After a series of twists and turns, Diana successfully escaped from that room. It turned out that this place really wasn’t a luxurious hotel. If Julian had believed the information she had provided earlier, it would’ve been all in vain; he would never find this abandoned residential area completely unrelated to a luxury hotel.Diana slid down the makeshift rope made from bedsheets in the room, and continued running without stopping until she reached a relatively safe place. By now, she was already exhausted. However, Hans had taken her phone earlier, and she couldn't determine where she was exactly without it.She considered borrowing someone's phone to contact Julian, but her disheveled appearance made people avoid her as they feared trouble. She had no choice but to ask for directions, and slowly make her way toward the central area of Richburgh.Unexpectedly, she had been walking for a whole day and night. When she reached the hotel where Julian had announced his marriage to
As Diana heard the door click shut and lock, she grew even more uneasy. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape because the storage room didn't even have windows.Meanwhile, Julian was waiting at the villa for news from Noel.After a sleepless night, the call finally came."Sir..."Upon hearing Noel's tone, Julian's heart sank. "Is there still no sign of them?""No," Noel replied apologetically. "I apologize, sir. It's my fault. I’m incompetent."Their influence spread throughout Richburgh, yet they couldn't even find two women!Julian felt increasingly frustrated, but had to accept the hard reality. "Forget it."In this world, not everything would go according to his wishes. Ever since he realized his feelings for Diana, he had become more aware of his limitations as an individual."I'll marry her."As long as he married Kayla, she would tell him the whereabouts of Diana and Madam Fulcher, and they would be safe."But sir..." Noel felt it unfair to Julian. Julia
Ultimately, the only thing she could do right now was to remain calm lest Julian noticed something was amiss.“Can you identify the direction Diana fled?”Hans replied quickly, “No. We only realized she escaped after a whole day had passed…”A fire burned in Kayla’s chest when she heard this. She spent so much money to hire Hans Lemmington precisely because he had experience in murder and all sorts of crimes. She thought that given how vicious he was, he would definitely show no mercy to Diana.She never expected him to end up losing her!What’s worse, he only decided to inform her after one entire day and night had passed. One day and one night!It was entirely possible that Diana had fled from the desolated suburbs to the main city.For Kayla she knew, she was already waiting at the hotel for her and Julian to arrive…Fear gripped Kayla the more she thought about it. She immediately called the hotel staff to take note of a woman with an outstanding air about her. She even
“What about Grandma?” Julian’s eyes turned dark. “She’s advanced in years, and her health is poor. Take good care of her.”“I will.” Kayla nodded without any hint of guilt. “I’ve already said I’ll let my men take good care of her. She’s my grandma too, after all.”Julian didn’t expect Kayla to be so thick-skinned.Truly, he had been a ridiculously poor judge of character over the years.He used to think of Kayla as an innocent little girl. He never expected that the kind little girl who saved him back then would one day grow up into…He looked down, hiding the disappointment in his eyes. “She’s not your grandmother.” Never will she be in your entire life.He would never acknowledge it.Neither would Madam Fulcher.All generations of the Fulcher family will never acknowledge it!“Let’s go.” He looked away and walked into his own car, not even sparing a glance at Kayla who had meticulously dolled herself up.Kayla wanted to call him to go into the wedding car, but the cold lo
Diana never thought she would feel such affinity for that little deviant!The last time he sent her back to the villa in the rain, Julian must’ve found a chance to knock some sense into him. That probably resulted in their chance meeting today.Diana reached her hand out eagerly. “Thank you.”“Did you just thank me?” Simon’s face fell suddenly, and he even retracted his hand. “What are you thanking me for?”He had always been a temperamental man.Diana sensed that something was off, but refused to let go of the only hope she could see. “For getting me out of this place…”“Getting you out of this place?” Simon furrowed his brows as if confused, and looked helplessly at her. “What’s with you? Do you need my help to get out of this place?”Given how miserable Diana looked, anyone would be able to guess that she needed help and wasn’t out for a stroll during a vacation.Yet Simon chose to turn a blind eye to her miserable state.He clearly didn’t have the intention of saving her.
The insidious look in his eyes was much too overwhelming, and Diana didn’t want to interact too much with him. She had this feeling that he was even more dangerous than Julian, and was in fact an amalgamation and exaggeration of all of Julian’s flaws.…Strange.Why did she associate the two of them? Diana shook her head, and focused on repeatedly smashing the lock on the gate with the wrench in hand.This was way too energy consuming.Simon was tickled pink by her actions. “What good would that do? By the time you’re done smashing the lock, the wedding will be over.”Given what just happened, Diana wasn’t as resistant against talking to him. “You know that I came because of the wedding?”“To snatch a man, what else?” Simon surveyed Diana from top to toe in disdain as he sneered, “Who couldn’t tell?” She couldn’t be bothered to explain things to him, and she found no need to do so anyway.Simon refused to let things go. “Is that Julian Fulcher so good? Oliver’s pretty dece
Simon was still a young boy, after all.Diana just didn’t know how much younger he was compared to Oliver. She decided to ask Oliver that question the next time she saw him.Still, she was in no mood to think further about them. She just wanted to get out of this place.Just then, Simon’s eyes lit up as if he had just obtained a treasure. He grabbed the wrench from Diana and said, “Let me.”He was very strong.Diana couldn’t tell from his usual style of dress, but he was lean yet muscular. His body looked even more toned as he exerted so much force with the wrench that his muscles bulged through his clothes.Thanks to his powerful smashing, the lock finally had signs of breaking apart.Simon continued smashing it with all his might.Diana, on the other hand, was left with nothing to do.Since she had nothing to do, the gears in her mind started shifting.She suddenly looked at Simon and asked him a question she had overlooked, “How did you appear here in the warehouse?”She
Julian donned a navy blue suit, which was in his usual style and was a perfect fit for his body.It hugged his broad shoulders and narrow hips snugly.The hem of his suit jacket moved as he did, making him look even more suave.Kayla, who was standing next to him, had her face covered with a veil, but her eyes were bright and lively as they told of how happy and smug she was feeling on the inside. She was clearly delighted.Her gown had a long train and left a mark on the floor wherever it swept past, sending petals and balloons flying as she moved.Anyone who saw them would be convinced that they were a match made in heaven.What's more, the groom of the wedding today was none other than Julian Fulcher.Endless streams of congratulations echoed within the wedding hall.Diana stood amidst the raging crowd, and considered giving up.Meanwhile, the security guards were charging toward her.Simon was following behind the security guards.He was pointing right at Diana.She nev
“Life is all about reconciliation.” Decades passed in the blink of an eye. Diana’s children had all grown up.Kate and Isaac had both passed away. Even Diana’s old friends, Fanny and Oliver, had left the world too.Fanny was never able to get pregnant again after that rainy night. She had gradually let go of her desire to get pregnant under Oliver’s persuasion.They stayed relentlessly by each other’s side, albeit childless. Over the years, having experienced all that life had to offer and being each other’s best friend, Oliver died on a peaceful night, never awaking again.Fanny held his hand while sending him off, and closed her eyes forever as well.Diana had seen too many people off in her lifetime.She had grown old herself, too. She could see her life slowly ebbing away.“Julian, I’m so happy to have lived my life with you.” She had transformed from a disgraced young woman to Mrs. Fulcher, respected by all in Richburgh. Julian even took care of her in person when she
He blurted those words instinctively.He had been waiting so long for a pair of daughters, yet when the doctor came over, he saw a pair of sons instead.Diana thought the hospital must have made a mistake and kicked up a fuss, insisting that she had a pair of daughters. She insisted for them to check the footage from the surveillance camera to see if there was a mix-up. The culprit, Julian, could only stand guiltily at a corner and mumble, “Actually…sons are fine too.”As long as it was their children, it didn’t matter whether they were girls or boys. Either way, Diana was the only woman he loved his entire life. Even his love for his only daughter Betty didn’t match up to that.After witnessing Diana giving birth, Julian’s love for Diana went up a notch, to the point of paranoia.For the rest of their lives, he made sure to never let her worry or touch cold water.He took great care of her.Kate finally appeared two years after Diana gave birth.When the mother and daughter
Nina mentioned the Jenningses. “The Jennings family is gone overnight, just like that.”Diana wasn’t shocked.She guessed that Julian had wanted to do that for a while. Not just for her and to seek justice for the Lemmington family, but also for Simon.Although Julian never allowed Simon to call him his brother, he had wanted to annihilate everything that was involved with the Hughes family since Simon’s death.Him making his move on the Jenningses indicated that the time had come.“Congratulations,” Diana said to Nina. “Has Vans come back to you?”“No,” Nina said with a shake of her head. “Lina Jennings isn’t the only thing standing in between us. We have problems of our own to overcome.”Diana sighed. “I think Marcus is pretty good.”She felt relaxed and comfortable around him.Even if Vans came round and worked with Julian to bring down the Jenningses, and had no feelings whatsoever for Lina, Diana wasn’t exactly eager to be with him.As if they had telepathy with each oth
“He doesn’t need to be jailed,” Fanny said, confused. “One word from him, and his lawyers will be able to exonerate him. I just don’t understand why he’d rather go to jail.”“He wants to pay for his father’s sins,” Diana said with a sigh.Fanny didn’t know what to think of that. Was Oliver innocent, or not? He even went to such great lengths to stop her.Yet, the moment she declared that she would never compromise and would rather be under the protection of Diana than to be involved with Oliver, he clearly looked like he was in a daze.Diana noticed that Fanny hardly smiled over the past few days, and rubbed her hand comfortingly. “He just wants a clean start with you.”Fanny’s heart shook. She couldn’t sleep the entire night.The next morning, she told Diana, “Today’s the day of his trial and sentencing. I want to see him.”Diana asked Julian to send a few bodyguards with Fanny on her trip there.When she returned, she looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoul
Fanny bet that he wouldn’t dare.That was equivalent to eliminating all chances he stood with Diana.Julian witnessed the scene unfolding before him. Instead of getting frustrated, he stood quietly there, ready to protect Diana, as he watched Fanny and Oliver fight it out with each other.Oliver was confused. “Why not?”He glanced at Diana, and went on, “I did like Diana in the past, but I have since given up on those feelings for her. Fanny Smith, is your heart made of stone? Can’t you tell who the woman I like is after all this time?”Fanny was stunned, feeling suffocated as if something was stuck in her throat. “Don’t tell me it’s me.”Oliver was dumbfounded. Who else could he be talking about? The stars in the sky?Fanny felt indignant under his glare. “If you like me, why did you say that I’m just a child-bearing tool for you?”“If I didn’t say that, would I be able to keep you confined in the villa? Would I be able to dash all your hopes and make you feel hopeless?”
Oliver would never let her go. “Fanny Smith, don’t even think about leaving me in this life!”That was when Diana and Julian hurriedly made their way.Sean located Oliver very accurately. Diana saw the scene unfolding before her, and couldn’t help but recall everything that happened in Jacroaof. She hurriedly told Noel to take Sean outside and wait. She couldn’t afford to gamble on Sean’s safety. She didn’t want Sean exposed to any form of danger right under her nose.Her actions made Oliver tense. “Diana, do you think I’ve gone mad?” He grabbed Fanny’s hand, as if he was holding onto the most precious treasure in the world.Diana didn’t answer him, but she threw her bag that Julian was helping her carry toward Fanny.She was exerting so much force for a pregnant lady, looking as if she wanted to fight with Fanny.Even Julian didn’t know what Diana was trying to do, not to mention Fanny herself.By the time he snapped back to attention and wanted to stop Diana from doing s
However, Fanny must let go of her hatred and past grudges first.The mention of children made Fanny waver. The hatred in her eyes grew even more intense. “Oliver Channing! The cheek of you to mention children!” What gave him the right to say that?!“We agreed,” Oliver said. He didn’t find anything wrong with that. “Fanny, if you want to leave that villa and be free once more, you must give birth to a child of ours.”“What about the child I lost just a few days ago?” Fanny demanded. She found him unreasonable. “Over the past few days, have you ever thought of him, or felt like you let him down? We haven’t even resolved the issues between us, and you want me to get pregnant again. Are you really ready to be a father?!”“I want you to get pregnant again?” Oliver said as he drew closer to her. His eyes were dark, looking as if he wanted to crush Fanny and put her in his pocket. “Weren’t you the one who tried to seduce me by wearing a revealing dress in my house? Fanny Smith, do
Julian stopped talking to the butler, but he was already making plans in his heart.He returned to the study, and told Diana, “Fanny and Oliver have been fighting for a long time, and it might be over something that might potentially destroy their relationship.”In fact… “Fanny might no longer love Oliver right now.”However, the fact that Oliver faked her death and confined her was enough to show that he still cared for her.If he realized that Fanny no longer loved him, he might do something even crazier.“Let’s hurry up and save her, then!” Diana said.“Wait,” Julian said calmly, “I’m not done with my prediction.”“What?”“Oliver really doesn’t like you now.” Julian’s mood lifted as he arrived at his final conclusion. “We can step in to help Fanny.”Diana was dumbfounded.She had thought that Julian went to such great lengths to analyze the situation for the sake of saving another. To think that his possessiveness took over, and he prioritized figuring out Oliver’s feeli
The three of them entered the study.None of them expected to see a portrait of Diana right in the middle of the study.The portrait was most likely drawn by copying a photo. In the portrait, Diana was eating something with a smile. It looked like the day when Diana encountered a pervert on the train and Oliver stepped in to help her and treated her to a meal.Did she smile so tenderly at him at that time?“You couldn’t have smiled so happily at that time when we were fighting over Kayla.”It was a portrait, not a photo. It was likely that the owner of this portrait added his own interpretation and features when he commissioned this portrait.“He still has feelings for you,” Julian said coldly.He no longer wanted to interfere with the affairs of the Channings.However, Diana disagreed. “If he really had feelings for me, he wouldn’t hang my portrait up so boldly right here.”The fact that Oliver could display the portrait for all to see proved that his feelings for Diana were