Barden City.
Her mother never said that she was born in that city, but it was certain that she grew up in that place.She still remembered her childhood in that city. Years ago, she had a normal childhood in Barden City. She attended kindergarten until high school in that city, and she was considered a smart girl as she had never failed to enter the top 10 in her school over the years.Her teachers placed a lot of hope in her when she was still a student, and they even said that she would grow up to be a successful person in the future. However, even fortune tellers weren't always accurate with their predictions, so it was only natural that teachers would also make mistakes with their predictions.After she graduated from high school, her life completely changed, and there was no way she could become a successful person when she didn't even continue her studies. Instead, she became a prostitute on the Ladder to Paradise so she could earn moneyIt was an unexpected request from Steen, and Vivian's brain tried to think of the idea that she couldn't immediately reply to what he had just said. She didn't even know why the man suddenly asked for such a thing from her, but one thing she did know was that the man must be wanting to bully her at this moment. She gritted her teeth, but of course, no curse words left her lips. “Turn on the speakers. I want to hear what your mother has to tell you," Steen spoke again when the girl sitting in front of him still didn't answer his order. The man must have wanted to put her in a difficult situation. By this time, she knew very well what Lily wanted to tell her, and that woman would also scream at her for not answering her call right away. It was indeed a huge challenge for Vivian, and right now, she knew only she could save herself in this situation. In the end, the shoulder-length girl didn't even give Steen a verbal answer, all she did
Steen Dahl was a sneaky wolf! Vivian wanted to scream after hearing how Steen responded to Lily's idea. Lily had indeed tried to help her escape from Steen's idea of bringing her to Barden City, but that man was not a docile rabbit but a cunning wolf, and that was why he was the one who emerged victorious after Lily could no longer voice disapproval of Steen's ideas. Steen did ask a question at the end of his sentence, and it looked like he was asking for opinions at a glance, but both Vivian and Lily knew very well that the man was just pushing the two of them into a corner, and there was no way they could say "no" to his question. In the end, Lily could only awkwardly say that Steen must have made a good choice for his honeymoon spot, and when Vivian knew that the older woman wouldn't be able to help her, she finally told her that she and Steen needed to get ready for their trip today, and that was why she had to hang up immediately. Vivian
When the private jet landed in Barden City, a shiny black sedan was waiting for the people who had just boarded the plane. It might be inaccurate to say that the car was waiting for the people because it must have been waiting for one person only, and that person was none other than Steen Dahl. Vivian happened to arrive in the city with the man, and that was why the driver and the car were also waiting for her as he politely opened the car door for her and the CEO. She did have to sit in the back seat side by side with Steen because Marlon sat in the passenger seat next to the driver's seat. Steen also didn't really care about her when she placed herself next to him, and that was why Vivian didn't want to think about the man's opinion either. If she couldn't sit next to the man, then where should she sit? It was a sedan, so there were only two rows of seats. Thus, Vivian could only silently sit next to the black-haired man. Right now, she didn't even da
“I have booked a room at this hotel. Just wait for me in the room if you don't plan on going anywhere," Steen ordered firmly, not caring about Vivian's flustered expression when she realized the car had stopped in front of a five-star hotel. She set off from Haston City with the CEO of DAHL Electronics, but the man didn't tell her anything about his destination when they finally arrived at Barden City. She was only making up a few theories in her head about Steen's destination when they finally arrived at the Barden. She assumed Steen was trying to solve the problem that was going on in the company as soon as possible, and that was why she thought the man would head straight to the company branch instead of sending her to a hotel. Vivian thought that she would be able to learn more about the problems the company was facing if she could tag along when the man was going to visit the company branch, but she had to swallow her disappointment when the man dropped her
“An arrogant young master like Steen Dahl definitely wouldn't choose a cheap hotel to stay in even just for two days,” Vivian muttered to herself as she stepped into the room Steen Dahl booked. When she came to the hotel's front desk, she only needed to say Steen's name, and after the girl sitting behind the desk was able to confirm that she was Steen's wife, she handed her a room card that could be used to open the door of the room. Vivian only muttered a thank you before she went to the elevator that would take her to the room. It was said that the hotel room Steen booked was on the eighth floor, and that was why she immediately headed to that room. She knew that Barden City didn't have so many five-star hotels, and she also knew that this hotel was one of the best hotels in the city. Therefore, it was no wonder Steen booked a room at this hotel. Vivian didn't think it mattered where the two of them would be staying. In the end, everything w
The shiny black car stopped in front of a large building, and his brown eyes darted to the building before he got out of the vehicle. "Are you sure he's hiding in this place?" He asked the person sitting in the passenger seat in front of him. "Actually, I'm not really sure if he's hiding in this place on purpose, sir," the person sitting in front of him immediately responded. “I heard that his mother is sick, and she is receiving treatment from this hospital. I heard he accompanied his mother in this hospital, so I'm not sure if he's deliberately hiding in this place, sir.” That was the information Steen got from his secretary, but he sneered after hearing it. “Who doesn't want to be able to catch two fish using only one bait? That bastard must have taken advantage of his mother's situation and ended up hiding behind his mother's back like a loser.” That was the response that left Steen's lips before the man opened the car door and stepped out of the ca
The hotel Steen booked wasn't very close to the Red District, and that was probably the only thing that made Vivian feel a bit more relaxed even though she was once again in Barden City. Even if there was still a chance that she would run into her customers, she still felt a bit safe since she no longer needed to get too close to the Ladder to Paradise. At the very least, her former boss wouldn't find out that she was once again in the city. She knew that Rose had been a bit suspicious of her when she suddenly wanted to leave this city, and she would probably ask her more questions about what she was doing after leaving her place. Vivian didn't want to meet her former colleagues either, but Alexa was an exception as she finally met the girl today. It was because she remembered her promise to the girl before she left Barden, and that was why she had decided to meet her today. She wasn't sure if she could return to Barden again in the future, so she better use this
A door marked C.22 was directly in front of the two men. There was a small window stuck to the wooden door, and although the size of the glass wasn't large, it was enough to tell them that there were two people in the room, one was a woman lying on a hospital bed, and the other was a man sitting on a chair by the bed. “That's the bastard,” Steen muttered to himself when he was sure that it was indeed the man he was looking for who was sitting in the chair next to the woman lying on the bed. "Yes, that's Jeremy Nielsen, sir," Marlon, who was standing beside his boss, responded to his boss's words. "He's right in front of us, sir. What do you want to do with him?” Marlon did not know about Steen's plan. After he reported to his boss about Jeremy's whereabouts, the two of them didn't have much to say about what they were going to do after meeting the man, which was why Marlon had asked the question. “Just wait for me here. I will visit Mrs. Niels
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.”