Xander raised his eyebrows in confusion when he heard Anna actually turned down a movie with him."Why not?""I… I've made plans with Nancy for a facial together this evening." Anna lowered her head guiltily as she silently apologized to Nancy in her head, 'Sorry, Nancy. I don't have any other friends, so I can only use you as a cover.'"Can't you move your facial to another day?" Xander asked."No, I promised her a long time ago. She even confirmed it with me again when I met her in the mall just now. Plus, it'll be rude to cancel on her at the last minute.""Then why didn't you tell me when I was booking the movie tickets?""I… I forgot."Xander was speechless.Anna felt really bad when she saw how angry he was. She prayed really hard that he would not ignore her in the future for turning him down just when he finally asked her out.Anna was about to say something nice to make him feel better, but Xander had already turned around and left angrily. Before he left, he put do
That night, Anna did not go to Xander's room.He waited for her for over an hour after taking a shower, but she did not show up.Finally, he could not wait anymore. He went up to Anna's room and knocked on the door. "Anna? Anna!"No sound came from inside Anna's bedroom. He did not call her anymore for fear of attracting Wesley and the servants' attention. Instead, he turned the door handle and went in. Once inside, he saw Anna was already fast asleep on the bed."Wake up, Anna!"Xander turned on the bedside lamp and lifted her blanket unhappily.Anna woke up in fright, rubbed her eyes, and looked at the man beside the bed. It took her a moment to realize that she was not dreaming."Xander, what are you doing here?" she asked sleepily."Didn't I ask you to come to my room?""Huh?"Suppressing his anger, Xander leaned down and put both of his arms on Anna's bed. "You dare to defy my order?""No…""Then why didn't you come?""I… I…"That was as much as Anna could get out.
Anna would be painfully disappointed if she came with the hope of their relationship getting better after having sex. The whole process hurt so badly that she almost fainted.'Is it because I had the surgery?' she wondered.She vaguely remembered it did not hurt so badly when she did it the first time with the mysterious man in the hotel.After he finished, Xander sat up, and his eyes deepened when he saw the bright red blood stains on the sheets."Is this your first time?" he asked.Anna did not answer him. She remained curled up in pain on the bed. It hurt so much that she could not even turn over.After finishing his glass of red wine, Xander laid on top of her and entered her without giving her any time to ease herself into it.She started sobbing quietly with the blanket covering her face.Annoyed to see her acting like that, Xander turned around and went to the bathroom to clean himself up first.When he came out of the shower, Anna was still in the same position, crying
Nancy was about to get out of the car to return Ain's phone, but she hesitated. The more she thought about it, the weirder she found the whole thing.'Judging from the clothes and hairstyle I was wearing, these photos were taken very recently. So could it be that Ain has been secretly following me? Why would she do that?' thought Nancy as she walked into the hospital.Suddenly, she changed her mind when she got to Ain's ward. She wanted to discuss it with Yaacob first before giving her back her phone.However, just as Nancy was about to leave, she noticed a crack in the door and some kind of muffled sound coming from inside the ward.Out of curiosity, Nancy leaned in and, through the cracks, saw something that shocked her! Her eyes widened, and she instinctively covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming. She saw Wilfred was on top of Ain. Even though Nancy had Wilfred arrested, he was able to get out on bail due to his status.'Didn't Ain say she was being bothered by Wilfr
In the end, Yaacob chose to side with Nancy."I also think it would be better to find out."Ain's eyes widened slightly, and she looked hurt.She typed something on her phone and showed it to Yaacob.[Yaacob, I don't want to do the test. You know a lot of bad things have happened to me, and the test would just bring up those memories. I want to forget them. Please don't do this to me.]Ain finally understood that he was Nancy's husband, so he would believe her unconditionally. A self-deprecating yet desperate smile appeared on her lips when her eyes fell on Nancy.Nancy met her eyes and finally felt a hint of hostility emanating from them. Ain had been pretending to be the 'tortured victim' and 'nice girl' ever since she reunited with Yaacob. However, Nancy had never let down her guard against her from the beginning until then.Yaacob, the gentleman, had never said anything bad about his ex-girlfriend. Even so, Nancy could tell Ain was a scheming, manipulative woman by the littl
Nancy walked out of the hospital with Yaacob chasing after her."Nancy!" he called out behind her. She heard it, but she did not look back or stop.Yaacob had no choice but to speed up and scoop her up into his arms."Ah!" Nancy was startled, but then she glared at Yaacob angrily.Yaacob looked back at her very tenderly. "You must be tired. So just rest and I'll carry you home."At that moment, Nancy felt like she was stabbed in the heart by a flaming arrow, making her feel warm but also a little sad.Nancy's voice softened as her frustration gradually disappeared. "Yaacob…""Now, now. Be a good girl and rest your head. We'll talk about this when you wake up."Yaacob's voice was soothing. Nancy actually fell asleep on his chest, combined with the rocking motion of his strong arms.When she woke up, she was already back at the Getsons' mansion. She opened her eyes and felt her head was not as fuzzy as before. She looked at the time and saw that it was exactly twelve o'clock mid
"I've met Ain before, but at that time I didn't know she was your husband's ex-girlfriend," answered Lola.Nancy could not think of a time when Lola and Ain would cross paths."Where did you two meet?" she asked."I can't tell you that for the time being." Lola was very cautious and knew how to use the information she had at her disposal to get what she wanted. "How about this? You only need to tell me Mr. Smith's address, and I'll tell you a secret that'll solve all your problems. It's a win-win solution.""It does sound like a win-win solution," said Nancy with a nod.Lola immediately looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to reveal Randall's address.However, Nancy suddenly said, "But I still don't want to tell you.""Why not? It's just an address. It's not like you'll be doing something criminal. Plus, it's not like you're close to his wife. So are you really going to give up the chance to protect your own relationship for someone you're not even close to?""No, it's ju
Yaacob sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to reason with Nancy, "Nancy, didn't I tell you to stay out of this? Why didn't you discuss with me first about going to the hospital for the interview?""You didn't discuss with me before you went to the hospital to rescue Ain from the reporters either? My professor played that video clip in our class! My husband was in the hospital protecting his ex-girlfriend, who had recently been rumored to be with him. Do you know what others thought of me at that moment?""I admit it's my fault for not thinking it through."After that, the two of them fell silent.Nancy and Yaacob rarely had such quiet moments together because they could not keep their hands to themselves. Even if Yaacob were busy with work, they would still have some fun, so it was quite rare for there to be such serious tension in the room.Nancy suddenly panicked when she realized that Yaacob had nothing to say to her. Before Yaacob could turn around and leave, she grabbed
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