Although, Sebastian only said that he loved her in her nightmare—not in reality.However, as long as he could wake up, she would be willing to do anything he asked of her, even if he really loved her.Yvonne heard Rosalie’s cries, and immediately knocked on her door. “Rose, what’s wrong?”Rosalie wiped her tears, and sat up on the bed. “I’m fine,” she reassured Yvonne.She then got out of bed, and opened the door. Yvonne saw the pale and distraught look on her face, and became even more concerned.“Rose, are you crying again?”There were streaks of tears on Rosalie’s face.“I’m fine. I just had a bad dream,” Rosalie said.Yvonne sighed. “Do you want to sleep in a while longer?”Rosalie shook her head. “Nah. The sun is up, it’s time for me to get up.”Yvonne nodded. “Go wash up. I’ll prepare breakfast.”“Let me do it,” Rosalie said.Yvonne said, “No need. I’m in the middle of preparing it. I’m capable of putting together a breakfast meal. Go ahead and wash up first.”Rosa
Geoffrey and Xyla both fell silent after listening to Christopher.Xyla glanced at Geoffrey, opening her mouth as if to say something, but she eventually kept her silence.Geoffrey had never shown his vulnerable side to anyone, even when his son’s life was in danger in the operating theater.He looked indifferent as he said to his wife and Christopher, “I need the washroom.”Then, he turned to leave.Xyla folded her arms over her chest, leaned against the wall, and sighed. “I didn’t expect something like this to happen.”She didn’t look sad, but her expression was somber. If she were a stranger to Sebastian, her reaction would have seemed too much—but as his mother, her reaction was in fact slightly underwhelming.Christopher stepped forward and asked, “How were things when you and Geoffrey were there?”Xyla gave him a slight smile. “What else? We just sat around, staring at each other. Well, we did end up talking in the end. It’s been so many years since we had a good chat. Ou
“Alright. No matter what decision you make, I’ll always support you. If you don’t want to hold out any longer, go ahead with the divorce. I’m sure you’ll find a better man,” Christopher said. Xyla smiled bitterly. “Why bother? I’m already so advanced in years.”“Just listen to yourself. You’re my sister, the daughter of the Jackson family, for goodness’ sake. Hordes of men vie for your attention, I’m sure.”Xyla looked at him, teary-eyed. “Chris, thank you for your support. I was a fool to insist on marrying Geoffrey back then. I was blind, and refused to listen to everyone’s advice.”Her remorseful expression broke Christopher’s heart. He approached her, and put an arm around her shoulder, patting her gently. “Should I teach Geoffrey a lesson for you? Just a word from you, and I’ll do anything you ask of me.”Xyla shook her head. “No. He has never mistreated me over the years. It’s just that he didn’t love me as much as I wanted him to. I really had it coming. I just want to q
Sydney sneered, "After seeing that woman's true colors, you suddenly discover you love me? Why didn't you love me all those years before?""Sydney, I'm slow and an idiot. I've realized my mistakes, and I'll do my best to make it up to you. You’re my only wife," Wesley said humbly and sincerely."I'm still your wife," Sydney said, "and we've been together all these years. What more do you want?""I..." Wesley didn't know what to say. He feared that if he said too much, Sydney would find him annoying. Although they were still married and often spent the night together, this relationship felt more like two people merely fulfilling each other's needs. When they needed each other, they spent the night together; when they didn't, they ignored each other and pretended to be strangers.What kind of marriage was this?Wesley didn't want to discuss it further, afraid Sydney wouldn't even give him a little bit of attention."By the way, Sydney, someone just called you. He said it was ab
The surgery lasted a full six hours. Finally, the doctor came out of the operating theater.Everyone rushed forward to ask about Sebastian. "Doctor, how is he?" The doctor, looking exhausted, took off his mask."Earlier, Mr. Carter was in a coma, and his condition was critical. We couldn't restore blood flow to his brain. Operating on him would have been too risky, and the current medications aren't effective at all. But this morning, we noticed some activity in his brain. After examining him, we found that blood supply had been unexpectedly restored in his brain. However, this also caused a brain hemorrhage, so we had to remove the hematoma, which is much less risky."Rosalie pondered the doctor's words for a moment before asking, "Now that the blood supply is restored to his brain, does it mean there's hope for him?"The doctor nodded. "This is a good sign, and it's also quite miraculous. We performed a successful brain hematoma removal surgery on him. Now he needs to be taken
Geoffrey walked over. "Rose, do you want to go home with me? We can't go in to see Sebastian right now. We can only wait for news."He could see that Rosalie's concern for Sebastian was genuine.Rosalie turned around, and said, "You all go back and rest. I'll stay at the hospital. Someone needs to be here.""Then I'll stay here. You all go back," Geoffrey said."But I want to stay here with Sebastian. Even if I can't go in, at least I can watch over him," Rosalie insisted.Seeing Rosalie's determination, Geoffrey nodded. "Alright. Then, I'll stay too."Geoffrey would be restless if he went back, anyway."Let her stay here with Sebastian. You can book a hotel near the hospital. If anything happens, you can get here quickly. Staying at the hospital doesn't make much sense right now, since we can't go into the ward," Christopher said."Yeah, Mom and Dad," Yvonne said. "You've traveled a long distance. You must be tired. Go and rest first."Geoffrey looked exhausted as he nodded.
Christopher nodded. "No problem. You must also keep what I've told you a secret. We're in this together now."Yvonne murmured an agreement, then finally said, "Actually, Rose and my brother's marriage is fake."She then recounted everything to Christopher.After hearing her story, Christopher fell silent. "I didn't expect that. If they divorce, it shouldn't be a big issue.""It won't be a big deal for Rose, but it will be for Seb. His feelings for her are real. If he finds out she’s his cousin, he won't be able to handle it. Given his current condition, even if he wakes up, he'll need a long recovery period and can't handle such a shock. Who knows what the consequences will be if we tell him!""Yes, this is a difficult situation. Let's keep this between us and play it by ear," Christopher said heavily."Okay." Yvonne nodded. "That's all we can do for now."She still couldn't believe that Rosalie was her cousin. Reality was indeed more dramatic than any TV show!-Rosalie stayed
Theodore frowned. "What could I do to her? Eat her?""You..." Yvonne was about to retort, but Rosalie tugged at her arm. "Vonnie, ignore him. Let's go."Rosalie pulled Yvonne away, trying to leave."I have something to tell you. Can we talk alone?" Theodore said."We have nothing to talk about," Rosalie sneered."Just two minutes, right here. We don't have to go anywhere."Theodore stood in front of Rosalie like a mountain, making it clear he wouldn't let her leave without saying his piece.After thinking for a moment, Rosalie turned to Yvonne. "Vonnie, you go rest for a bit. I'll look for you once I'm done.""Rose, do you really want to talk to him?" Yvonne asked, worried."It's fine." Rosalie gave Theodore a cold look. "I'll be right here. I won't go anywhere.""Okay, but just for a couple of minutes! I'll be waiting for you." Yvonne shot Theodore a warning glare before leaving."Didn't you say you were transferring Cynthia to another hospital? Why are you still here?" Ros
After resting for a while, they continued their climb up the mountain.Nana took the lead, using both her hands and feet to ascend. She climbed like a kitten, quickly putting several dozen feet between herself and her adoptive parents.Though a child's strength was limited, her energy seemed boundless. Nana left the two adults trailing behind.Rosalie followed, a faint smile appearing on her face. Although Nana wasn't her biological daughter, she was, in fact, a mother. After becoming a mother, seeing children always stirred her maternal instincts. When Nana first called her "Mommy," she instinctively rejected it because the child had been brought back by Sebastian. But later, she found herself wanting to cry.Sebastian noticed the smile on Rosalie's face. It seemed bringing this little girl back had been the right decision.Suddenly, birds in the forest screeched and took to the sky. The treetops began to sway as a gust of wind blew through, and the ground rumbled and trembled violen
Sebastian never left home without an impressive entourage, always ensuring he had enough bodyguards with him. He feared an assassination attempt at any moment.Even here, in a place he considered extremely safe, he still felt a lingering sense of insecurity.Security teams were stationed at the mountain's foot and helicopters, patrolling the summit. Sebastian stood at the mountain's base, holding Nana with one arm while his other hand held Rosalie's.Rosalie set Nana down on the ground and said, "Now, the three of us are going to climb up the mountain together."Looking ahead, they saw a long flight of stairs. This mountain originally had none, but Sebastian had funded their construction."Rose, Nana, let's begin. Nana, you go first. Mommy will go after you, and Daddy will protect both of you from behind," Sebastian said as he gently nudged Nana forward.Excited, Nana eagerly climbed the steps.Rosalie had no choice but to follow, while Sebastian took up the rear.After about twenty mi
Seeing her mommy being sad, Nana remembered her daddy's instructions to make her mommy happy. That was why she asked Rosalie the question.Rosalie didn't know what to say in response to Nana's question. Even a five-year-old could tell that she was unhappy. She shut the book and said, "I'm not sad, I just don't like to smile. Go and have fun by yourself. I'll be here reading."She couldn't bring herself to see Nana as her daughter. It wasn't a matter of Nana being biologically hers or not, but that Nana was someone that Sebastian forced upon her.Rosalie continued with her book, but she realized she couldn't read a single word of it.Nana sat obediently on the couch, looking crestfallen. "Mommy, do you hate me very much?"Rosalie was stunned by her question. "Why do you ask that?""I feel like you hate me and don't want to care about me. You don't even want to hug me."Rosalie sighed. "Nana, I don't hate you."The one she hated with a vengeance was Sebastian. It had nothing to
Rosalie was speechless to see that she suddenly had a five-year-old daughter that popped out of nowhere. This was completely Sebastian's decision and Rosalie naturally had no affection whatsoever for the child.The girl was indeed adorable, and although she was an innocent party, Rosalie couldn't bring herself to treat the child like her mother."Where are the biological parents of this child?" Given how cruel Sebastian was, she worried that this child's parents' lives were in danger."Rose, she's an orphan. I carefully selected her from a bunch of children and we're her parents from now on."Sebastian stood up and carried Nana in his arms. "See, it's great with the three of us as a family. Once you get used to her, we might adopt another child. We can adopt many."Nana looked just like a fragile porcelain doll, the look on her face as pitiful as ever. She found everything around her foreign and she behaved with utmost caution for fear that she might upset the adults around he
Theodore had the email address investigated and found it heavily encrypted and difficult to hack into.He adopted many different approaches, tracking down the IP address, analyzing the source code of the email address, and so on—but the other party seemed to be prepared for any hacking attempts. All the clues left behind ended up false. The other party used an anonymous network and virtual private network for all his communications, making it difficult to trace the source.Theodore sought out professional hackers for help, but all traces that the other party left behind had been sophisticatedly erased away. Even professional hackers could do nothing about it.The email address he got ended up being useless in finding Sebastian's whereabouts.He didn't dare imagine the kind of life that Rosalie was leading right now. She disappeared into thin air and Justin's life was probably in danger as well. Otherwise, he would certainly protect Rosalie with his life.He contacted the Jackson
Rosalie rubbed her wrists after Sebastian untied her.He sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard while looking expectantly at her, waiting for her next move.Rosalie's whole body shook. She bit her lips and finally crawled toward Sebastian, taking the initiative to sit on his leg.Sebastian pinched her chin and warned, "Be good and don't play any tricks with me, or your child will lose his father and die anyway."Rosalie put both hands on his shoulder, shut her eyes, and kissed his lips.After everything was over, Sebastian lay on the bed, feeling satisfied. He was still panting heavily, sweat beading his forehead.Rosalie was taking the initiative at the start and he simply sat back and enjoyed it, but after a while, she ran out of energy and he had to take the lead.Rosalie was trembling all over and she wrapped herself up tight with the sheets. She lay on her side with her back facing Sebastian, sobbing as she bit her fingers.Sebastian hugged her from behind and kisse
Rosalie ignored him. He could do anything he pleased with her body, and she had no say at all over what he wanted to do."Rose, what else can I do when you're misbehaving so badly? I can only tie you up here, lest you try to hurt me again.""Sebastian Carter, how did they know that I was trying to kill you?" Those men suddenly barged in right before she could attack him. They must have known about it beforehand.Sebastian chuckled lightly as he pinched Rosalie's chin and turned her head in the other direction.Rosalie looked at a corner of the ceiling and noticed a tiny camera. At that moment, she felt exposed to the whole world. "You had a surveillance camera installed here?""I installed it for fear that you might do something to hurt yourself, yet you ended up hurting me instead. How disappointing.""Sebastian Carter, you pervert! With that l surveillance camera installed here, does that mean your subordinates saw everything you did to me in bed?"Rosalie hated Sebastian
Anger penetrated the darkness.Rosalie was about to throw the vase down when suddenly, the door was forced open. A few men in black barged in and charged toward her at the speed of light, snatching the vase from her hands and successfully subduing her.Everything happened so quickly, she had no chance to react. It was as if they knew about her secret attack beforehand and were on standby outside, ready to barge in anytime.After Rosalie was subdued, she instinctively struggled against their hold. "Let me go, let me go!"The lights in the room were switched on and Sebastian sat up calmly on the bed. Fatigue was etched in his eyes and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a sigh. When he looked at Rosalie, his eyes were filled with disappointment and helplessness. "Rose, didn't I tell you this before? Be good, but now you're…"Sebastian saw the vase and knew that if he had been smashed by that thing, he would have needed emergency rescue even if he managed to survive.
Sebastian carried Rosalie out of the washroom. Her knees were both slightly red.He put her on the bed, his thumb rubbing the corners of her lips. He smiled and whispered into her ear, "Did that taste good?"Rosalie flipped to her side, her back facing him.Sebastian kissed her shoulder as a wicked look flashed past his eyes. He dove into the sheets, moving lower and lower.Rosalie knew what was about to happen and tried to struggle, but he pinned both of her legs down.Everything that happened after that felt torturous.Rosalie didn't even know when it ended.When it finally did, her cheeks were flushed and she sobbed silently while biting on her fingers.Sebastian emerged from the sheets and pulled her into his arms."Darling, why are you crying?" he coaxed her as he patted her back. "Don't cry. Did I hurt you?"Rosalie held her tears back and turned her face away, but Sebastian forcefully twisted her head back.His lips crooked wickedly. "Look how red your cheeks are. Wel