"My ex?" Steen parroted, and he sounded somehow amused. “Don't you remember when my father said that I had no dating experience? Do you still think I have an ex?"
Right. Vivian still remembered that night when she first met the Dahl family. At that time, the reason Lily and Stefan asked her and Steen to get to know each other better was that Steen had no dating experience. Because of that, the man might look awkward if one day the media captured him with Vivian, and that was why Lily and Stefan came up with the idea to let them stay together in the suite room that night.Of course, Vivian still thought the reason was ridiculous, but she ended up staying at the hotel that night because of that ridiculous idea."I don't have exes, but that doesn't mean I don't have experience with women, so it's best not to think that I'm an innocent man," Steen replied coldly.Even if it was a cold reply coming from the black-haired man, Vivian ended up laughinA pair of blue eyes tried to avoid another pair of eyes that started to give her an intimidating look. She nervously continued her work by buttoning up the white shirt as she replied, “It's not like that. I just heard that rich men usually wear expensive cologne or maybe perfume, but I didn't find any cologne or perfume in this room. I just thought that you were different.” Was Vivian just trying to flirt with Steen? That's probably not true. All she did was try to save herself from Steen's bad mood. If the man's mood soured, then she would be the one to fall victim, and that was why she was deliberately trying to compliment the man. And of course, what she said about how she heard rich men usually wore cologne or perfume wasn't exactly true because she actually didn't hear about that and only found out from her customers at Ladder to Paradise. That was why she could use what she usually found in those men to answer Steen's questions, hoping she could save hersel
There was a special area assigned for the media to interview the members of the Dahl family. Stefan and his wife were the first to stand in front of a background full of DAHL logos, indicating that the party was sponsored entirely by the company and not some other company. It went to show how Dahl didn't need anyone's money to throw a huge party for a kid who just turned seven today, and that was why Stefan and Kate could proudly lift their chins during the interview. There was a waiting room behind the backdrop full of DAHL logos, and Vivian was there waiting on cue to appear in front of the media tonight. She had put on the silver robot mask over her face. Of course, her appearance looked ridiculous, but she had no choice because the media had been at the party ever since she arrived at the venue with Steen. Yes, she did arrive there with Steen because she was Steen's wife. Many things had annoyed her tonight, from the design of the dress that was too
"So, what did you get for your brother's birthday, Mr. Dahl? I heard from Mrs. Kate Dahl that you got expensive gifts for your brother." “I don't feel like answering that question. You can ask me another question." The interviewer was a young girl, and she looked confused after hearing how Steen had just replied to her question. She was now standing in front of the CEO of DAHL Electronics who stood proudly in front of a backdrop with the DAHL logos emblazoned on it. The man was wearing a light gray suit, and there was no mask covering his face even though the theme of tonight's birthday party was robots and the guests had to wear robot masks when attending the party. However, the party had not started yet, and that was why the interviewer could understand Steen not wanting to cover his face with a mask. After all, even Stefan and Kate who had come to the previous interview didn't have masks on their faces either, and that was why the girl thou
"He's insane," Vivian muttered to herself when she heard how Steen refused to talk about his brother's birthday and talked about his company instead. A man like Steen was indeed unpredictable. Sure enough, it was clear that Steen didn't like the way Kate kept talking about her son during her interview earlier, but Vivian thought that the man would still pretend in front of the interviewer by sweet-talking about his brother. After all, Steen somehow gave off the impression that he was a man who really cared about his image, and Vivian thought that the man could still pretend in front of the interviewer. But her prediction was inaccurate because Steen didn't even want to sweeten his words tonight. The guy was quite witty. He didn't need to show how much he hated his younger brother in front of the interviewer, and instead, he talked about other things that were certainly more interesting than the birthday party. Vivian had to admit that Steen wa
“The rich don't solve their problems with their brains but with dollars, do they? Maybe that's why that madman could even pull off something shameless in front of a camera that would show his face on every television in the country by tomorrow,” Vivian muttered to herself. It seemed like her world was black and white while outside the bubble was normal and colorful. She was standing near the corner of the ballroom where Stanley's party was being held tonight, and maybe even time had stopped ticking in her gray world. She was indeed alone in that noisy place. Stefan, Kate, and Steen were busy socializing, while little Stanley was busy making new friends. In fact, only about twenty kids had turned up for the boy's party tonight, but how the kids lined up in front of the birthday boy holding presents was enough to make the birthday boy smile from ear to ear. It might not be wrong to say that the dollar could solve any problem, including one related to how
It was Steen, of course. Of course, only Steen Dahl held the title of Tommy's brother-in-law. Vivian did not even notice when the man approached her and Lily, but now the man had stopped walking in front of them. Like most people in the ballroom, Steen no longer put on the robot mask to cover his handsome face. He needed to socialize with some of his business partners, and while doing that, he needed to drink wine with them so the interactions wouldn't be too awkward. Just now Vivian could see how the man was talking to a middle-aged man who had come to the party with his wife, and that was why she was quite surprised by the presence of the black-haired man not far from her and Lily. Steen didn't hear anything dangerous from her conversation with Lily, did he? Perhaps that was the question that was forming in Vivian's head at this moment, but fortunately, she was now wearing a mask, and Steen probably couldn't tell that she was quite nervous n
The greedy woman's face suddenly looked ten years older after hearing what Steen had said to her. Maybe it even felt like Steen had just flown her to the sky, but instead of being able to hold onto the clouds to enjoy the scenery, that woman just directly fell to the ground. "That guy's tongue really is poisonous,” Vivian chuckled as she washed her hands in the sink. Her silver mask was placed next to the sink. She did say that she wouldn't take off her mask during the party, but since she was in the restroom right now, she figured it would be okay for her to stop wearing the mask. Because of the mask, she couldn't even eat anything at the party. Many people even gave her strange looks because she was the only one who was still wearing a mask even when the party was almost over. From how she was occasionally seen with Steen during the party, the guests could guess that she was Steen's wife, but they didn't dare approach her, knowing how powerful the Dah
"Boring," he muttered lazily as he stared at the stage in front of him with his pair of blank eyes. The stage became the center of attention in the ballroom from the moment the three members of the Dahl family stepped onto the stage. The youngest Dahl had just blown out the candles, and now the boy was busy cutting the giant birthday cake with his mother's help. It was a very big cake, maybe twice the boy's height, and that was why the boy had to stand on a stool when he wanted to blow out the candles. And now that all the candles had been blown out, the boy was once again standing on the floor, and he was slicing the cake for the guests. The cake was indeed very large, and it seemed that every guest could receive a slice from the birthday boy. But Steen wouldn't even eat the cake. He didn't like sweets, and that was why he would surely refuse the cake if the boy came to him and gave him a slice. “I was outside the interview room when you were
A name. It was not just a group of letters used to address someone so they would turn to the caller and not ignore the caller. A name had a deeper meaning than that. A name was used to identify a person, used to distinguish someone from other individuals. A name would always stick with a person from the time they were born until the day they last breathed, and even at their final resting place, their name would also be written or engraved to let everyone know that the body buried underground belonged to the owner of the name. A name was indeed an important part of one's life, and that was why one would not feel happy if someone called them by the wrong name. Perhaps that was also the reason why Vivian had returned to wearing a wedding dress today. It was still the same wedding dress she wore months ago when she officially became Steen's wife, but because she was using someone else's name then, she and Steen decided to have another wedding ceremony to announce to everyone that it was
Their next stop was the penthouse at the Golden Roof Apartments, and it might also be their last stop. Only three people entered the penthouse after Elena was sent to her family's residence. After Lily and her family were arrested by the police, the house was empty, and that's why Elena lived there temporarily. Yes, only temporarily because Elena planned to move after finding a suitable place to live. Vivian had actually invited her to move in with her and Sarah in the small house, but Elena rejected the idea, saying that she didn't want to disturb the two of them and that Sarah might be uncomfortable if she joined them to live in the cramped house. Vivian said that Sarah wouldn't feel that way because that woman also wanted to meet Elena and wanted to live with her too, but Elena still resisted the idea. In the end, Vivian only said that she would try to find a bigger house, and if that could happen, the three of them might be able to move in together.
Someone was standing in the middle of the mansion's stairs. With teary eyes, he looked at the people standing in the living room one by one. His eyes were not only filled with tears, but the two of them were also filled with fear and confusion. He looked lost and lonely even if he wasn't alone in the big building. Maybe the adults in the living room kept talking about Stanley before, but they probably forgot that the kid was also in the mansion the whole time, and they also weren't aware of the possibility that the innocent boy had heard everything from the second floor. But maybe Steen was aware of the possibility, but he simply didn't care at all. That was why he looked away from the boy before saying, "Let's go." Both words were aimed at Vivian and Elena, like how he had suggested the three of them leave the mansion immediately. But neither Vivian nor Elena moved from their positions even after hearing the order, and they both focused their
Steen somehow could not directly answer his father's question this time. He was still grinding his teeth to suppress his anger, but no words could come out of his mouth at this moment. Recalling the disgusting memory, he remembered how he did not find any used condoms in the hotel room, and it was easy to tell that he had done it without any protection the night before. He wasn't even sure if it was because he couldn't think straight when he did it or maybe it was Kate's intention, but he was sure there weren't any used condoms in the hotel room at the time. He wasn't stupid, and that was why he could see the possibility of her being pregnant after they had a such activity that night, and it was also the reason why he hated that kid called Stanley so much. Even if he didn't try to find evidence that Stanley was indeed his son, he could see the similarities the boy had with him, and it had the power to terrify him. Because of that, he had alway
Kate had been dragged from the mansion by the police, and even the man named Peter had also been caught by the police. Hence, only four people were left in the living room after Marlon also left the place. There were only Steen, Stefan, Vivian, and Elena in the living room. Everyone still ignored the presence of plush sofas in the living room as they preferred to remain standing rather than sitting comfortably. They all even continued to stand like statues. Even Steen who previously looked the calmest of them, now looked shaken after hearing what Kate proudly said before being dragged away by the police. "I always knew that the child was not mine," Stefan muttered breaking the tense silence in the living room. “I always knew about it, but I didn't expect the child to be yours, Steen. How are you going to explain it to me? Do you like your stepmother? You have treated her coldly all along, but you even got her pregnant with your child. I didn't expect yo
“Recently, that bitch doesn't dare to touch her phone because her phone is haunted by my mother, right? Ah! Even her fear should be enough to tell that she was scared because she had done something to my mother in the past, but I know that such a thing wouldn't be enough to prove that she was indeed a criminal. That's why I focused on finding something on her phones that were ignored by her out of fear in the past week. On one of her cellphones, I found enough evidence to land her in jail.” When everyone was speechless, it was Steen who continued to speak. Turns out that was his real plan. He didn't plan to pressure Kate so she would kill herself just like his mother did years ago, but he just wanted her to ignore her cell phone so he would get a chance to touch it. Yesterday Kate left the mansion without her cell phone, and Steen took the opportunity to look for more evidence in the cell phone. Finally, he found what he was looking for in one of her cell phones.
"SHUT UP! DON'T TALK NONSENSE IN MY HOUSE!" Kate immediately shouted at Peter, but even her voice sounded unsteady as she looked nervous as hell. Her voice was shaking, her pupils were trembling, and even her breathing was ragged. All eyes suddenly fell on the blonde woman, and it was finally Stefan who opened his mouth to respond to the woman, "Are you sure what he said was just nonsense?" Stefan also looked surprised after hearing what Peter had just said, but he still had time to ask the woman that question. At this moment, the woman no longer glared at the kneeling man, and instead, she stiffly shifted her gaze to Stefan. Stefan was her husband, and he was known for his strict and assertive personality. Many people were afraid of him, even Kate was afraid of him before they got married years ago. But today she somehow looked scared again when she had to face the old man even if the man was her spouse. “D-don't listen to what that
Steen had revealed everything. He had disclosed how Vivian and Elena were actually part of a family living far away from Haston City, but Elena was kidnapped by Lily and her husband two decades ago. At that time, the twins' parents died in a car accident, and little Vivian was found by a couple after the incident, and she was raised by the couple into adulthood. Steen deliberately did not mention how Sarah had purposely taken Vivian as her daughter instead of returning the child to her relatives, nor did he mention the name of the family Vivian and Elena came from. He didn't think that the information was necessary, and that's why he kept it a secret. And maybe Stefan really didn't need that information, and the story Steen had just uncovered had shocked the old man enough. His pair of eyes widened as he looked at the twins, but he still didn't say anything as he still couldn't overcome his shock. Steen could see how his father was stunned by
It was Marlon who had just entered the mansion, but this time he was not alone. His hand was holding another person's arm, and that person's hands were tied with a rope behind his back. After arriving at the living room, Marlon forced the person to kneel in front of the five people. One person looked confident after seeing the person's appearance in the living room, while three other people looked shocked and confused, then one person looked scared as her eyes widened when she saw the person who had just arrived in the living room with Marlon. "So, he's the person, Marlon?" It was Steen who looked confident upon seeing the person's arrival in the living room, and although his question was directed at Marlon, his eyes were glued to the figure kneeling in front of him. “Yes, sir,” Marlon immediately answered his boss's question. “His name is Peter Ford, and he works in a bar in town. He's the one who posted that anonymous article about you, sir.”