Before Tally could reply, Kathryn said, "Tally, I'll pay you back as soon as possible."After going to Brookside Town, she contacted the management there. The manager was a very enthusiastic old man, and he particularly loved relief sculptures. When he found out Lewis taught her, he was even more curious about her skills.Just like that, the old manager helped promote her work in the sculpting industry. It opened a lot of doors for her. Just this morning, Kathryn had received a gig. She had to make a relief sculpture of 30 square feet for the gate of a scenic spot.The client agreed to let her do it after she gave birth to her child. The payment for this order was worth a few hundred thousand dollars. In the past, she had to forgo her dignity for money. But now that she had found a way out of her predicament, she felt proud.Tally still didn't understand how Kathryn was so brave. She took a few deep breaths. "Do you really think paying me back is the issue now?""I'll definitely p
Instead, Chris asked, "What did she ask you to do with them?""She wants me to either return them or throw them away!"For a frugal woman with no opinion of her own, Kathryn was perfectly capable of calling the shots. Chris scoffed at the thought. He said nothing in response and walked upstairs. When he arrived at the nursery, he heard Kathryn shouting, "You just can't spoil men too much! They'll just take advantage of your kindness!"Tally cringed at her outburst. This entire situation was getting more and more absurd. She was happy for Kathryn when she told her about the big sculpting gig she had scored. However, her livelihood was still in Chris' control.Tally coughed. "Well, even though you have ways of earning money now, you shouldn't let that inflate your ego."Although she could understand Kathryn's feelings for getting her spirit crushed by Chris, her ability to make money wasn't enough to catch Chris' eye.If they pissed him off, they wouldn't be a match for him. Tall
Kathryn didn't want to be afraid of Chris, but damn, what the hell was going on with her? Was she unable to control her own instincts? Since Chris had exploited her for years, was she instinctively servile to him?Kathryn was mad at herself for being such a wimp. "I-I'm not afraid of you! I'm warning you. You'd better not mess with me, or I'll divorce you!" Kathryn roared after mustering up some courage.The word "divorce" got on Chris' nerves. He grabbed the back of her neck with one hand and her arm with the other. He held her firmly, preventing her from being in any danger."What are you doing …" Kathryn wanted to yell, but only a whimper escaped her.Feeling her breath on his skin, Chris lost control of himself for a moment, but he still tried his best to restrain himself. He missed her. Nobody knew how much he thought about her when he discovered the hospital had misdiagnosed him. Now that she was right before him, he felt himself losing control even more.Kathryn's heart wa
In contrast to Kathryn's peaceful life, Jessica wasn't doing as well.The lawsuit between her and Matthew had begun. Kathryn had asked Chris to hire a lawyer to defend her.Since Jessica wasn't the one who took the initiative to cheat and was also an unconscious victim in that incident, she was sentenced not to compensate for the losses Matthew had claimed. Karen was upset about that outcome and said she would ask Matthew to file an appeal.As a result, Jessica was exhausted, both physically and mentally.Things weren't going well for Kelly in school, either. When she came home in the evening, Jessica hurriedly prepared dinner for her."Do your homework for now. I'll get dinner ready soon!"Kelly said nothing in response and entered the study with her school bag.When Jessica finished preparing dinner, she went to the study to get her. When she opened the door to see what happened, she yelled at what she saw, "Oh no, Kelly! Kelly!"Her hysterical screams resounded throughout th
Before Byron could say anything, Jessica said, "Mr. Byron, I'm handing in my resignation tomorrow!""Are you leaving?" Byron asked coldly, raising an eyebrow.Jessica nodded, and she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.She had graduated from college, and with Wendy's help, she stayed in Harbolean, the place where everyone was trying to go.In the eyes of those in Everburns Highlands, she had married someone in the big city, living the life everybody dreamed of. But who would have thought that this place was the biggest source of her depression and pain?Looking back now, she had never been happy since she moved to Harborlean. Now, she felt so suffocated that she wanted to escape."I'm really sorry, but please find someone who can take over my job as soon as possible," Jessica choked. She wished she could leave this place immediately, but she still had some responsibility for her work.Just now, she called Kelly's homeroom teacher. Kelly wouldn't be going to sch
Jessica was sitting by her bed, crying endlessly, "You don't have to go to school anymore, okay? No more school …"Kathryn heard the noises and walked into the ward.Chris, who was walking behind Kathryn, noticed Byron. He approached him and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"Byron told him what happened tonight.Chris was a little shocked. Kathryn asked him to use his connections to get Kelly into another school, so he did as she asked. But Kelly had only been in the school for a while, and something had already happened.Byron glanced at the time on his watch and said, "I'll be heading home!" Since Jessica's family was here, he didn't intend to stay there any longer.Chris nodded and patted his arm. "Thank you."Byron nodded at his words and left.But as Chris watched his leave, he furrowed his brows. Why would Byron be in a remote place like Cloudshade?...In the ward, Jessica initially couldn't control her emotions when she saw Kathryn. However, when she saw her preg
Jonathan was jolted awake by Byron making a phone call in the middle of the night to inquire about a child. Instantly, curiosity mingled with concern in Jonathan's mind. "Are you trying to locate a girl from Gems Elementary School?"Heavens! Could Byron have finally located the woman from his past, the one who shared a momentary connection with him? Was he the father of the child now attending elementary school?For years, everyone in Byron's circle of assistants had been aware of his quest to find this mysterious woman. Many had given up hope as the years passed without any leads. It was an unexpected turn of events that they had now seemingly located that woman.Upon hearing Jonathan's unmistakable shock in his voice, Byron felt an instant surge of irritation coursing through him.Before Byron could even respond, Jonathan pressed further, "Do you know what grade and class the child was in?"How could Byron know such details, especially the specific grade and class of the chi
Kathryn didn't specify which doctor she'd had in mind for Kelly, but Jessica understood the implications as she glanced at Kathryn. A feeling of suffocation had washed over her.Kathryn comfortingly patted Jessica's back. "Let's find a doctor for Kelly. It'll ease your mind, right?"Jessica sank into deep contemplation. She felt an urgent need to take Kelly away from the current environment, but the image from tonight's study haunted her thoughts. The fact that a child in elementary school had resorted to such extreme actions left her wondering if Kelly was in deep distress.The mere thought tore at Jessica's heart, and pain flickered in her eyes. "Kelly is my child. What should I do for her?" The decision she had made earlier now left her feeling lost.If Kelly was indeed struggling emotionally, changing her environment seemed imperative. However, whether it would genuinely address her internal struggles remained uncertain to Jessica.Kathryn took hold of Jessica's hand. "You s
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.