"Don't be scared."Theodore turned to open the door. Aurora followed right behind him.When they arrived at the living room, they saw Sebastian seated on the couch, peeling an apple.A few armed men in black were standing right next to him.Upon hearing Theodore enter, Sebastian turned around and glanced at him. He noticed the woman next to Theodore and their tightly held hands.Sebastian smirked coldly. "You two look like a couple. I even heard that your girlfriend is pregnant."Aurora was frightened, but she mustered up the courage to remark, "You're illegally trespassing private property.""You're right, I am."Sebastian put the apple and the knife down and slowly stood up."Theodore Spencer, you already have another woman. Why are you still trying to snatch my wife from me? You're shameless!"Theodore furrowed his brows. "Does Rose know that you're here?""Of course not," Sebastian said as he walked toward Theodore. "Just as I don't know where you led my wife to. So I'm
"I don't know."Theodore added coldly, "Since you know that Aurora is pregnant, Rose must have told you about it. When she contacted you, didn't she tell you where she was? Or are you unable to contact her?"Theodore wanted to know the answer to that too. Did something happen to Rose on her way back?He shouldn't have let her leave alone."Theodore Spencer, don't change the subject! Where exactly is Rose?""I don't know!"Theodore shoved Sebastian away hard."Is she your wife? If you can't even protect her well, what right do you have to call her your wife? Sebastian Carter, you're utterly useless!""Theodore Spencer, how stubborn can you be when death is right around the corner for you?!" Sebastian clenched his fists, poised ready to punch him.But right before the punch landed on Theodore's face, Theodore smirked coldly.Sebastian retracted his fist and spluttered, "You're not scared, are you? How could I forget that the great Mr. Spencer isn't scared of anything."Sebasti
"Ah!" Aurora shrieked again.Theodore was about to go over and help her up when the man behind him who was holding the gun against the back of his head warned, "Don't move!" Sebastian pointed his gun at Theodore's forehead."Theodore, kneel!"Theodore threw a punch at Sebastian and snatched the latter's gun away at lightning speed. He held Sebastian down and pressed the gun against the aorta in Sebastian's neck.In an instant, everyone aimed their guns at Theodore and Aurora. "Let Mr. Carter go!""Put all of your guns down!" Theodore warned loudly. "Or I'll kill your Mr. Carter!"Shock registered on Sebastian's face. He didn't expect Theodore to do this.Theodore had guns pointed at him both front and back, but he managed to extricate himself from the dangerous situation.Damn it, he had been careless!"Sebastian!"Theodore whispered a warning in his ear, "You're the one who should be careful right now. Make your subordinates put their guns down, or I'll kill you and we'l
Theodore and Sebastian were left in the living room.All the guns on the floor had been kept away and they were the only two people left there."Theodore Spencer, what do you want now? I'm telling you, if you dare hurt me, Rose will hate you her entire life. You should know that I'm the father of her baby. I'm her husband!" Sebastian yelled. Theodore shoved Sebastian hard to the floor.Sebastian's body rolled on the floor from the impact. When he got up, there was blood oozing from the corner of his lips."Theodore Spencer, you bastard!"Sebastian was about to charge toward him when he realized that Theodore was holding a gun in his hand."Well? Scared now?" Theodore sneered. "You didn't seem scared when you came all the way here with your subordinates to point some guns at me. Sebastian Carter, is that all you're made of?"Whoever was armed had the right to be arrogant. Whoever had to fight unarmed was at a clear disadvantage.Theodore opened up the magazine of the gun and t
Whether it was he or Sebastian who found Rose, either way was better than her being in danger outside."I don't need you teaching me what to do!" Sebastian burst out in fury. "Theodore, you're just a bastard. What right do you have to go find her? I'm the one who should be looking for her. I'm her husband."Theodore charged forward and grabbed Sebastian's collar."Sebastian Carter, I was once her husband. I have known her for longer than you do. No matter what, Rose is the most important woman to me in this whole world. Whether I love her or go find her, shut your mouth because you have no right to comment!"With that, Theodore shoved Sebastian hard to the floor. He then turned to head upstairs."Theodore, you have no right to love her!" Sebastian said. "You betrayed her and fooled around with other women while you had her. After you divorced her, you started to regret after you lost her and now you're fighting with me over her. You're no man, you're a beast!""The police alarm h
Theodore was very calm as he said those words. It seemed as though those thoughts had been carved into his very bones and he was speaking them instinctively, and no one could change his mind.Aurora looked at him with dismay, as though she had been struck by lightning. There was an empty look in her eyes, as though they had lost their spark."What about me? Everything that has happened between us, the things you did to me, what are they to you? What is my heart and body to you?" she asked. Every word of hers was drenched with agony and sorrow, as if someone was burning her at a stake.Theodore looked down as guilt flashed past his eyes."I'm very sorry for what I did to you," he said as he lifted a hand and wiped her tears away. "Thank you for replacing Rose and bringing me warmth.""Replacing Rose…" Aurora lost all hope upon hearing Theodore's words.As it turns out, she had been a mere replacement all along. Theodore had never treated her as who she was, Aurora Payne.Whet
Theodore grabbed Aurora's hand and pried her fingers away. "Go back and get some rest. Go to sleep and for all you know, I'll be back tomorrow morning."He hoped he'd be back first thing tomorrow morning.Not because he wanted to come back to Aurora, but because he wanted to find Rosalie as soon as possible.Theodore turned around and held Aurora's shoulders.Aurora's tear-streaked face and look of misery made Theodore say helplessly, "Aurora, don't invest too much emotions on me. I can't give you much."He admitted that he was wrong. He had made it clear right from the start, but this woman was undaunted in sacrificing everything for him with no hesitation whatsoever.He was moved by it and accepted her being Rosalie's replacement, using her to relive those happy moments during his marriage with Rosalie.Yet, he still couldn't wipe Rosalie away from his memories. He was still living in the past, unable to extricate himself from it.He wiped the tears from Aurora's face with gu
Theodore had reached out to local forces in Melrine. He knew that to locate Rosalie effectively, he needed their help. They were familiar with the area and typically well-resourced. They also had strong underground connections and extensive intelligence networks.Furthermore, SK Enterprise's business in Melrine was huge, so they maintained connections with various local factions across the regions. They retrieved surveillance footage across Orego. Though they located the car Rosalie had been driving, they couldn't find where it ultimately ended up.The surveillance in Orego wasn't comprehensive. Cameras were primarily installed in places like commercial centers, government buildings, important sites, and transit hubs to ensure safety. Residential areas, remote locations, or sparsely populated areas had low or no camera coverage. Their only option was to analyze the available footage and search different locations based on possible leads.Though they didn't know exactly where Rosal
Although Chandra was vicious with her words, she couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks."Since Charles isn't fit to be your child, so am I and so is Chris! All three of us aren't fit to be your children. We don't want to be your children, either!" Xyla yelled."You…you three…" Chandra pointed a trembling finger at Xyla. "All you ingrates, treating me like this just for the sake of an outsider, a vixen?! I sacrificed so much for this family, and this is how you're treating me?""If you murder someone for the sake of my so-called happiness, I'd rather do without such a sacrifice! I don't see this as a sacrifice, and I don't feel an ounce of happiness. All I feel is fear and pain. The fact that you're my blood-related mother has become a burden to carry my entire life. As your daughter, your sins keep me up at night."Chandra's head buzzed with anger. She sat by the bedside and lamented helplessly, "Xyla, are you really going to treat me like this?""If you're going to
"Mom," Christopher snarled, "if you do that, I'll never forgive you my entire life." His voice was severe, tinged with warning and resolution.Chandra's heart leaped.She hissed through gritted teeth, "Christopher Jackson! Did you forget who gave birth to you? You're my biological son whom I raised, and now you're—""Enough!" Christopher cut her off. "Are you allowed to do this just because you're my mother? Being my mother isn't an excuse to do evil! Mom, I'm serious. If she dies, I'll never want to see you ever again in my whole life. I'll hate you forever! You've already lost a son. If you want to lose your other son as well, go ahead and kill Sydney and fulfill your selfish desires. I won't be the only one—Xyla won't forgive you either. I'll hate you with my entire being!"Chandra's hands shook. "Are you not even acknowledging me as your mother? How could you speak like this to me because of that bitch? If you don't want me as your mother, fine!"She hung up and threw Xy
Xyla pleaded with her mother, tears streaming down her face."Mom, I'm begging you. Don't keep doing such foolish things. If Sydney is still alive, please let her go, won't you? It isn't too late to stop now, I'm begging you.""You're such a fool," Chandra scoffed, wishing Xyla was bolder. "How could you be so weak?""I'm not weak. I just don't want to be bogged down by the past. I'm begging you, let her go before things get worse. Or else, if things blow up, you'll have no escape. She isn't any ordinary person. If she dies, you'll…""Shut up!" Chandra cut her daughter off. "No one will know if you don't say anything! Don't worry, I did it flawlessly. Just tell me honestly. What exactly did you see in my room?"Upon hearing the commotion outside, Chandra woke up. When she switched the lights on, she realized that her phone screen was facing up. She then recalled that her son had come over today, and his expression wasn't right.Immediately, she became alert and went to her daught
Xyla returned to her room, drenched in cold sweat. She never imagined her mother would do something like this.She opened the photo she had just taken. This must be Sydney.What kind of treatment was she enduring? Her mother was truly terrifying!Xyla swallowed hard, and immediately sent the photo and a message to Christopher. [This is the suspicious number I found in Mom's phone, along with a photo. Check this number. The woman in the picture might be Miss Harper.]As soon as she sent the message, Christopher called her.Just as Xyla was about to answer, her room door suddenly opened. Chandra walked in with a cold expression.Startled, Xyla quickly hid her phone behind her back, her wide eyes filled with panic."Mom, why are you here? Why aren't you sleeping?""I was woken up by you. Why aren't you sleeping?" Chandra walked toward her slowly. "Why were you in my room so late at night?""Mom, what are you talking about?" Xyla laughed awkwardly. "I didn't go to your room. You must have
"It's probably because he was worried about me, so he drove here himself. Don't worry, Mom. Nothing will happen to him," Xyla assured.Chandra nodded, and the mother and daughter walked into the villa together.Chandra took off her coat and handed it to a servant. She seemed somewhat tired, and asked the servant to bring her a bottle of cold water."Mom, why do you look so tired?" Xyla asked. "I went dancing, so I'm a bit worn out. Go to bed, sweetheart. I'll be heading to my room now.""Alright, Mom. Goodnight."Xyla went upstairs. Once inside her room, she locked the door and entered the bathroom, taking out her phone to call Christopher."Xyla, how's it going? Did you find out anything?" he asked. "Don't worry, Chris. I'll handle things on Mom's side. If I get any news, I'll let you know immediately. You continue looking for Sydney. If you can find her, great. If not, I'll see if I can get any clues from Mom or gather more information elsewhere."Christopher sighed. "Alright then.
Xyla smiled. "Mom, what are you talking about?" She linked arms with her mother, acting like the perfect, affectionate daughter. "Mom, you're forever young. I think you look under 50—still so youthful!""You and that sweet tongue of yours! Always so good at flattering others."Chandra was indeed pleased by the compliment. "Come on, let's head inside," she said. "What if you start feeling unwell again?""Alright, let's go in," Xyla said; she gave Christopher a look, her gaze flicking toward the gates, as if silently urging him to leave."Mom, since Xyla's fine, I'll head back now and visit you another day," Christopher said, playing along. "It's so late already, and you've come all this way," Chandra said. "Why don't you stay the night and leave tomorrow?""Mom, I have to be up early tomorrow, and it's quite far from here to the office. I'd better go back now. You and Xyla should also get some rest.""Alright then," Chandra said. "Make sure to take care of your health. Don't overwork
Christopher didn't answer Xyla's question, but his eyes spoke volumes. It was clear that he cared for Sydney."I swear I didn't say anything bad about her to Mom! When Mom asked Vonnie to help investigate, I even warned Vonnie not to say a word against Sydney, and Vonnie didn't. I really didn't harm Sydney. Please believe me."Seeing how anxious Christopher was, Xyla figured this had to be related to Chandra. Although Yvonne hadn't told Chandra anything, Chandra may have already discovered something in secret considering how smart she was. However, no one expected her to suddenly make such a move after so long. It seemed she had been holding a grudge all this time."Xyla, you know Mom's temper. Once she holds a grudge, the target will be in big trouble. Is there any clue you can think of that might help me find her?" Christopher asked.He fully trusted Xyla, but not Chandra."Chris, I don't know where she is right now. Let me try calling her.""She won't answer your call.""What shoul
The whip was raised high before it was brought down with force.With a sharp crack, Sydney's skin was torn open. A piercing scream shattered the night.-Christopher had called Sydney several times that day, but she hadn't answered. He felt uneasy, sensing that something was wrong.He decided to send someone to investigate and soon discovered a clue from the Spencers, learning that Sydney had gone missing. Growing more alarmed, Christopher immediately sent people to search for her.At the same time, he was looking into the Spencers' activities and found that they were searching for a watch.This watch was one of only a few dozen in the world; excluding foreign owners, only a few people in Blencalgo possessed one. Following the trail, Christopher made an even more shocking discovery. One of the people who owned this watch was his mother.He called his mother, but she didn't pick up. He sent her a message, but she didn't reply.Christopher drove straight to his mother's house.The light
"That was Geoffrey's fault, not mine. He ruined me too. Why are you making things difficult for me?" Sydney shot back.She didn't understand. Why was it that women like Chandra always targeted other women? When a man made a mistake, they didn't go after him but instead focused on persecuting other women."You were ruined by him? Why didn't you resist? If you didn't want it, who could force you? You're the president of Apex Bank and from the Spencers! What could Geoffrey do to you?""I resisted. I didn't want him to touch me. You're right, I'm from the Spencers, but if they knew about this, they would go to war with him. The two families would fight to the death, and I don't want that. So…""So?" Chandra pressed."So, I didn't tell the Spencers. I've been trying to find a way to get rid of him."She thought she had succeeded because Christopher had told her that he had already made it clear to Geoffrey. He would continue to monitor the situation and make sure Geoffrey wouldn't harm her