Nancy continued to struggle hard to get out of the water. Then she saw that a man was squatting near where she fell. In order to free herself from the man, she tried to hurt the man's hand by scratching him with her fingernails. Albeit, it was useless.Luckily, Nancy was a good swimmer. She dived deeper so the man could not reach her and swam to the center of the lake. When she was around four to five yards away, she looked back and realized it was a stranger who pushed her into the lake.The man realized his plan failed, and Nancy had discovered him, so he ran away quickly.Nancy tried to swim to the lake's edge to chase him, but suddenly, she felt like something had caught her feet. She tried hard to get loose from it, but it was pulling her down. After a few attempts, she had spent most of her energy but was still being pulled down.Therefore, she dived into the water to untangle the waterweed pulling her. While in the water, she heard another splash. The first thought that came
Lucy fell into a trance. She hugged herself tightly, but she forgot that she was carrying Buzz in her arms. Buzz felt uncomfortable and barked while struggling to jump off.She snapped back and realized Julian was staring at her, which shocked her. Then Julian started to walk toward her. Her face turned pale because she felt guilty as she knew exactly what Julian was going to ask her.'Wilfred is the one who pushed Nancy! It has nothing to do with me!' she assured herself. All she did was lie to Wilfred that Nancy was the one who was behind Ain's attempted drowning. It had nothing to do with her. Yes, she did not play any part in it at all!The conversation Nancy had with Lucy was not useless. At least, it proved that Wilfred did push her because of Ain. Because of that, she figured out where she could find Wilfred.She called Yaacob and asked him which hospital he sent Ain to. At first, Yaacob told her she did not need to go, but Nancy insisted on visiting Ain. It did not make sen
Ain approached them and showed Yaacob the message she typed in advance. It was a message to tell Yaacob how grateful she was to him for saving her."You're welcome. Rest well in the hospital. Try to stay at the hospital since you have difficulty walking," Yaacob said out of courtesy and not because he truly cared for her.Ain could tell he was trying to keep a distance from her, so she typed out a message.[I'm sorry for troubling you. I'll stay in the hospital from now on.]Nancy just stood quietly without interrupting, but she did not believe that was what Ain would do. How could she make Yaacob think of her if she stayed in the hospital and avoided trouble?Until then, Ain's plan was going smoothly. Nancy could not do anything to her because there was nothing out of the ordinary. No one would think she was the bad person if she kept on being the victim, and Yaacob could not just stand by the side and do nothing about it.That was the most brilliant part about her plan and the
"Hey, Yaacob, can you tell me about your past relationship?" Nancy leaned against Yaacob's shoulder. Suddenly, she had the desire to know about the old him."There's nothing to tell." Yaacob patted her back and tried to put her to sleep."But I want to know," Nancy insisted."Can you promise not to get angry after listening?" Yaacob asked."Yes, I can," Nancy answered."I don't believe that," Yaacob said.The next day, Nancy went to the police station to report on Wilfred. She refused to let Wilfred off the hook for the suffering she had gone through, but Wilfred claimed that he only did it because she made other people bully Ain. Now everyone, including Ain and her classmates, was involved in it too.Nancy was required to cooperate with the investigation. When she arrived, Ain and Wilfred were already there.As soon as Ain saw her, she stood up excitedly, limping toward Nancy, and handed her phone to Nancy to read the message she typed earlier.[Nancy, I'm sorry for causing t
After reading the text message, Anna got a chill. She looked around her. How did that man know she had already reached the hotel? Was he keeping her under surveillance?That was such a horrifying thought!She desperately wanted to go home. Since she could not get Nancy on the phone, she did not know who else to turn to. After hesitating for two minutes, she could not keep from wanting to run in the opposite direction of the hotel. However, as soon as she stepped away, her phone rang again."Hello, Nancy?" Anna answered without looking at the caller ID."No," answered a man. Anna did not recognize his voice.Anna's heart was beating faster, and she held her breath subconsciously. She took a look and realized it was a call from a stranger. Nervously, she was about to reject the call.However, the man on the other side of the line seemed to know what she was thinking and shouted, "If you dare hang up now, I'll make sure everyone close to you knows about that little secret of yours."
The man did not give Anna any time to react as he climbed onto her and pinned her down.Anna started to struggle and said, "Let me go!"The man was not one to show sympathy or compassion. He continued to press both of Anna's hands over her head and tied them with his shirt."Let me go! What are you doing?"Since Anna could not free her hands, she started to twist her body restlessly."You do know whatever you're doing now is not going to help. Stop it and you may suffer less."Sure enough, Anna stopped when she heard that.Like it or not, she knew she was not getting away from what was about to come tonight. There really was not much point in putting up a fight.She could already feel the man quickly removing all her clothes, and she closed her eyes as she gave up all her hopes."Get… get it done and over with!" said Anna."What? You can't wait, huh?" the man mocked her."I just want it over with, then I get to have those photos and go home!""Guess you're too inexperienced
Nancy returned Anna's call. The man answered the call and put it on speaker before placing the phone beside Anna."Hi, it's me, Nancy. You called?" Nancy asked.When Anna heard Nancy's voice, it was as if she heard the voice of someone dearest to her. If she were not tied up and she was being blindfolded, she would have jumped up, reaching for the phone."Nancy… " Anna sobbed incessantly."What's wrong? Is someone threatening you?" Nancy was spot on.Anna nodded and wanted to say yes, but the man suddenly grabbed her waist and pinched her to give her a warning."Ye…" Anna took in a deep breath before saying, "No!" "Then why did you call?" Nancy asked."Nothing really.""Really?" "Yes, I was bored shopping alone so that's why I called you. However, I ran into another friend so we went out together instead," Anna lied."Oh, I see. When you called, I was drinking at the bar, maybe had a few too much. It's good that you're okay and nothing urgent happened."'Something terribl
"Dad, what are you talking about? Why would you not be around? The average life expectancy has gone up with medical advancements. My grandpa was eighty-plus before he passed away, right? You are only sixty now, you still have plenty of time ahead!"Anna was timid by nature, and she felt Wesley was talking funny today."Besides, Xander won't bully me," Anna continued.Wesley exhaled deeply as he looked into Anna's innocent eyes. Then he patted her shoulders after a while and said, "Why don't you go outside and get Xander for me?" Anna got up when she heard this, but she did not head out immediately."Dad, what is it that you want to talk to Xander about that can't be said with me around?" "It's matters concerning the company. You won't get it," Wesley replied."Okay." Anna was more at ease after hearing that."Are you afraid that I'm going to give him a hard time?" teased Wesley.Anna stuck out her tongue, embarrassed, and left the ward to look for Xander.Xander was not out
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