Yaacob fell to the ground because Randall had used most of his strength in that punch.Tasting metal, Yaacob was just about to wipe his mouth when Randall pulled him up by the collar."Where is Rowena?" he pressed.Yaacob remained silent.Randall was absolutely furious. He gave Yaacob one last chance: "I'm asking you, where is she?""I can't tell you."Randall punched him again.Bang!The bottles of alcohol on the bar shattered.Yaacob still remained silent. He could have explained himself.After all, he was even good at talking to women, who were the hardest people to convince in the world.However, Yaacob remained silent. He wanted to anger Randall to punish himself.Nancy was right in saying that they should save Rowena. It was the right thing to do.However, Yaacob and Randall were sworn brothers. He would not use logic to convince himself of the validity of his actions and would allow Randall to teach him a lesson."Did you purposely call me over last night? Did Row
Not long after Randall left the country, Lola left university.Nancy heard that she left of her own free will because she did not want to study anymore.She heard nothing else about Lola.The moment Randall left, Yaacob practically lost his right arm.The competition between him and Julian was growing incredibly intense. Even Nancy was getting worried.Thankfully, after securing a few important projects, Yaacob was slowly gaining the advantage.Yaacob's position in the company was now higher than Julian's.Nancy could feel their relatives' attitudes toward her changing. However, Lady Getson was always watching her with a worried expression.For instance, after Nancy had had breakfast that day, she turned to see Lady Getson staring at her, causing her to feel a bit nervous.However, Nancy still walked forward and asked, "Grandma, did you need something?"Lady Getson looked at her bag and asked, "Are you going to class?""Yes, I am!""All right, go on."Hearing that, Nancy w
In the middle of the banquet, Nancy finally found a chance to sit down and rest.Even though her shoes were beautiful, they made her quite sore.Just as she sat to rest, some idiot decided to walk over with a wine glass in hand.Nancy clenched her teeth inconspicuously as she stood again, but she looked up to see that the idiot was Spencer."Nancy, it's been a long time."In truth, Spencer was no idiot. Nancy had just constantly had people around her, so this was his only chance to talk to her in private."That's true. It has been a long time," Nancy said."Sit. Your shoes don't seem to be that comfortable. Standing in heels must be quite exhausting. You should rest while you can."He had even noticed that her shoes were not comfortable. It seemed like Spencer had been paying Nancy a lot of attention.Nancy smiled at him, thanking him for his understanding, but she did not sit.Nancy was Mrs. Getson at the moment. If she was not polite, then it would look bad on the Getson fa
"Congratulations! You're pregnant, Ms. Yale."The doctor passed the test report to Anna, and she stared at it in disbelief."Am I really pregnant?""Yes!""How long have I been pregnant?""It's the seventh week."Anna held the report but did not leave the hospital right away.She went to the inpatient department. It was on the eighth floor of another building.When she exited the elevator, she saw a familiar nurse. She hurriedly asked, "How has my father been?"The nurse stopped and smiled. "He's doing well. He just had lunch."Anna was not relieved.Her father had been in the hospital for over a month. When was he going to get better?Anna visited him at the hospital every day, and she could see that he was getting worse. However, the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with him, which was very frustrating.After Wesley had fainted at work and been sent to the hospital, he had lied to Anna and said that it was just the flu.Two days after he had left the hospital
When they got home, Xander walked upstairs toward his room. Anna followed him.The man suddenly stopped and turned around to say to her, "Why don't you go talk to the housekeeper about your pregnancy? Have her pay more attention to your nutrition and food intake."It was Anna's first time being pregnant, and she did not know what she needed to focus on. What Xander said reminded her that she would have to change up her diet.Was the man concerned about her?"Oh."She nodded and went to let the housekeeper know.The moment she turned around, the man behind her said, "I hope the child won't be as stupid as you."Anna lowered her head and bit her lower lip.It seemed like she had overthought things. She really was dumb.How could Xander ever care about her?He did not look happy about the pregnancy at all. It was like he saw it as a job.Once he had completed his job, Xander began staying out the whole night and not coming home again.While Anna was daydreaming in her room, sh
Anna sighed as she said, "You've already made up your mind about this anyway, so I won't bother defending myself. I wanted to talk to you about something else today. It's about you and Leanne."Xander denied nothing and merely raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did that assistant tell you?""You don't have to know who told me, and I won't ask if you really have something going on with a single mother either. I just want to ask that you please not have any unclear relationships with women for the moment. At least until my father leaves, don't—"Anna suddenly got choked up."I don't think my father has much longer. I don't want him to worry about me. Please, just see it as acting in front of him. Could you just act a bit nicer to me when we're with him?"Xander did not answer, so she clenched her teeth and kneeled in front of him. "I'm begging you!""Waht are you doing? Get up!""I won't get up if you don't promise me!""Anna, don't use such lowly methods to threaten me. Do you think
This time, Yaacob would be away on a business trip for at least two weeks. Before he left, he had arranged everything for Nancy. Nancy should be completely fine. Yaacob's current standing in the family was strong enough that no one dared mess with Nancy. Even if there were problems, they would be only small matters that Nancy could solve on her own. Nevertheless, Yaacob disallowed Nancy from driving herself around. When Nancy had to attend classes, a dedicated driver would send her. The driver was not just responsible for driving; he was also Nancy's bodyguard.Nancy had been secretly observing the driver whenever he picked her up. The driver had a muscular body similar to a fitness trainer. It did make her feel very safe under his protection.Then again, she wondered why she needed someone to protect her. She thought about and listed down all of her enemies.Lucy was being taken out of jail due to her family claiming her to be a mental patient. She would be placed in an asylum wi
Teresa noticed something was wrong with Spencer. After their argument, Spencer did not return home.Teresa had thought about it and realized she had to depend on Spencer for the rest of her life because she had given up her acting career. Although Spencer did not own a media company anymore, his family had been in business for many years and had built up enough wealth to last ages.She tried calling Spencer. He did not pick up, so she called him again. However, Spencer had switched off his phone.The next day, Teresa tried to apologize, but he did not pay her any attention. He was obviously ignoring her at lunch. When the clock struck eight p.m., he left the house without bothering to tell her where he was going.He had still not returned by midnight. Teresa was lying on the bed by herself and could not sleep. Experience told her her husband was having an affair.A week later, Teresa showed up at the Getson Estate demanding to see Nancy. She was shouting and throwing a fit. The se
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