Tatiana stared at her reflection in the mirror, her face round and full. Discontent gnawed at her. "I… I should stop eating. I'm not having dinner tonight. If Sean sees me like this when he gets home, he won't like me anymore!""You don't look like a pig. Look at your slim legs and arms. You're pregnant, so it's perfectly normal for your hips to widen a bit."Alyssa squeezed Tatiana's arm, her eyes shining with the anticipation of their growing family. She chuckled playfully. "If you go on a diet now, it'll be bad for you and the baby. Besides, even if you lose weight, your belly will just keep growing. What will you look like then?"Tatiana was confused. "What?" "You'll have thin limbs and a round bump, just like a beetle!"Tatiana's face flushed red with embarrassment. "Lyse, you…""Alright, alright. I won't tease you anymore." Alyssa gave her a warm hug. "I know looks are important to women, especially for someone in performing arts like you. You've always dreamed of being an
Alyssa sped away from Heightsnew Villa toward Solana City Investigative Bureau after hearing the news. Her striking Lamborghini came to a graceful stop at the bureau's entrance. As Alyssa stepped out of the car, she paused. "Jasper?" Jasper stood tall and imposing, wrapped in a black coat, beside a modest Maybach parked under a tree. The biting wind did nothing to diminish his statue-like presence. He had clearly been waiting for her.Without hesitation, Jasper hurried toward Alyssa. "Are you cold, Lyse?" He quickly removed his coat and wrapped it around her. Still, he thought it was insufficient, pulling her into a tight embrace."The car's heating was strong. I'm not cold," Alyssa replied. Concerned, she cupped his icy face with her warm hands. "Silly, I should be asking you. Why wait outside in this cold? You could've waited in the car. The wind is freezing. Did you think it was funny?""I wanted to see you as soon as you arrived," Jasper said, his eyes filled with longing as
"Silas, you said that Jameson committed murder? What's that about?" Alyssa couldn't wait to find out. "This afternoon, I went and conducted a search at Schmidt Group, which included a search of Jameson's office. I found a pinhole camera in one of the books on a bookshelf." Silas couldn't hide the tremble in his voice. He was still stirred up, even until now. Jasper and Alyssa exchanged shocked glances. "Was Jameson the one who set it up?" Alyssa asked, her eyes blazing. "He's a wicked man with many evil schemes. He might have been surveilling himself while monitoring his office.""That way, if he got dirt on a corporation's executive, he could blackmail them. It's his usual tactic," she continued."That might not be the case," Silas said, steadying his breath. With a stern look, he explained, "I brought the camera back and reviewed the footage immediately. Guess what I found?"Alyssa was like a cat on hot bricks. "C'mon, Silas. Quit building the suspense. Tell us!" "The foot
"Damn, Miley, you're amazing!" Silas exclaimed before Alyssa could say a word. "The women in our family are truly amazing!""S-Silas? I didn't realize you were here too," Miley said, surprised."I think it's a waste of your talent as First Lady to be looking into someone like Jamiper," Silas remarked."Don't say that, Silas," Miley replied with a soft laugh. "Honestly, I didn't do much. It was mostly thanks to the clues Lyse provided. I just followed up on them. It wasn't a big deal."I've been overseas with Jeremy for years dealing with the country's affairs, and I rarely get to see you all. It's nice to be able to help from here and feel connected to you again."Her words brought tears to the Taylor siblings' eyes."Thank you very much, Miley." Jasper's voice, gentle as a soft breeze, brushed against Alyssa's ears, bringing a flush to her cheeks. "Once this is resolved, Lyse and I will visit you and Jeremy in Kontina.""Oh, hello, Jasper. For some reason, having you there make
Carl stared at the body lying in a pool of blood. Cold sweat drenched him, and fear shook his frame. "You're already under attack after just a few days back. What should our next move be?"Don't worry," Jameson replied. "Before I die, I'll drag these foolish, greedy idiots to hell with me."As the words left his lips, Jameson was startled. His eyes held an infinitely dark and cold intensity. He'd uttered "hell" without conscious thought, as if prophesying his own fate. Did he believe his hands were so stained with blood and evil that hell was his only destination?In the silence, Jameson's phone rang. He turned away from Carl and his subordinates, facing the desolate moon outside the window and answered the call. "Go ahead." "Mr. Schmidt, things look bad for you here," his informant said, his voice heavy with gloom. It was as if Jameson's reign had ended, and there was no chance of recovery."It is what it is. How bad can it get? Just get to the point." Jameson let out a few dry co
"It doesn't matter where I go. I'd rather die than run and hide like a coward," Jameson declared. He didn't need anyone to understand him. Jameson no longer sought Alyssa's forgiveness. Since she couldn't forgive him, he might as well become a villain she'd never forget.…After everything, Amber returned to Kontina, where she and Jameson had met. She was back in the manor where she used to live. Nothing had changed except her. Battered, bruised, and emotionally numb, she felt like she was living in a dream.Amber was confined to the manor for over a week. But she didn't idle her time away. Instead, she secretly searched the manor for the evidence Carl had hidden of Jameson's crimes. Carl didn't have his guard up against her. With no restrictions on her access to the study, she explored every corner, even searching Carl's computer. Yet, she found nothing.One evening, after showering, Amber sat at her vanity, combing her dark, silky hair, when a helper called from outside. "M
"Where will we go?" Amber looked back at Carl with a numb expression. After ending things with Axel, she felt like a wanderer. It didn't matter who she was with or where she went; nothing seemed to matter anymore.However, she sensed that something significant must have happened in Cyrris. Jameson's foundations were shaken, which left Carl, who idolized him, thinking of fleeing."We can go anywhere. I've saved enough money over the years working for Mr. Schmidt to live comfortably for the rest of our lives," Carl said, removing a USB flash drive from his computer and hiding it under his clothing.Amber's gaze lingered on his chest, her eyes dull. "Didn't Mr. Schmidt say he wanted us to get married in Kontina?""We can talk about that after we leave this place." Though Carl was Jameson's ruthless weapon, his feelings for Amber were genuine, evident in the way he looked at her."Getting married isn't the most important thing. What's important is that we can be together, always!"
"Let's not sleep in separate rooms tonight. Sleep with me," Amber said, her voice laced with forced flirtation. She suppressed a wave of disgust, pain, and self-loathing as she invited Carl into her bed.Her gaze, supposedly amorous, held a chilling undercurrent. Her eyes darted toward Carl's chest, where his cross necklace hung. She yearned to rip open his shirt with her eyes."Amber, what's wrong? Are you sick? Did you drink?" Carl asked, his voice hoarse and strained. He swallowed hard, his hand touching her forehead with practiced restraint. "No, I'm sober. I know what I'm doing," Amber replied. Leaning in, she adopted a tender expression. "Marriage doesn't change us. We're already like husband and wife, aren't we? Sharing a bed seems natural."She was desperate to find the evidence Carl had hidden. She didn't care about the cost, even if it meant sacrificing her battered body.A sense of impending doom loomed over her; she feared neither she nor Carl would leave Kontina aliv