Chris entered the lounge swiftly. He couldn't fathom why Kathryn felt so embarrassed. Her face was still red.It was a complete 180 from how she handled Krista and the rest. She was fearless around them but timid around Chris.Chris walked over to her and scooped her into his arms. "Were you looking for me?"Kathryn nodded. "Yeah!""What for?" Chris had a smile on his face.Kathryn's lips were sealed tightly.Chris prompted again. "Yes?"Then, Kathryn remembered what she had wanted to tell Chris. She hesitantly said, "Wendy is at the entrance. She's probably here to cause trouble.""Yeah, I know."Kathryn was surprised. "How did you know?"How could Chris have known when Wendy had only called her minutes ago?It appeared that Chris had already instructed his security to handle the situation after Kathryn informed him.Chris nodded. "Yeah. She'll be escorted away shortly!""By whom?""By the police, silly. Who else would it be? The underground mafia?"Kathryn almost could
Chris raised an eyebrow. "Do you not like it?"Kathryn didn't know how to answer him. She had never thought that far. She felt her chest tighten at Chris' question.It was not whether she liked it. She couldn't taint him any further. At the thought of what happened in Northvale, she knew how treacherous her mistake was."Okay, I'll stop teasing you."Kathryn was as confused and helpless as a child now. Chris decided to let her go.He gently placed her on the bed. He got up, looked at his wrist where she had held him, and said, "I have a meeting now. We will leave work later today.""Okay." Kathryn nodded compliantly.Chris was pleased with how compliant she was and left the lounge.After Chris left, Kathryn patted her chest to comfort herself. She was scared out of her wits earlier.Kathryn's thoughts raced as she tried to make sense of the situation. What was Chris trying to achieve? This was the second time he had acted this way while completely sober. It seemed like he wa
The police car left, its siren echoing in the distance. Maxwell and Patrick remained entwined. They stood at the entrance of the Albert Group for what felt like an eternity, frozen. The onlookers had dispersed, leaving only the security personnel behind. One of them approached and sarcastically remarked, "Still thinking of causing more trouble?"Patrick and Maxwell exchanged glances. They couldn't afford to cause any more trouble.With a stiff expression, Maxwell turned to Patrick. Patrick shook his head and smiled at the security personnel. He said, "No, no. We're not here to cause trouble. It was his mother's idea. It had nothing to do with us."Patrick was a gambling addict. Though he was up to no good most of the time, he sincerely cared for his son.Maxwell, who was resenting his father for not helping, finally saw his father for who he was. He didn't retort any further."Get lost!" The security personnel rudely shooed them away.Though it was Kathryn's family, Chris had
Kathryn retorted, "Do you think I would care about this?""What do you mean?" Maxwell was furious.Didn't she admit that it was her fault just now? Maxwell was confused about whether Kathryn was going to help Wendy out or not."Nothing. Don't phone me anymore.""Do you think we want to? Look at how you speak. I can't even stand listening to it any longer!"Kathryn kept silent."I only phoned you because of Mom!" Maxwell growled.Kathryn sneered. "How I speak? Then why did you phone me back then?"Maxwell's attitude of pretending that he cared for nothing was unbearable to her.Maxwell recalled how he had swallowed his pride. His face went pale."I don't care. You must release her right now!""I'm not the one who arrested her. It's useless for you to find me.""What—""If she didn't do anything wrong, she would be eventually released," Kathryn interrupted him with a sneer before promptly hanging up the phone. Maxwell's anger flared when he heard the disconnected tone of t
Maxwell had never seen Jessica behave so indifferently before. She had always been gentle with him. She was also the easiest person for him to ask for money.That was why he believed he could turn to her for help, no matter what happened.Jessica had been indifferent the last time, but Maxwell thought it was because Wendy had gone too far. He believed she would have calmed down by now. After all, it had been some time. Yet, her tone sounded different from what he had expected.He couldn't believe that Jessica would say something like this now. "Jessica, she's our mother.""She's your mother," Jessica said coldly.Jessica considered Wendy her mother when she was still married to Matthew. She even saved some of the money Matthew gave her for grocery shopping.Yet, she received nothing in return. She understood how Wendy treated her and Kelly. It was clear to her now that Wendy only cared about Maxwell.Everyone had to support Maxwell, no matter how difficult their lives were. She
Maxwell stood in the cold wind, stunned by the disconnected tone from the phone. He hadn't expected that both Kathryn and Jessica would reject him.Patrick noticed that the phone call had ended. He asked anxiously, "How did it go? Will Jessica help? We don't have any money left."Maxwell's fury prevented him from replying. His anger only intensified when he heard Patrick telling him they had no money left. He glared at him fiercely."Money, money, money. As a man, you should have tried to work hard and earn some money. Look at what our family has become now," Maxwell growled. He was venting all his anger on Patrick.Patrick was momentarily stunned by Maxwell's outburst. He responded unhappily, "Why are you shouting at me? Do you think I didn't want to earn money on purpose?""You wanted to? If you did, you wouldn't have been gambling all these years!"Even though Patrick lived with them, Maxwell could rarely find him around. Patrick would leave after breakfast and only return at
Maxwell could hardly breathe when he noticed that his phone had automatically switched off. He tried to switch it on again.It turned on successfully, but he only had 30 seconds before it shut down once more. He made another attempt to turn it on, but there was no response this time. "What's wrong?" Patrick asked, noticing that Maxwell had stopped dialing. "It's out of battery. What about your phone? Does it have enough charge?""Yes."Patrick hastily took out his phone and handed it over to him. Maxwell reached for the phone, but his hand paused in mid-air.Patrick noticed the hesitation and asked, "What's wrong now?""I can't remember the number.""Try switching it on again!" Patrick remembered that Maxwell's phone could stay on for another 30 seconds before it shut down again.Maxwell nodded. He tried switching on his phone once more. Yet, no matter how many times he tried, the phone remained unresponsive. There was no chance for it to switch on again."Damn …" Maxwell
Kathryn no longer dared to go out for food alone, especially since Tally had resigned. It had nearly become impossible for her to handle things on her own. Chris and Kathryn had just gotten in the car when she received a phone call from Jessica."Jessica.""If Maxwell happens to call you again, please don't bother with him.""He's still trying to find me even though I've been rejecting him like this?" Kathryn pouted her lips. She hadn't been treating Maxwell kindly. She had been quite harsh with him.However, she couldn't shake the memory of how shameless they could be. Kathryn believed they would keep trying to find her. "He will," Jessica replied."He called you too?" Kathryn asked."Yeah, he asked for money."Kathryn was left speechless. At this point, she couldn't believe Maxwell's shameless requests for money.It was, after all, Maxwell's nature. It wasn't rare for him to ask them for money. They couldn't escape from someone like Maxwell, even if they had turned agains
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.