After hearing Rosalie out, Sydney fell silent.Her first thought was that Theodore was in trouble.As it turned out, Rosalie stayed up the entire night reading through the documents to identify the problem with Regent Co. not for his sake at all. Quite the opposite—she did it for Sebastian.Sydney suddenly laughed, the sound laced with helplessness and irony.Theodore wasn’t the only one who misunderstood the situation. She did, too. She really thought that Rosalie did it for her son, but she never expected…Rosalie clearly had her priorities in place, more so than Sydney did in her younger days. The girl might look weak and vulnerable, but she had a clear mind and knew exactly what she needed to do.Meanwhile, Rosalie didn’t understand why Sydney was laughing. “Mom? What’s the matter?” “Nothing,” Sydney said, looking at Rosalie. “So Geoffrey Carter threatened you with his son, and you accepted it because you care about his son very soon?”“Seb’s a good friend of mine,” Rosali
“I saw her. She was in a bad mood,” Rosalie said.“I know she’s in a bad mood,” Wesley said darkly. “Do you know why?”“I don’t.”Rosalie realized that even when Sydney scolded Wesley and told him to scram, he never complained. He had probably gotten used to it.He then asked, “Did you ask her about it?”“I did, but she didn’t want to tell me.”Wesley sighed. “It’s all my fault. If what happened in the past didn’t happen, she’d probably be a lot happier now.”“Dad, sometimes, when the other party doesn’t want to be bothered, you shouldn’t bother her. That would make her much happier,” Rosalie said calmly, though her tone carried a hint of sarcasm.These men were bent on doing whatever they pleased, and hurt those who cared about them without regard for anyone. When they eventually realized their mistakes, they turned around and acted all affectionate and devoted.How could a single word of apology make up for the terrible hurt they had caused?Wesley fell silent. After a whil
On the other end, Theodore realized that Rosalie had rejected his call.Anger rose up in his chest as he called her again. However, an electronic voice replied to him. “The number you’ve dialed is unavailable at the moment. Please try again later.”She was probably still busy.Theodore put his phone aside, and waited patiently. After around ten minutes, he picked his phone up and called her again.“Sorry, the number you’ve dialed is unavailable at the moment…”He heard the same electronic voice again.His face tensed up, and a bad feeling washing over him. He clicked open his WhatsApp, and typed Rosalie a text. [Rose, you can tell me whatever’s on your mind. Don’t keep it to yourself. I’ll help you solve whatever problem you have. We’re family.]He re-read his text over and over again before finally sending it. However, he soon saw a red question mark right next to the text.His mind buzzed, as if something had hit his head, registering the sudden shock. He looked stunned.
Theodore shut his eyes, and tried to control the fire burning in his heart.“Stop laughing,” he hissed.His chest was almost bursting with anger.Sydney coughed dryly, and said, “Fine, I’ll stop laughing. I have no idea why Rose blocked you. Why don’t I bring her along to our next meeting? I did ask Rose to come with me when I meet you. That’s a good chance for you to ask her.”“In that case…” Theodore said, “let’s meet tonight. Ask Rose along, too.”“I’ll call her later and ask if she’s free,” Sydney promised. “She is free,” Theodore said. “She doesn’t need to work now, and she has lots of time on her hands. If she says she’s not free, it must be an excuse. Don’t let her have her way.”The arrogance in Theodore’s voice made Sydney furrow her brows.“No wonder she blocked you.”“What?” Theodore furrowed his brows as well. “Do you know why she did it?”Sydney sighed. “Son, it’s because sometimes…you’re annoying.”Theodore was stunned.It was the first time in his entire lif
"You want me to be more proactive? Are you saying I should keep her here to prevent her from going elsewhere?""Isn't it better to keep her here? She's been staying with the Spencers for so many years. There’s no reason for her to go so far away," Theodore said. When Rosalie went to college, he didn't let her go somewhere far away. He admitted that he was a bit selfish for not wanting her to be too far from him, like a helicopter parent who wanted to keep his children close.But if she really wanted to go to another place for college, he wouldn't have stopped her. Fortunately, she listened to him and stayed in Ashwick City for college.Sydney raised her eyebrow, her eyes glinting slyly. "I think I heard Rose mention that she wants to travel.""Where does she want to go?" Theodore frowned, looking a bit uneasy."I don't know. She just mentioned it casually, and I didn't ask for details. It's normal for her to want to travel. There’s not much to ask.""Well, you should have at le
Sebastian booked a private room.Before coming, he had called Rosalie, offering to pick her up. She refused and insisted on driving herself, so he didn't push further.He arrived at the private room early, and waited for Rosalie and Yvonne to bring Lily over. He wasn't sure if who Yvonne chose was reliable or not. He was worried they might be exposed.Sebastian still had some time. He took out his phone, and called Yvonne.At the club, Yvonne was sprawled on a couch, sound asleep, when her phone’s piercing ringtone woke her up. Irritated, she felt for her phone and answered the call grumpily. "Who is it?""Yvonne, where are you right now?" Hearing Sebastian’s voice, Yvonne jolted awake and scrambled off the couch. "Is that you, Seb?""You’re asking me?" Sebastian's voice was cold. "Did you forget what I asked you to do last night? Did you find Lily? Hurry up and get over here!"Boom! Yvonne was thunderstruck.Sebastian frowned at Yvonne’s silence. "You didn't mess things up
In the private room of the restaurant…Sebastian checked the time repeatedly. He was beginning to regret entrusting such an important task to the unreliable Yvonne. She must have run into some problem.Just then, the door to the private room opened, and Rosalie walked in. "Seb."Sebastian jumped up immediately. "Rose, you’re early."The usually composed CEO of Skycrest Enterprise was now like a boy who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar in front of Rosalie.Rosalie smiled. "I didn't have much to do, so I came early. You’re early too.""Yeah," Sebastian replied awkwardly. He hadn't expected Rosalie to arrive so early, and it derailed his plans completely.Rosalie walked over, and noticed his pale face. "Seb, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?""N-No," Sebastian said, stammering from panic. "I'm fine. Please, sit down. Would you like something to drink?"Rosalie shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Let's just wait for a bit. Is Yvonne coming over with Lily now?""Not yet.
"Why isn’t Yvonne here yet? Could something have happened to her? Call her and ask," Rosalie said—not out of impatience, but concern."Okay, I'll call her. Wait here for a moment." Sebastian took his phone and walked out.Rosalie watched him leave, puzzled. Why did Sebastian need to go outside to make a call?However, she didn't think too much about it. She leaned back in her chair, gently touching her belly, and smiled. "Sweetie, once we settle Mr. Carter's affairs, Mommy will take you to a beautiful place. Then, it'll be just you and me."-Sebastian called Yvonne again.She only answered after more than ten seconds. "Seb."Sebastian was a bit annoyed. "Where are you now? Tell me the truth. Did you find the right person or not?""I'm already here!" He heard Yvonne's voice near him.Sebastian turned around, and saw Yvonne leading a woman toward them hurriedly.Lily followed behind Yvonne, panting and nearly too tired to stand straight. She had met this weird customer at t
Theodore lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep. He felt a fire burning in his heart, his mind unable to stop thinking about Rosalie.Whether his eyes were opened or closed, all he could see was her.Frustrated, he flipped to his side to pull out a drawer and retrieve a bottle of pills. He couldn't calm himself down without medication.Just then, his phone rang. Theodore picked it up and saw the name on his phone screen—it was Aurora.He flung his phone aside.It kept ringing, irritating him greatly. Eventually, he answered the call. "What do you want?""Theo, save me! Save me, quick!"Shock registered on Theodore's face. "What happened?""He's chasing after me… Can I go find you? I really have nowhere else to go! I'm so scared!""Who's chasing after you? Where are you right now?""I…I'm now at… It's so dark, I can't tell. I'm hiding in a small alleyway right now. As I came here, I think I walked past a bar called Endless. I took a right turn and ended up in this alleyway. I'm
Aurora collapsed on the ground, overwhelmed by the sudden force. Her head was pounding and she cupped her red, hot cheeks with her hands. "What…what did you do? Why did you slap me?" she asked, stunned. Yerick looked down upon her, his towering figure dark and frightening in the night. "Are you taking me as your hitman, ordering me around as you like?"It was enough that she ordered him to kill another. How dare she ask him to kill Rosalie?! She was digging her grave!"I didn't mean that," Aurora said agitatedly. "I'm just so scared! We're on the same boat, so we should help each other out.""Help each other out?" Yerick crouched down and pinched her chin. "Tell me, then. What have you helped me with so far? Why do you think I arranged for you to be by Theodore's side and allowed you to get to know him? What do you think is my motive?""I…I don't know!" Aurora said with trembling lips. The man before her was way too frightening, his eyes ghostly as he chuckled. "But I'll do wha
Justin brought the baby home and saw Rosalie spacing out before the kitchen counter. She didn't even realize they were home."Mama," Steve called out to her.Rosalie heard him and turned to look at them. "You're back."She took Steve from Justin's hands and held him in her arms."Rose, are you alright? What did Theodore tell you?" Justin asked. "Aurora felt guilty and made Angie her scapegoat. Angie has been nabbed by the police," Rosalie replied.Justin frowned. "Angie surely wouldn't be a sitting duck. She'll expose Aurora.""That's not wrong," Rosalie said. "The problem is, Aurora is too good at putting up a facade. Theodore doesn't trust Angie and he said he'll investigate things and find out if Aurora was involved. At the end of the day, he refuses to believe that Aurora is capable of something like that. He subconsciously thinks that Angie was solely responsible.""That sounds like something he would do," Justin concluded. "Last time, I could tell he's very protective of
Theodore turned around. "Is there something else?"Justin walked over. "Do you want to hold him? He seems eager to hug you."Theodore paused. Then, he gave a helpless smile at the corner of his mouth."No, you take him upstairs." The more he held Steve, the harder it would be to let go. He didn't even know why he felt such strong emotions for Steve. Perhaps it was because Steve was Rosalie's child, and thus, he couldn't help but care for the baby.Seeing this, Justin didn't insist. He was about to leave when suddenly, Steve started crying in his arms. Steve stretched out his hands toward Theodore, trying to reach him.Hearing the cries, Theodore's heart tightened. He turned around and saw Justin trying to soothe the child."Steve, what's wrong? Are you hungry? I'll take you back right away."Steve continued crying, louder and louder, and Theodore felt as if his heart were being squeezed. His feet felt like they were nailed to the ground, and he couldn't move.Justin took a few steps b
"And what about you?" Theodore countered. "Rose, when will you finally see what kind of people are around you? Sebastian's two-faced, pretentious, and full of lies. Justin has blood on his hands, with numerous enemies. He's like a ticking time bomb, and both of them will only bring you disaster."Rosalie sneered. "And how much disaster have you brought me? Do you think the mental torment you've caused me isn't enough?"Theodore gave a bitter smile. "Rose, do you want me to die to make up for the harm I've caused you?""No, I just hope you won't bother me anymore. I have my own life now. Whether it's good or bad, it has nothing to do with you. Once upon a time, Grandma was the last connection between us, but now that she's gone, we have nothing left."She avoided Theodore's gaze. "You should go now."Theodore clenched his fists. "If this is what you want, then I understand. I'll stay away from you in the future and won't bother you again, because, as you said, we have nothing left."Wi
Theodore was about to speak, but then he remembered he had important matters to discuss today and couldn't be sidetracked by Justin."Rose, I have something important to tell you. Let's talk privately.""If you have something to say, just say it," Rosalie replied. She knew he wanted Justin to leave, but she didn't mind if Justin knew what was going on.Theodore gave Justin a cold glance before continuing, "This matter concerns Grandma. I don't want anyone else around. It's something that should only be discussed between the two of us.""He's not an outsider," Rosalie replied without hesitation. "He can know about Grandma's matters too."Seeing the two of them about to argue, Justin immediately said, "I'll take Steve out for a walk and come back later."With that, Justin left.Rosalie quickly said, "Justin, you don't need to…""It's fine," he interrupted her. "I'll take him downstairs for a walk."With that, Justin left with Steve.Rosalie took a step back and said to Theodore, "Come in
Aurora looked incredibly sorrowful, completely unlike someone who was acting. Theodore, for a moment, didn't know whether he should believe her or not.When Rosalie had first told him, he had only defended Aurora, completely ignoring Angie.Now, with Aurora telling him that it was Angie who killed Rebecca, Theodore couldn't be 100% certain that Aurora was not involved in this matter.It felt like a layer of mist had been added, blurring his vision and preventing him from seeing clearly.After a long while, Theodore released Aurora."Get better first," he said, turning to leave.Suddenly, he heard some movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Aurora stumbling toward the window in the ward. She forcefully pulled open the window and jumped straight down.Theodore's brows tightened, and with rocket-like speed, he rushed forward. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her back from the window ledge. "What are you doing?!""Theo, let me die! I don't want to live anymore. Just pretend I kil
Theodore took out his phone and called Aurora, but she didn't answer the phone.He turned to the bodyguard and asked, "When you took Angie, was Aurora not at home?"The bodyguard nodded. "Yes, only Angie was at home. Aurora wasn't there."Theodore furrowed his brow. Was Angie telling the truth? Had Aurora fled in fear of being caught? He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.Could Aurora really be this kind of person? Had he misjudged her character all along?"Find her. I want to know where she went."A few hours later, Theodore's subordinates brought news of Aurora's whereabouts. She had booked a hotel room.Theodore led a group of people to her hotel room and knocked on the door forcefully, but there was no response.The staff member opened the door with a room key, and the group entered. Aurora was indeed in the room, and she was lying on the bed.Theodore strode over."Aurora!" he shouted, but as he got closer, he noticed that she was motionless. An empty pill bottle was on th
Hearing the recording on the phone, Angie was horrified and nearly fainted."No, that's not how it is! It's not like that!" she cried in fear.Angie tried to get up from the floor, but the two men behind her pressed her down firmly, keeping her kneeling on the ground."It's not like that!" Angie shouted. "Aurora's framing me! She's setting me up!""She's framing you?" Theodore sneered. "Didn't you admit that you killed my grandmother?""I… It wasn't me!" Angie's agitation intensified. "Aurora is clearly using me as a scapegoat! She tricked me into saying those things! This is all fake!"Angie finally realized that Aurora had planned to make her the scapegoat from the very beginning, wanting to rid herself of any involvement. It was so sinister—recording conversations and twisting the facts. How despicable!"Fake?" Theodore seized her face with one hand, gripping it so tightly that her face nearly contorted. He gritted his teeth and harshly demanded, "Are you saying Aurora did this?""Y