are you calling yourself a married woman?" Elijah snapped, his anger evident.Tally remained silent.Observing Elijah's furious expression, she nonchalantly rummaged through her bag, retrieving the marriage certificate and wedding invitation.Then, she handed them over to Zane.Zane took the documents and swiftly flipped them open. His eyes widened in disbelief as he read through them.He promptly handed both documents over to Elijah.As Elijah took them and examined them, his expression darkened significantly upon seeing Tally and Victor's marriage certificate.He was shocked when he saw that their wedding date was today, along with the printed timestamp.In that instant, Elijah's breathing grew heavier.He glared at Tally with an
Tally was completely baffled by what was happening."I've been straightforward about my feelings for him," Tally complained under her breath.From her perspective, if something were to happen to Markus now, she shouldn't be blamed solely for her decision to get married. Victor nodded, saying, "Yeah, I know."Victor had always been aware of this. By now, Markus had become such a puzzle that Victor couldn't quite figure him out.Considering how clear Tally had always been about her feelings toward Markus, it was puzzling how he got himself involved in this mess.This time, Victor didn't accompany Tally to the Hunt Residence. He believed she could handle the Hunt family on her own.The atmosphere at the Hunt residence was incredibly tense at the moment.The moment Tally stepped inside, she could practically feel the frost coming off Elijah. His gaze seemed to pierce right through her.Zane's tone was far from pleasant as he said, "Um, take a look at this."With that, he passed
Tally was pretty happy a moment ago. But now, she was all worked up talking about the Hunts.Earlier on the road, Tally filled Victor in on the phone call she received from the Hunt residence.Victor's lips twitched as he heard the news. "So Markus left a suicide note and vanished?""Exactly. Can you believe the trouble he's stirring up now?" Tally shook her head incredulously.Tally was utterly exasperated with Markus by now. It had been a while since this whole thing started.She had to admit, these days had been incredibly "fulfilling" for her. It was so fulfilling that it almost left her reeling.And it wasn't just Tally struggling to keep up. Even Victor had been taken aback by how things were unfolding.He shot Tally a look of disbelief. "So you're going to the Hunt residence now?""Yeah, I'm going. I want those Hunts to know that I'm officially yours. Let's see if they have more shameless tricks up their sleeves."When it came to describing the Hunts, Tally summed it up
Tally was beginning to see where Markus got his persistent nature from. It ran in the family. It was as the saying went—like father, like son.No sooner had she ended the call, the phone rang again.Tally took a deep breath, reminding herself that today was supposed to be a happy day, not one filled with annoyance.But dealing with these people…After giving it some thought, she hesitantly answered, "Zane!""Ms. Johnson, you might want to come over to the Hunt residence."Tally asked, "What's going on now?"She was almost out of patience with these people.Zane explained, "Mr. Markus left behind a suicide note."Tally's expression froze in disbelief.A suicide note? Tally couldn't comprehend what was happening. She wondered if Markus was pulling another one of his stunts.It had only been less than an hour since Elijah arranged his marriage, and now he went ahead and left a suicide note."Where is he?" Tally raised an eyebrow.With everything happening so quickly, it all f
Looking at her identification papers, Tally let out a sigh of relief.Fortunately, Tally had some knowledge of her father's habits. Otherwise, guessing the password for the safe, which belonged to her comatose father, would have been a daunting task.When Irina called, Tally answered, "Hey, Irina.""Guess what? Markus is engaged!""What?" Tally was shocked.Irina shared her surprise."This time, it seems Mr. Hunt Senior might genuinely have it out for you. We haven't even made a move, and suddenly they're announcing Markus and Sarah's engagement.""Sarah?" Tally was even more surprised.It was only today that they found out who had been secretly admiring Markus. Before they could even step in, Elijah had taken the initiative.It seemed like all these years, Elijah appeared unconcerned, but he actually knew everything.But if he was dead set on hating her, then so be it. Tally couldn't care less.On the other hand, if Elijah truly desired for her and Markus to be together all
Elijah said, "Very well, then."Thinking about his troublesome son, Elijah wondered how he hadn't noticed Markus' extremity in his romantic pursuits before.Elijah was so angry that he couldn't catch his breath.Giving Markus a fierce look, he tried to hold back. Despite that, he couldn't resist putting in one final word, "No matter how much you want to be with Tally, I won't allow it."This time, there was no room for negotiation.At Elijah's words, Markus' eyes turned cold. "I'm afraid you have no say in this.""You..." Elijah's breath hitched as he heard Markus' retort. In a fit of rage, he grabbed a teacup and hurled it toward him.At that moment, Elijah felt an overwhelming urge to lash out at Markus.Elijah insisted, "Regardless of your decision, you and Sarah are officially engaged starting today."His tone was unusually firm.At this point, Elijah wasn't asking for Markus' opinion. He was simply informing him.Regarding Tally becoming Elijah's daughter-in-law, Elijah
Kathryn was confused when Jessica suddenly shoved her into the car and promptly closed the door. With her hand still gripping the door handle, Kathryn looked up at Jessica and suggested, "Uh, how about dinner tonight?"Upon hearing Kathryn's dinner suggestion, Jessica paused before nodding and responding, "Let's talk about it later. I'll give you a call."Jessica seemed really busy, and Kathryn could tell from the way she talked that she was in a rush.Kathryn couldn't help but feel for Jessica as she watched her close the car door and hurried off toward the nearby office building, waving goodbye as she went.Kathryn found herself wondering who Jessica was in such a rush to meet.Kathryn couldn't resist stealing a glance back as the car pulled away. In that brief moment, Kathryn's heart skipped a beat as she saw Jessica walking alongside Lloyd. They were heading toward the glass doors of the building.Before Kathryn could double-check what she saw, the car had already turned.