Jessica's heart ached at how frightened her daughter was. She held Kelly's face. "Don't be scared. No matter what happens, Mom is here."Jessica demonstrated exceptional acceptance, fully embracing the fact that she had no knowledge of who Kelly's father was. While others might have been quick to criticize the circumstances surrounding the child's parentage, Jessica chose not to do so. If word had spread within the community about Kelly's biological father, she would simply relocate with Kelly.Jessica quickly became resolute in her decision. Regardless of the circumstances, she was determined to always protect her daughter."Yeah, I will always have Mom." Kelly nodded vigorously.Kelly appeared so well-behaved.It was the weekend tomorrow. Jessica asked Kelly, "We'll have something simple for dinner tonight. I'll take you out for something nice tomorrow, okay?""Okay." Kelly nodded. She wasn't picky with her food. In the midst of this upheaval, her world had turned upsid
Jessica was taken aback by how serious Kathryn had become. "What's the matter?"After the recent events, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread when she saw Kathryn's stern expression. Kathryn's seriousness was typically an indicator of how grave the situation was.Kathryn took a deep breath. "Do you remember about staying in the wedding venue when you got married six years ago?""Yes, I remember!""Matthew had never set foot in that hotel before the wedding.""W-What do you mean?"Her face lost color instantly. Matthew had never been to the hotel, which meant he was not the man who had been in her room the night before the wedding.Kathryn noticed Jessica's face slowly paling. "You also know how passive Matthew was when you got married, so …"Jessica vividly remembered how passive he had been.Their parents had arranged their marriage, and Karen knew it was highly unlikely for Matthew to marry, given his conditions.So, the Quintons reluctantly accepted the idea of an
The poached chicken tasted amazing.Jessica made two more side dishes to go with the poached chicken. They were scrumptious. Kelly was silently eating her food. Jessica gave some of her chicken to Kelly, but the little girl thoughtfully put the chicken back onto Jessica's plate. She said, "It's too much, Mom and Aunt Kathryn. I can't finish it."Was she that full? They highly doubted it. A sorrowful feeling welled up in Kathryn's heart as she observed Kelly. Jessica's heart felt the same grief, too. "Silly girl, you should eat this. Your body needs the nutrients to grow."She placed the chicken back onto Kelly's plate as she spoke. Yet, Kelly was stubborn. As she was about to put the chicken back onto Jessica's plate, Kathryn quickly interfered, "I will give mine to your Mom. The baby in me doesn't like chicken that much."Kelly looked at Jessica. Jessica stopped Kathryn. But Kathryn gave Jessica a knowing look. If Jessica didn't eat the chicken, neither would the l
Kathryn walked out not long after the call ended.It seemed that Krista was probably here to visit someone. She didn't pay Kathryn any attention as she walked past.Kathryn breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Krista had let her off easy.The driver opened the car door for Kathryn. "After you, Mrs. Albert."The driver's greeting of "Mrs. Albert" caught Krista's ear. In the past, all she felt was utter hatred for whoever addressed Kathryn as "Mrs. Albert".Franco's wife, Mrs. Albert was still present, yet Chris instructed everyone to refer to Kathryn as Mrs. Albert. Clearly, Chris held no regard for the Albert Manor.Yet, all she felt at that moment was a deep sense of heartache and uncertainty upon hearing that title.Why was her daughter at odds with her?Kathryn finally heaved a sigh of relief after getting into the car. Out of worry, she asked the driver, "Have you checked the car brakes?"Krista might not have confronted her, but that didn't prevent Kathryn from feelin
Chris asked the kitchen to prepare meatballs for Kathryn's dinner. Her favorite was beef meatballs with chives and onion, but Chris didn't fancy them as much. So, he requested a steak instead.As Chris reached for his wine glass at the dining table, Kathryn inquired, "My sister is wondering who that man was from six years ago."With a contemplative nod, Chris remarked, "It's important to know, at the very least, who the child's father is."When a woman had no idea who her child's father was, it didn't just affect the child; it left a void in her life. So, uncovering the man's identity was of paramount importance. No matter what it took, she needed to know who the man was."Please discreetly investigate it then," Kathryn asked, her tone cautious. Caution was necessary in this matter. Otherwise, Jessica and Kelly would suffer the brunt of it again.Chris nodded in agreement.After dinner, Chris took Kathryn for a walk.Sunshine Bay was a vast area filled with private villas, a
"Okay, I got it," Kathryn said, nodding.The maid left, leaving Kathryn and Nalia alone in the room.Kathryn asked Nalia, "Does Emily come here often?""Ms. Albert had never set foot in this place," Nalia answered.Kathryn nodded in acknowledgment. It seemed that not only the people from Albert Manor were kept in the dark; Emily might not even know that Chris was the mysterious owner of Sunshine Bay. Emily was not just his sister but also the closest person to him. Yet, he chose to hide this from her, too.Kathryn's heart ached for Chris again. He couldn't even trust the person closest to him. What kind of pain had he endured over the years to suffer alone like this?Without further thought, Kathryn went downstairs in her nightgown. Emily was seated on the sofa downstairs and saw Kathryn wearing her custom nightgown. Her rustic countryside demeanor was nowhere to be seen. As Emily looked at Kathryn, the former felt that the latter had grown more elegant during her time wi
Emily never expected Chris to use such a tone with her.Over the years, Krista had taken on the role of Mrs. Albert, as their mother had been overseas the entire time. Hence, her brother was the only close family member left in the country.Based on how Chris had spoken to her, it was evident that he was siding with Kathryn. Emily struggled to speak as she said, "Let's talk, Chris.""What's there to talk about?" Chris was clearly upset.She didn't say anything. Her intentions were clear—she had purposefully chosen a time when Chris wasn't home to speak with Kathryn.But what did she want with Kathryn?It didn't take long for Chris to piece things together. Despite all the developments, someone still wanted to interfere in his affairs. It seemed that these people couldn't grasp the situation."Let's go to the study," Emily suggested.Emily had witnessed firsthand how protective Chris was of Kathryn. She was hesitant to bring up anything related to her with him. An unmistakable
Emily was sure that Chris was comforting Kathryn, and she was even more convinced about what Kathryn had told Chris.Little did she know that Chris hadn't actually comforted Kathryn. To be more precise, he was shocked by Kathryn's little outburst. He went downstairs and instructed Frank to prepare food for Kathryn. He also asked Nalia to keep her company. All these arrangements took him some time.Emily took a deep breath as she looked at her brother, Chris. "Mom said she will be back in one week.""She's coming back?" Chris scoffed. That statement sounded ridiculous to him.Emily could sense the indifference in Chris' tone. Wasn't he eager for their mother to return?Perplexed, Emily looked at Chris. "I don't understand, Chris.""Ask her not to come back. Everything is a mess now," Chris responded. "We're in the final stages. I'm sure Krista has no ammunition left to retaliate against us."The topic of their mother's return would have been awkward to broach in the past.Kr
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.