Ivan cooed, "Yasmin, you don't need to blame yourself. We didn't do anything wrong. The issues at Windmere Group were due to their internal conflicts. Later, Blake even had his uncle, Neil, killed. He's ruthless, to the point of turning against his own family."Hearing this, Yasmin really wanted to ask him, "What about you? Your own father willingly handed NAS Group over to you out of nowhere. Just what have you done to him?" But of course, these words went unspoken.Gavin had already gone insane, losing all sense of reason. He was now a shell of the man he once was, neither fully alive nor fully dead. Perhaps his madness was due to Ivan drugging him, just like how he had drugged Imogen.Yasmin felt increasingly alarmed as these thoughts raced through her mind.Yet still, Ivan continued, "Blake came to Merania to get revenge on me. You know we have a grudge against each other, and he certainly wouldn't just let it go. I sent someone to kill him out of desperation. I didn't want to
Ivan knew that this was likely Isaac's doing. Ever since he was sent to Rimmervale, he had been causing trouble in secret.Now that Blake had regained his strength, he and Isaac were constantly causing trouble for Ivan.One moment, there were problems at NAS Group; then they somehow lost a major client. Following that was the car explosion, and now someone was trying to abduct Gavin.Ivan grew increasingly frustrated. He turned to Yasmin and said, "Yasmin, I have something urgent to attend to. I'll come back tomorrow to see Grandma.""Alright," Yasmin replied. The sooner he left, the better.That said, Yasmin was curious about Wendy. She wondered what exactly her relationship with Ivan was.Yasmin watched as Ivan walked to the door, lost in thought. Suddenly, a pebble caught under his shoe, and he nearly stumbled forward.Wendy rushed over to support him before he could trip. Her voice was tense with concern as she called, "Mr. Burke."She held him close, her body emitting a fa
After Ivan left the house, Yasmin immediately called Blake. She was mostly worried about his brewing anger and how difficult it would be to calm him down later.The phone rang for a while before it was finally answered. However, there was silence on the other end, as if Blake was waiting for her to speak first.Yasmin stood at the top of the stairs, glancing around to make sure no one was around. Then, she whispered into the phone, "Darling, I'm home."When she called him "darling", it was actually just to flatter him, of course.Blake's cold demeanor softened a bit when he heard her voice. He asked, "When you went back with him earlier, you two didn't do anything, did you?"The suspicion in his voice was evident. Yasmin snorted. "What could possibly happen in just half an hour?""A lot can be done in half an hour."Yasmin was both speechless and irritated. "We were in the car the whole time, Blake. From the restaurant to my place, you can check for yourself—the journey takes ab
Yasmin suddenly remembered this detail. Before even coming to Merania, she had already undergone a DNA test with Imogen. Yet, Ivan had never mentioned this to her. He only offered to help her leave Blake.In hindsight, he must have known she was Imogen's granddaughter. However, he kept it a secret. He manipulated her into leaving Blake, just to keep them apart.If Blake had brought Yasmin to Merania to meet Imogen, Ivan wouldn't have had the chance to gain Imogen's favor.Yasmin's realization sent a shiver of fear down her spine. It was clear now that Ivan had been plotting this for a long time, possibly starting four years ago."Yes, that's right," Imogen confirmed. She also realized this herself recently. Everything had been orchestrated by Ivan.She asked, "Yasmin, did Ivan know you were from the Sander family long before?"Yasmin couldn't recall at first and was about to shake her head when a memory suddenly flashed in her mind.That time!It was when she went to the mounta
Yasmin was resolute. She couldn't leave alone with the secrets. It would put Imogen's safety at risk if Ivan found out. She couldn't bear to think about her grandmother suffering because of her actions.Hence, she shook her head. "No, Grandma, I can't leave without you. You and Dad are still in Ivan's clutches. I need to get all of us out of here!"Stuart was still in the ICU, and she feared that leaving could endanger both him and Imogen. Yasmin was determined to find a way to save her family.Imogen said, "It's alright, Yasmin. I'm old and my health is failing. A few years less doesn't matter."Yasmin shook her head vigorously. "No, I can't leave you behind. Grandma, I've thought about it. When Ivan and I have our wedding, he'll be convinced everything is going smoothly."That's when you'll give me the USB flash drive. He'll be off guard, and that's when we can all go to Rimmervale together."Yasmin had been going over this plan numerous times since she was confined by Blake. I
Yasmin's breathing quickened. "The bodyguards here are all Ivan's people. Don't act impulsively."If Blake came now, Ivan would certainly find out. If it came down to that, things would get even more complicated.Yasmin feared causing more trouble. Right now, Blake was a threat. His presence was hindering her plans, so Yasmin held back her anxiety as she said, "Darling, can I set up the surveillance tomorrow? Just one more night.""No." Blake didn't like this feeling. Either she stayed by his side, or he would storm into her room.Yasmin bit her bottom lip, not knowing how to persuade him.Blake seemed genuinely unhinged now. She believed he might be psychologically troubled. He was full of doubts, was always guarded, and had tremendous mistrust in everyone.Perhaps the events from four years ago had changed him.But now, she was genuinely afraid of him. She feared he might lose control and decide to use a helicopter to bring her back to Stanton City this instant. That would be
Blake's lips curved into a faint smile upon hearing Yasmin's words. He no longer seemed upset. "You finished your shower?""Yeah," Yasmin replied as she leaned against a pillow while holding her phone."I just visited Grandma. She said her eyes don't hurt anymore, but they're still bandaged. She needs to avoid using them for now and have a doctor come daily to apply medication.""That's good," Blake responded.After that, neither spoke for a moment. Yasmin faked a yawn, pretending to be very sleepy."Are you tired?" Blake asked."Yeah." Yasmin stretched lazily. "You wore me out this morning. Then I went out to eat and had to deal with Ivan when I got back. I'm exhausted…"She yawned several times in a row. Tears of fatigue welled up in her reddened eyes. Her neck still bearing the marks he had left earlier in the day.That morning, she was freshening up when he leaned against the bathroom door, watching her intently. On a whim, he grabbed her from behind and lifted her onto the
After finishing her sentence, Yasmin lay back down. She appeared upset and unwilling to talk further.Blake called her name, but Yasmin merely muttered, "Let's stop talking. I'm going to sleep."Yasmin hugged a stuffed animal and turned her back to the video call to sleep.Blake watched her for a moment. Then, he downed the rest of his wine and picked up a file from the coffee table.Soon, Yasmin's steady breathing came through the phone, indicating she had fallen asleep. Blake's gaze lingered on the screen. Yasmin had always been a restless sleeper. She turned over, and one fair leg slipped out from under the covers. Then, she curled up, draping her leg over the blanket. She hugged the blanket as if it were a body pillow.Watching her, Blake couldn't help but smile.Yasmin had the habit of hugging things while asleep. When they slept together, she would cling to him like a koala bear.In the early days, when their relationship was still strained, Blake found it annoying. Even