Chris' mother was still alive? Kathryn had known that Franco's current wife was his stepmother since she started working at Albert Group, but she thought his birth mother was dead! Kathryn couldn't help but think that Franco was an asshole. Kathryn recalled Chris himself had told her that his mother was dead. Or was that just something he said in the heat of the moment?Just how much did he hate her? Then again, if someone asked her about her mother, she'd also wished she could say Wendy was dead.Some women are just such confusing mothers.When Chris heard Adrian mention his mother, his eyes became colder, and he shook his head. "She's never coming back. She was very clear about that back when she left."Adrian sighed and shook his head. "That's true. When she left, she'd left everything in Harborlean behind!"That could only mean one thing. Chris' mother wouldn't come back, no matter what happened. It was a painful but understandable decision.Kathryn didn't dare interrupt
When Chris heard the word "results," his expression instantly darkened as he looked at Adrian. He asked, "How is she?"The color drained from Kathryn's face as she trembled. She was screwed! She looked at Adrian pleadingly.However, Adrian didn't notice anything, possibly because his eyesight failed him. He looked back at Chris and said honestly, "Ms. Michaels isn't sick."Kathryn stopped breathing. Adrian might look kind and amiable, but he was too cruel. He sold her out without hesitation. She really wished she could die on the spot.Chris asked, "She isn't sick?" His tone was more than harsh. He looked profoundly at Kathryn, who was sitting beside him.Kathryn tried her best to suppress her panic. She forced a happy smile, trying to express to Chris that she was healthy and happy. But her smile was worse than crying!Adrian nodded. "The hospital must have given a misdiagnosis. Ms. Michaels really isn't sick."When Kathryn heard the word "misdiagnosis," her eyes lit up, and sh
Hearing Chris' question, Adrian smiled at Kathryn. He said, "Her condition isn't stable yet, so don't have sex.""What condition?" Chris frowned at Kathryn, confused. He wondered what Kathryn and Adrian talked about in those few minutes.Adrian was about to mention her pregnancy. Kathryn quickly interrupted, "Dr. Garcia, these things are a bit heavy, so I'll carry them for you." She spoke anxiously and loudly, interrupting Chris and Adrian's conversation.When Adrian heard her words, he teased with a smile. "My things are a bit heavy, but you're carrying something heavier than that." After that, he took his suitcase from Kathryn. He told Chris, "I still have some business to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave."Seeing that Adrian was busy, Chris nodded. "The driver is waiting for you downstairs.""Okay." Adrian nodded.Chris led Adrian to the door, and Kathryn followed nervously behind them. She feared that Adrian would say something else.The moment Adrian left the door, Kat
Kathryn was still sleepy, but when she heard the urgency in Jessica's tone, she snapped awake instantly. She asked, "What's wrong?"Jessica said, "She's here. I picked her up from the train station!""Was Jessica referring to Wendy?" Kathryn thought. She had already forgotten when she stopped calling Wendy her mother. She was fully awake after hearing that. She sat up from the bed, asking, "Wendy is here?"Jessica said, "Yes, and she's demanding to see you!""I'm not going to see her," Kathryn said without thinking. She had already made her stance about Wendy very clear. She had seen her mother many times as a child, but she wouldn't even spare her a glance. So, whatever Wendy was doing didn't concern her at all.Hearing Kathryn's stubborn tone, Jessica helplessly reminded, "If you don't see her now, she will come looking for you tomorrow. Even if she doesn't know where you live now, she could still find the Albert Group."Kathryn's heart stopped at her sister's words. She was ri
However, Kathryn refused, "No, I can go myself." If Wendy saw Chris, she wouldn't leave until she got some money from him.Noticing Kathryn's concerns, Chris said, "I'll wait for you outside." After that, he put down the mug in his hand and walked toward the entrance. He left no room for Kathryn to refuse. He hadn't showered yet, and he was still wearing his loungewear.Since Chris had insisted, Kathryn no longer refused. "Thank you very much." Chris gave her a look, and she shrank back. Noticing her actions, he snorted, "Are you sure you want to go alone, seeing how timid you are?""I have nothing to say to her. There's nothing for me to be afraid of," Kathryn scoffed.Chris didn't believe her words. But he remembered how she had upset Franco to the point where he ended up in the ICU. He thought the impossible might happen with her around. When it came to courage, Kathryn was an unpredictable force of nature. Everything about her was a novel experience.Since Chris was driv
However, Jessica was clearly upset with Karen's attitude.When Jessica heard her sister's question, her expression froze. She felt her bitter emotions spreading. Nonetheless, she said, "There's nothing to be concerned about. I'm fine."Although Jessica said she was fine, Kathryn could clearly hear her frustrations about her current situation."All right. Let's go in!" Jessica didn't want to keep talking about this.Kathryn didn't say anything else and followed Jessica into the house. As soon as they entered the house, they saw Wendy watching TV, eating snacks, and laughing. Wendy looked so carefree that Jessica and Kathryn weren't sure if she heard Karen's words just now. Perhaps, she feigned ignorance, not caring about other people shaming her, to gain benefits.Seeing Wendy's devil-may-care attitude, Jessica's expression darkened. She called out sullenly, "Mom."However, Wendy continued to giggle at the TV and eat her snacks as if she didn't hear Jessica.Jessica looked at K
Wendy nodded. "I'm your mother. I should be the one who negotiates these things."Wendy was right. Usually, when someone was getting married, the parents were the ones who negotiated the dowry. However, Kathryn and Wendy weren't as close as a typical mother and daughter."Please don't be angry, Kathryn. I was wrong all these years. I'm telling the truth. My anger had gotten the better of me back then. I should just die!" Wendy said, repeatedly hitting herself in the face. Wendy regretted her actions. If she had known that Kathryn was so promising, she would have kept this girl with her back then. She shouldn't have listened to Gavin or even remarried back then. She should have just raised Kathryn. Now, her child was successful. As her mother, it shouldn't be hard to get some benefits from her success.Kathryn didn't feel a single tinge of emotion from Wendy's apology. She said calmly, "How much dowry do you plan to ask him for?"Seeing that Kathryn didn't object, Wendy stopped
"Dowry? She's asking for a dowry? Which woman in Everburn Highlands would ask for dowries? Such nonsense," Wendy thought.Jessica was coaxing Kelly to sleep when she heard them arguing. She hurriedly came out of the house and asked, "What happened? Why are you arguing?"When Wendy saw Jessica, she pointed angrily at Kathryn before turning back to Jessica and complaining, "Do you think it has been easy for me? Do you? I've worked so hard to raise you all. Do you think that was easy? Now you're asking me for dowries?""Didn't you also ask me for dowry too?" Kathryn sneered.Easy?She talked about how hard it was on her. But who would have it easy in this world?Was she the only one who had it tough? Was it easy for her grandmother, who had raised her?Wendy was infuriated by her response. "I am your mother! You're the one I worked hard to give birth to! Don't I deserve some money?"Wendy still had the guts to speak about what she deserved.Kathryn appeared even angrier.Just as
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.