In the end, Yaacob finally agreed to her request. In fact, Randall had tried to convince him to find out a way to lure out the murderer. After all, it was the best way to solve all of their problems in one fell swoop.It was just that Yaacob did not want to put Nancy's life in danger, but since he had agreed, he thought he would just have to come up with ways to make sure she would be safe in the process.That night, Nancy posted a photo of her and Yaacob sharing a pastry together on her Facebook. Later, someone took a screenshot and reposted it on Twitter, and it quickly became a trending topic and even ranked first.It was obvious that Nancy was still really popular, even though she had retired from the entertainment industry for more than a year. Some people expressed envy; others were jealous. Some even scolded them for their show of affection. They called Nancy shameless. How could she pretend nothing happened when Yaacob was still a suspect, and Emily's killer was still at lar
"Of course I'm doing this out of my own free will. It actually took me a long time to convince Mr. Getson to use me as bait," replied Nancy."Aren't you scared? I mean, you did read on the news how Emily was gruesomely murdered, right?""I am scared, but I'm more scared that he'll never clear his name. So I only need to tell myself that I'm helping him to feel less afraid."Nancy said the second half of the sentence with a smile, like an innocent young girl in love. In fact, she was still young, 21 years old. She had enough energy and time to love someone. Every time she fell in love, she did so in a way that made the story of Romeo and Juliet look like it was nothing!Rowena looked at her and thought of her first love. She and her first love were childhood sweethearts. They had been together since high school and went to the same university. The two of them got along so well that they never had a fight. Initially, they agreed to get married after graduation, but then, she met Rand
The figure on the window was quick and had already disappeared by the time Yaacob turned his head around.Yaacob put Nancy down, causing him precious seconds, before running over to the window, but he was already too late. There was no one there.Immediately afterward, those outside who heard the noise also rushed into the room. Randall and Yaacob met at the window, and they exchanged a tacit upward glance."You guys go take a look up the roof," Randall ordered the men who had just come in. Both he and Yaacob had to stay where they were for the time being since there must be someone beside Nancy at all times. That way, the intruder would not have a chance to hurt her.Yaacob noticed Nancy staring at the window blankly and quickly went over to hold her hand. "Nancy, I'm here. Everything's going to be okay."Nancy felt the touch of his hand and came back to her senses. She patted her chest and said, "Mr. Getson, the person seemed to be hanging from above.""I know. We've already se
"All I'm saying is, it never hurts to keep a close eye on your man," Rowena said.Rowena said just enough to remind Nancy. She would have to find out the rest on her own."Really? What was that about? It felt as if you dislike Lucy just as much as I do," asked Nancy."I don't like the rest either. Xander is a scum, Yaacob is too cunning, Lucy is too calculative and pretentious, and Karter is just dumb!"Rowena was on a roll. She dissed all of Randall's friends and ignored the fact that Nancy was Yaacob's wife and how she would feel hearing all this.Fortunately, Nancy was not a petty person and did not take it to heart. Besides, she thought Rowena's take on all of them was spot on.Indeed, Yaacob was cunning and smart, and there was nothing wrong with that. A man ought to be capable and responsible enough to be able to protect his family, pursue profitable ventures and yet be compassionate enough to give back to society. To Nancy, he was as good as it could be."I've known Lucy
The next day, Nancy intentionally wore a black formal suit. TV crews came to cover the exhibition, and Nancy was designated to speak on behalf of Yaacob. Therefore, she dressed up very formally for the occasion.After checking every detail in front of a mirror, Nancy was satisfied with what she saw. Then she twirled around in front of Yaacob and asked, "Well, what do you think?"Yaacob carefully glanced at her from head to toe, nodded and said, "You are gorgeous! Come over and let me have a closer look." He crooked his finger at her.Nancy saw his eyes flickering with mischief and knew what he was up to and was not prepared to go along with him."No way, I can't have you mess up my makeup. You know I'm here on business today, I can't afford to fool around with you."Nancy then turned around to fetch the pair of heels she ordered online from the shoe cabinet.Yaacob stared at her intently and fixed his gaze on her calf, then asked, "How's your wound?""It's much better."The w
Everyone was shocked to learn that Nancy had gone missing.Did this imply there was more than one killer? The security details arranged by Yaacob to protect Nancy were drugged and unconscious. How was Nancy abducted without anyone noticing?Yaacob searched the entire building, a total of 68 floors, to no avail. Not only did he not find Nancy, he could not find a single clue on who was the perpetrator.That was impossible! The perverted murderer had to bore a hole in the ceiling to commit his crime and inevitably left traces in his escape route. So how did the people who took Nancy, whoever they were, manage to distinguish the security details from the crowds?It was as if they knew the plans and arrangements ahead of time!Yaacob tortured and lynched the killer, hoping to learn where Nancy was taken. However, the killer refused to say anything.Two hours later, Yaacob received an anonymous email. The sender warned Yaacob to stay put and not to take any action, or else he would ge
Nancy did not expect Julian to agree without any hesitation."Are you serious?""Were you not serious?"Julian was staring at Nancy. It was obvious that if Nancy were to say she was joking around, it would anger him.Nancy was handed the short end of the stick by Julian once, and she knew that if she upset Julian again, no one would be around to rescue her if Julian tried to kill her again. Thus, for her own sake, she decided to change the subject."You and Lucy were only married for half a year, it's not easy to get a divorce right? How would you explain it to her parents? Besides, she had an abortion for your sake…"Julian cut her off. "Ah, that's not something you have to worry about. As long as you're single, we can be married as soon as I finalize the divorce.""Wait, I really have to ask, why do you want to marry me out of the blue?" Nancy was bewildered.Nancy knew that she was attractive and beautiful, but she had two failed marriages, and her reputation was not good. I
Another day passed, with Nancy still being locked up and Julian nowhere to be seen. Julian had stopped all gas and water supply, leaving her with no means to make good on her suicidal threat.Other than racking her brain to figure out a way to escape, the only other thing Nancy could do was to watch TV.She was not in the mood to watch drama or movies; she chose to watch economic and financial news, hoping to find out what was going on out there.However, what she was getting on the TV was not as updated or comprehensive as what would be available online. All the channels were more or less broadcasting the news at the same time slot.As she did not know when news relating to the Getson Corporation would be on, she could only channel surf, hoping to catch every scratch of details available.Finally, she found a news snippet concerning Yaacob."In recent days, Getson Corporation, the largest enterprise in Asia, held a board meeting to discuss the corporation's development and ind
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