“To…to look for my wife, of course,” Theodore replied confidently.“Your wife?” Sydney sneered. “Who’s your wife?”“Mom, you clearly don’t care about me, as I’ve said many times. You don’t even know who my wife is.” Theodore looked down, and added dejectedly, “You’ve never cared about me since I was a kid. I hardly saw you, and I had no idea where you went.”Sydney had wanted to trap him with her words, but her eyes dimmed with guilt at his accusation.She composed herself before saying, “Do you really hate me, then?”“What about you?” Theodore looked up. “Do you really hate me, too? You think of Dad whenever you see me.”Tears suddenly welled up in Sydney’s eyes. “Alright, that’s quite enough. Remove your wet clothes and get changed into these dry ones.”Sydney sat next to him and wiped his face and hair before reaching out to unbutton his shirt. Suddenly, Theodore grabbed her hands and shoved her away rudely.“What are you doing?” Sydney exclaimed in shock.“I’m married. D
“I’m going home. It’s getting late, she’ll get worried if I go back home late.”“Who will get worried?” Sydney asked. She sighed loudly, and shook her head helplessly.“Mom, I’ve got to call Rose and tell her that I’m at… I’m with my mom. I can’t let her have the wrong idea.”Theodore pulled his phone out of his pocket, and scrolled to Rosalie’s number.Rosalie’s number was the first on Theodore’s list of contacts. He specifically added a letter ‘A’ in front of Rosalie’s name so she would be listed as the first contact.He was so drunk, he couldn’t see the words on the screen clearly. He scrolled up and down and clicked randomly on the screen, but realized he pressed on the wrong number.When he called the number, he put the phone to his ear.An agitated voice sounded through the phone. “Theo, it’s so late. What’s the matter? Are you missing me?”Theodore found it strange to hear this voice. He looked at his screen, and saw the name reflected on it.How did “Rose” turn into “C
“You said that you wanted to call Rose, you silly,” Sydney said, not sure whether to laugh or cry.Seeing Theodore right now both made her heart ache and gave her the urge to laugh out loud. He had it coming, really.“Oh, yes. I wanted to call Rose.” Theodore suddenly laughed, his pale and haggard but still handsome face suddenly filling with hope.This time, he dialed the right number and finally called Rosalie. However, all he heard was the sound of the automated voice over the phone. “Sorry, the number you’ve dialed is unavailable. Please try again later…”Theodore listened all the way till the automated voice message ended. The phone went back to standby mode, and fell from his hand to the couch with a plop.He suddenly smiled bitterly and helplessly. “I remember it now,” he said. “Rose divorced me. She’s no longer my wife.”He felt as though he had woken up from a dream, and realized a fact that he didn’t want to realize.Theodore was stunned with disbelief.Sydney rem
“Yes, yes, she’s horrible. She doesn’t know what’s going on in your mind at all. When you asked for a divorce, she shouldn’t have agreed to it. She should have clung desperately onto you and refused to the divorce,” Sydney said. Sydney didn’t want to argue with a drunkard, for fear that it might negatively influence her intellect. “Exactly! I just asked for a divorce! Why did she have to go along with it? Why did she have to be so obedient?” Theodore yelled in frustration. “She’s not rebellious at all!”Sydney sighed. The men of the Spencer family were all idiots, really. They were never satisfied, no matter what.“Yeah, she shouldn’t have been so obedient. She should have resisted and been rebellious. I think Rose’s an idiot through and through.”“You’re the idiot!” Theodore grabbed a pillow and flung it aside, like a child throwing a tantrum. He turned around, and said, “Don’t you talk bad about Rose! She’s not an idiot.”“Oh, still defending her now?” Sydney said with a sm
“Theodore Spencer, how could you treat me like this? How could you?! Didn’t you say that you wanted to marry me? What do you mean by this text? You’re too much! You must be throwing me aside now that I’m sick!”She received Theodore’s call, which woke her up in the middle of the night, but she felt very glad instead of getting angry.He had contacted her, probably because he had thought of her in the deep of the night.To her utter surprise, he was intending to call Rosalie but had dialed the wrong number.He was thinking of Rosalie even when drunk, and even sent an outrageous text like that to her.“Theodore Spencer! You said that you’d marry me! No—I have to find you right now and get to the bottom of this.”Cynthia was very agitated, and wanted to pluck out the needle in her arm.Suddenly, the door was opened. A tall, towering figure marched in, slamming the door shut and locking it from the inside.Cynthia jumped with fright before she had a chance to pluck out the needle.
At nine o’clock the next day, Rosalie was woken up by her phone ringing.She opened her eyes, and realized that she had overslept. She usually didn’t wake up this late.Rosalie was still feeling woozy as she sat up on the bed. She reached for her phone, and saw an incoming call. Her heart leapt, and she answered the call immediately. “Hey, Mom.”“Rose, are you up?” Sydney asked.“I am,” Rosalie said as she combed her fingers through her hair, feeling slightly guilty. She looked like a little girl who got caught by her mother for sleeping in, and she dared not admit it. “What’s up, Mom?”“I’m meeting Geoffrey for lunch later. Join me.”“Join you? Are you sure, Mom?”“Do you want me to meet that cunning businessman all by myself?”“Well, no,” Rosalie said hurriedly. “Of course not, Mom. I’ll go with you.”She had a part to play in this meeting between her mom and Geoffrey. She introduced them for the sake of helping Sebastian, and had begged her mom to meet Geoffrey. She could
Geoffrey had booked the entire restaurant.He had wanted to send a car to fetch Sydney to the restaurant, but she rejected the idea and he didn’t push it. It was enough that he got to meet her.He arrived early at the restaurant, and waited patiently until he saw Sydney and Rosalie in his line of sight.He immediately stood up. With a wave of his hand, he said, “I’m over here.”Sydney glanced at him and stopped in her footsteps, looking slightly stunned. There was a mix of emotions in her eyes.Very soon, she composed herself and walked toward him step by step. Rosalie followed behind her, feeling slightly nervous.Sydney and Geoffrey both exuded commanding auras, and it seemed to make the air around them warmer. Sydney was cold as ice.Rosalie stood behind her like a meek little lamb.Geoffrey fixed his gaze on Sydney, with a faint smile that looked deliberate.“President Harper, we finally meet.” Geoffrey reached a hand out to shake Sydney’s hand.His hand paused in midai
Geoffrey smiled politely. "I have a simple request. I mainly want to meet President Harper. There’s nothing beyond that. Don't think too badly of me. Not everyone has an ulterior motive.""Threatening my daughter-in-law with your own son, and then telling me you have no ulterior motive? Chairman Carter, we're not children or idiots, so let's not lie with our eyes wide open," Sydney snapped.She was filled with rage. Every word she said was sharp, and she wasn’t showing Geoffrey any courtesy.Rosalie didn't expect Sydney to be so direct, either.Sydney turned her head, and said, "Rose, go pick out some seafood. Choose the freshest ones.""Okay." Rosalie stood up. "You two chat first."It seemed they had things to discuss.The waiter led Rosalie to the seafood section. "This way, please." All the seafood here was live, and selected on the spot.After Rosalie left, Geoffrey discarded his polite demeanor.Sydney's expression grew colder. "Geoffrey, what are you playing at? Do yo
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