Markus gave Elijah a call.Elijah quickly picked up, saying, "Hello.""Tally already knows everything. She's on her way to find you.""What? That was fast." Elijah was surprised."But her reaction might not be what you're expecting," Markus warned in a serious tone.After Markus said that, there was a brief silence on the phone.Elijah looked puzzled. "She didn't even beg you?"The way Elijah saw it, once Tally learned that her father had been taken, she would undoubtedly be in a state of panic.If the Glenns couldn't find Randall, considering Tally's past actions, she would likely seek help from more people. Sooner or later, she would be pleading for assistance from his own son, Markus.Till then…But Elijah never saw this coming. Even though it had only been one night, Tally already knew everything.It seemed like Victor had some skilled people on his side. Repairing the surveillance footage damaged by his man, Lincoln Adams, so quickly was quite surprising."Beg? She mi
Tally steadied herself, suppressing the storm of emotions within.Her words cut through the air, "I'll ask just once. Where's my father?"Elijah raised an eyebrow, sensing the tension emanating from Tally.His piercing gaze met Tally's. "You think you get to threaten an old man like me, huh?""Oh, so you're aware you're just an old geezer? Getting up there in years and still not worth a damn, huh?" Tally shot back. Elijah was too stunned to speak. Victor and Zane entered the room right after. Upon hearing Tally's blunt insult toward Elijah, both couldn't help but twitch their lips.Even Elijah was momentarily left in disbelief."You audacious little brat! Y-You…"In the heat of the moment, Tally couldn't hold back her emotions and lashed out at Elijah, questioning his decency despite his age. This fell significantly short of the respectful manner one should be when addressing an elder."Want to hear some nice words? You've thrown my dad into God-knows-where, and now you exp
Zane couldn't help but facepalm after Elijah's straightforward statement. It seemed Markus had truly mastered the art of embarrassing himself.Meanwhile, Markus remained oblivious to the fact that his father, Elijah, had just made a fool of him.Tally took a deep breath as she listened. She was finding the situation almost laughable.Even though Tally had a rough idea of what was going on when Elijah took Randall away, she was still taken aback when faced with the actual moment.She scoffed at Elijah, saying, "You want me to have lunch with your son?""Yes, starting today, you two will date and try to get to know each other," Elijah said sternly, not caring that Victor, Tally's fiancé, was also in the room.Victor's eyes flashed with coldness as he gave Elijah a chilling look.Tally chuckled mockingly, "You're asking me to understand your son, but you're resorting to using threats?""I don't care about the methods. I just want results!" Elijah exclaimed. Tally's remark left E
Victor's words left Elijah and Zane tense.Even though they hadn't personally witnessed how much blood Victor had on his hands in his early years, the prevalent rumors provided a clear picture.However, Tally decided to add fuel to the fire and said, "I don't see why not. There are plenty of despicable people in this world worthy of devouring."Her emphasis on "despicable people" was unmistakable. It was evident she was reminding Elijah that Markus was the person she despised the most.In response to Elijah's initial threat, she, with Victor's collaboration, fired back with an array of threats.Tally and Victor left together.Elijah looked at Zane in disbelief. "Did Tally just threaten me?""Yes, sir!" Zane affirmed.Hearing Zane's reply, Elijah felt an extra knot tighten in his throat. He was feeling thoroughly displeased."Her father is in my hands, yet she still dares to threaten me?""Yes, sir!" Zane nodded again.Elijah was so frustrated that it felt like his head was t
In the car, Tally took a deep breath. Victor's audacious act of igniting the fire at the Hunt residence had provided an unexpected release. However, a hint of panic crept in.Victor pulled her into his arms, asking, "Feeling better now?"Tally was startled by his remark. She awkwardly glanced at Victor, asking, "Is it really okay for us to do this?"A mischievous glint danced in Victor's eyes as he posed a tantalizing question, "Want something even more extreme?""Wait. There is?" Tally was shocked, looking up from Victor's embrace.She thought setting fire to the Hunt residence's main gate was already quite extreme. Little did she know, Victor had an even more extreme idea in mind.Victor nodded, playfully tapping her nose. "Yes, but for such a ruthless deed, you'll have to do it yourself."Tally asked, "And what would that ruthless deed be?"At that moment, surprise mingled with curiosity within her. She wondered what kind of intense and devious task Victor was proposing for
As Victor had highlighted, the situation wouldn't reach a resolution unless Tally complied with marrying Markus. Nevertheless, the idea of marrying him remained firmly off the table.Recalling Markus' troubling actions, particularly those involving Randall and the incident where he compelled her to apologize to Yvonne, her perception of his character lay shattered.Committing herself to someone with such a problematic track record was simply unthinkable for Tally."But hey, let me assure you about one thing," Victor said as Tally nodded.Intrigued, Tally asked, "What's that?""It's regarding the incident from earlier when you confronted Mr. Hunt Senior," Victor clarified.Tally went silent, trying to process this unexpected piece of information. She began to reconsider her actions from earlier.As she pondered that particular instance, she came to the realization that she might have depicted herself in a somewhat abrasive light.Feeling conflicted, Tally turned to Victor and as
Tally went silent. The realization sank in—she truly had to face this alone!Anticipating Elijah's inevitable wrath upon discovering her interference with his family's sacred resting place, Tally prepared herself for the storm that would follow. This audacious move promised to provide Elijah with a crystal-clear insight into her character. It would appear as the most assertive response she could muster."Can't we find another way?" Tally asked. "No other method carries the same level of intimidation! Besides, if you go ahead with this, Mr. Hunt Senior is bound to harbor an even stronger dislike for you," Victor responded.The term "intimidation" triggered memories of Elijah's shameless threat from earlier. Yes, it was indeed shameless.How could a father intervene in his son's romantic pursuit in such a manner? Not only did he intervene, but he also resorted to such extreme measures. Since they were willing to take such actions, they should be prepared to face the consequences
Markus raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "How bad is it?"Byron's expression grew somber, and he replied, "The house's main gate was set ablaze, but the fire has now been extinguished."As their eyes locked, it was apparent that Byron was silently questioning Markus' choice to be entangled with a woman of such unyielding ruthlessness.A flicker of unease passed through Markus' eyes as he asked, "How messed up is it?""You'll know once you go back and see for yourself," Byron replied, his tone showing some frustration.Undoubtedly, Tally was a paragon of mercilessness, an exceedingly ruthless woman.As the realization dawned on Markus, his immediate reaction echoed in his thoughts. "Tally's cunning surpasses all expectations!"He knew Tally would be greatly provoked once she learned that Elijah had taken Randall away. Tally wouldn't easily succumb to Elijah's wishes. Even if she did relent, the process of softening her resistance would undoubtedly cause all sorts of chaos and ha
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.