At the university awards ceremony, Nancy was seated in the front row. She had paid special attention to her makeup that day and was wearing a short, lacy black dress.She had won many international awards, and this time, she had casually won a speech competition. Naturally, she was not like her inexperienced classmates, trembling anxiously just because they had to go on stage. Nancy was somewhat absent-minded, distractedly playing with the ring on her finger. Yaacob, that big jerk! He had not returned home the past two days. How long was he planning on continuing this fight?Even though she was not confident, Nancy still had some pride. She had promised herself that if he did not make the first move to reconcile with her, she would not budge. She intended to keep that promise.She refused to believe that the man who had taken advantage of her while she was drunk would be able to hold himself back for much longer.In the end, were men not more impatient regarding those things?Na
That night, Nancy stayed up late, but she never saw Yaacob return. She could not help but feel uneasy whenever she imagined other women entering Yaacob's car. She resisted the urge to call him to come home a few times, managing to stop herself before she did.That was because after she seriously thought about it, the possibility of Yaacob asking for a divorce was high.That man knew how to handle her. Every time they quarreled, he never failed to comfort her, no matter how bad it got.Yet, this time, he had let their relationship deteriorate without doing anything. Was that not a sign he wanted to end things?Even though Nancy could not figure out what she had done to make him want to leave her, she knew she needed to do something if she did not want a divorce.The next day, much to her surprise, Lola received an invitation from Yaacob to attend a business banquet with him.The day before, the restaurant Lola had invited Yaacob to had been closed, so they had gone to her apartm
Yaacob had just turned on the sink tap when he heard Nancy slam the door shut.He saw her leaning against the washroom door, staring at him intently and breathing heavily.Yaacob had not been planning to use the toilet, but he adjusted his zipper in front of her, and she did not break eye contact."Did you barge in to watch me use the toilet?" Yaacob asked her."Of course not."Nancy turned around to ensure the door was locked before walking toward Yaacob aggressively.He thought she would demand an explanation, but she suddenly buried her head in his chest, hugging his waist tightly as she whimpered."Mr. Getson, let's reconcile."Yaacob was speechless.Nancy looked up at him sincerely. "I promise to listen to you. I won't recklessly interact with anyone anymore. Can't we stop this cold treatment?"Yaacob found it hard to adjust to Nancy's sudden gentle personality. He asked, "Did you follow me inside for this?""That's right. There are so many people outside. It's hard for
Yaacob drove back that night, with Nancy insisting on leaning on his shoulder.As she stuck to him, she complained, "You're so annoying."Yaacob said nothing."Mr. Getson, you're so annoying," Nancy said again when he did not respond. "Do you know why you're annoying?""Why?" Yaacob asked her."It should be the man comforting the woman, but every time you get angry, I have to take the initiative. You're not nice to me at all.""Didn't a certain someone complain that I was too nice in the past? Shouldn't I allow you to show how good you are?""That's different! You know why you're so hard to comfort this time." Nancy pouted and said, "I won't press the matter anymore! Mr. Getson, can we just get along well in the future?"Yaacob fell silent for five seconds before he answered, "Yes."Even though Nancy had gone on the offensive this time, she was still concerned.The next day, Yaacob was there when she woke up. That was how she knew she had finally managed to placate the man.
While Nancy was napping in the resting room of Yaacob's office, she dreamt of a tableful of food, and her stomach growled loudly. Then she woke up to a tableful of food, just like her dream.She looked up and noticed Yaacob was still working."Hey, Yaacob, have you eaten?" Nancy asked."Yes. That's all for you," Yaacob answered.Nancy looked at the food, realized Yaacob had ordered her favorites, and pursed her lips happily. She had felt aggrieved before because she had been the one to take the initiative to make peace with him, and he had treated her as he had before their fight, but now she thought everything was worth it.She picked up the soup bowl, but it accidentally slipped from her fingers and crashed into pieces. The soup went all over the floor."Ah!" She got a shock.Yaacob quickly came over and asked, "Are you hurt?"Nancy was still in shock, shaking her head. "No. I don't know what came over me. My mind blanked, and my hand lost its grip.""Don't worry about the b
Nancy's tears came running down her face. Having triggered Nancy's outburst, Spencer panicked."I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't say those things. But where is Yaacob? Why isn't he with you?" Spencer asked."He went back," Nancy wept."How could he leave you alone now?" Spencer asked.The question only exacerbated Nancy's sadness, and she wept vehemently."Nancy…" Spencer called her name gently."Excuse me. I'm a little tired." She went into her room, closed the door, and refused to talk to Spencer anymore.She had another round of crying before falling asleep. Inevitably, her eyes were swollen when she woke. However, she was not in the mood to take care of her face now. She did not even bother to apply foundation.She left her room and saw the farmhouse owner, Anika, at the staircase."Hey, Ms. Lawson. I was wondering why I didn't see you at dinner just now," Anika said in greeting.Nancy looked down toward the dining table covered in empty plates. No one had come to inform her that
The next day, a posh SUV arrived at the farmhouse. Pamela was the first to exit the car. She went to the other side to open the door.Teresa got out of the car wearing a pair of sunglasses. Just as her foot touched the ground, her heel slipped, and she nearly sprained her ankle."What the hell? Why is the road uneven?" she said angrily."You're in the country. I brought a pair of flats for you. Do you want to put them on?" Pamela asked."Never mind. I want to go find Spencer," Teresa said.Pamela took Teresa's luggage out of the car. Teresa told Pamela to bring her luggage to Spencer's room, but he was not in.After asking around, the owner of the farmhouse said Spencer had spent the night in the hall with Nancy. When she opened the door to the hall, she saw Nancy sleeping on the table by herself.The sound woke Nancy. She rubbed her eyes and was baffled when she saw Teresa. "Why are you here?""I'm Grandpa's granddaughter. Why shouldn't I be at his funeral?" Teresa asked in re
Spencer had not wandered too far. He had walked to the gate of the farmhouse, where he discovered Nancy playing with a dog.The farmhouse owner had a yellow dog. Nancy had finished the chicken soup but had not eaten the meat. She did not want to waste the meat by throwing it away, so she fed it to the dog.After that, the dog would not leave her and kept wagging its tail at Nancy. Nancy squatted and stroked its head.Spencer was used to seeing the fierce and bold side of Nancy. He had rarely seen her looking so gentle and kind. He found this different side of her to be very attractive.Truthfully, he was getting bored of Teresa. Nancy was different from Teresa. She did not mind playing with a dog under the hot sun. The sun shone on her hair, and it looked like she was glowing.Only then did Spencer realize that Nancy would also like cuddling and leaning on her husband's chest and would be very gentle and soft with him. That was a side of her he had never seen.'Yaacob must see th
Yaacob stayed in Nancy and Celica's house in Rhea City for a month without leaving.After sending Celica to kindergarten, Yaacob sent Nancy to the company.Nancy always asked him to stop the car two streets away from the company, but that day, Yaacob went a bit further, and she started to get anxious. "Stop the car, quick. Stop going forward. It's the peak hour right now. I can't let anyone see me."Yaacob stopped the car, but he did not unlock the door.He lowered the top of the convertible and asked her, "Is being with me that embarrassing to you?""I'm not with you. This is just a transaction!" Nancy insisted.She could not open the door and noticed that Yaacob had locked it. When she went to unlock it, her hand was pushed down by the man."Don't I make you happy? Is Celica unhappy? Don't you enjoy every night that we're together? You clearly have me in your heart, but why do you keep denying it? Nancy, what happened to your boldness and carefree spirit? Who do you want to im
Nancy had just stopped at Athenapolis to pick up some things she had left with Benson's friends when they had stayed there.She had also wanted to congratulate Rowena and Randall on their marriage and to apologize for not being able to attend their wedding.However, the next day, she could not get up at all.Fearing another intense night like the one before, she decided to book a flight to Rhea City that afternoon.The moment she sat on the plane, Nancy almost collapsed in her seat. Her lower back was aching.When she shut her eyes, her head was inexplicably flooded with certain images.It was like she was under a spell!"Ms., the flight is about to take off. Please switch off your phones," the flight attendant told Nancy.Nancy remembered that she had already turned off her phone.However, she turned around to see Celica looking at her phone unhappily."Sorry."Nancy switched off Celica's phone, but she did not seem happy about it. "Mommy… will Uncle Yaacob call me?""Even
After half a year, Nancy finally returned from America with Celica.Celica held Nancy's hand in one hand and a cat plushie that was almost half her size in another.As soon as they walked out of the VIP channel, Celica's sharp eyes immediately spotted the man who had come to pick them up. She abandoned her plushie as she rushed to him, hands outstretched and waiting to be carried."Uncle Yaacob! Uncle Yaacob!""Celica, don't run so fast!"Nancy could not stop her and could only follow behind, picking up the plushie along with some candy that had dropped from her pocket as she ran.Yaacob hurried forward and immediately scooped Celica up. He smelled the sweet scent of candy."Uncle Yaacob…"Celica hugged Yaacob, nuzzling her head against his. The fine and soft hair that was unique to a child warmed Yaacob's heart.It had been two years, but she had not forgotten him!It seemed like her memory was better than expected. She had probably gotten it from him.Of course, it was als
Randall and Rowena went to the same motel they had the last time.The boss remembered them as the ones who had broken his window, but he did not give them a hard time, warmly welcoming them instead.After all, the money that Randall had given him for it had been enough to replace the windows of the whole building. This time, Randall flexed his financial might again. He pulled out a wad of cash from his wallet and put it on the counter. "Boss, we want an entire floor.""Sir, do you want one room or two?""The whole floor!"Hearing what Randall said, Rowena looked at him in amazement. "Why so many rooms?""Have you forgotten how bad the soundproofing is here?" Randall replied.Rowena was speechless.The hotel owner was a veteran of this. He immediately put the money into the counter drawer and said, "Okay, I'll give you a key to a room on the third floor. I'll go knock on every door to clear the floor out right now. I assure you that you'll have an enjoyable night!"Rowena fel
"How absurd!"Randall's words were not meant to demean her. He just felt that it was too dangerous for the child to be there.Rowena, however, felt like she was being blamed for no reason."Why are you in a restaurant with this girl in the middle of the night?" Rowena asked Randall.Randall did not answer. He walked forward to help secure Dorothy before he took the dangerous weapon off her hands."Rowena, you should bring Sandy back for now."Rowena did not move."It's too dangerous for the both of you to be here. Listen to me!" Randall told her.Rowena did not respond. Instead, it was Dorothy who spoke: "Mr. Smith, why do you think she can just come and go as she pleases? I already told my subordinates that not even a fly is allowed out."Even though Rowena had been captured, she knew that they would not be able to walk free if anything happened to her so the man would not touch her so easily."Mrs. Browning, you just wanted to talk with me."Dorothy really liked talking to
Dorothy and Randall found themselves in a standoff. Suddenly, a hushed report from her subordinate reached Dorothy's ears. "Someone's outside, claiming to have information on Mr. Randall.""Who? Could it be that Yaacob has returned earlier than expected?" Dorothy, determined to prevail over Randall that night, insisted, "Don't let him in; I can't believe he would just barge in!""It's not Mr. Randall. It's a woman, accompanied by a child." The subordinate hesitated before providing more details.Rowena, who had given birth just four months ago, had swiftly regained her pre-pregnancy figure. She wore a navy blue striped shirt knotted at the waist, paired with snug jeans, showing no signs of her previous pregnancy. From behind, she looked slender and youthful, resembling a young girl. Yet, in front, she cradled a baby.The infant, only three or four months old, sported a hat with a few wisps of hair peeking out and a pacifier. The child's intelligent eyes darted around, exploring the
Four months later, the impending presidential election heightened the tension in Athenapolis. Harrison, eyeing reelection, aspired to forge an alliance with the Browning family and assimilate the Getson Group.Simultaneously, at this critical juncture, Yaacob had already partnered with Tom. He opted to collaborate with Yaacob after his unsuccessful bid to become part of the Browning family. Both were cunning strategists with centuries of experience, making their alliance arguably the most formidable.Tom, with backing from overseas financial giants, had a complex and mysterious identity. However, his requirements from Yaacob were surprisingly straightforward. He sought to use Yaacob to advance his political standing.On the flip side, Yaacob needed Tom's support to solidify his position within the Getson family, ensuring it remained stable. The previous presidential transition in Athenapolis had resulted in bloodshed and political turmoil, claiming Xander's life.This time, Randall
Lola pondered her predicament, finding her situation undesirable. She was infertile and struggling to establish stability despite numerous relationships. Her benefactor stood idly by as the original wife attacked her, too hesitant to intervene. After that day, Athenapolis no longer offered a solid ground for Lola.Dorothy sternly cautioned Lola, vowing to teach her a lesson whenever they crossed paths. Leaving Mr. Randall did not lead to greener pastures for Lola. She remained destitute. Rowena, the source of her misfortune, was to blame.Life with Randall had been tolerable. He never mistreated her, though love was absent. However, everything changed when Rowena reappeared. Witnessing Rowena's pregnancy with Randall intensified Lola's resentment, fueling an intense hatred. She harbored a fervent wish for Rowena and the unborn child to die!Lola understood that only Rowena's demise could rekindle hope for her. Unfortunately, Lola was uncertain about the vast power imbalance be
Having finally brought Rowena home, Randall became an aspiring intern dad. Opting against hiring a nanny, he naturally assumed the responsibility of caring for his pregnant wife.He would juggle the demands of running the company and handling household matters. Randall appeared fatigued, yet those with keen observation could discern a tired but content expression on his face. Lately, a newfound joy, previously unseen, frequently illuminated his features—the anticipation of becoming a father.During a visit to the hospital, a woman seated beside Rowena observed her pregnant belly and initiated a conversation, "Your belly is quite prominent. When are you due?""In about a month," Rowena replied."That's wonderful! Congratulations! I saw you during one of my check-ups. Is the man accompanying you each time your husband?" Others looked on with envy, expressing, "My husband isn't as involved. No matter how many times I ask, he never joins me for the appointment."Rowena remained silent