The overly expensive car stuck out like a sore thumb in Nancy's rundown neighborhood, but Yaacob did not seem at all interested in explaining further to her. "I just felt like driving it today!" As he said that, he tapped his cigarette and gave Nancy a once-over through the car window. His stare was so penetrating that she felt as though she was standing bare-naked in front of him. She lowered her head, clearly uncomfortable, and started tugging at her dress. "How do I look?" "Like you've put in some effort." Yaacob nodded in rigid approval. The truth was, any woman longed to hear praises of "you look very beautiful" from their male partner when asked how they looked. Therefore, Nancy could not help but feel a little annoyed at Yaacob's stiff response, as though he was reluctant to admit she looked nice. However, before she could say anything, he got out of the car, put out his cigarette, and circled over to the passenger side to open her door. At least he was still a gentl
Of course, Nancy was not like any other woman. She had never been tempted by any man's good looks before. Aside from giving some second glances, she could say confidently that a man's handsome appearance did nothing for her. However, she could not help but feel that the man was looking at her in a rather hostile manner. For some reason, she noticed that the man had narrowed his eyes slightly when his gaze landed on her face. In a way, she felt that she was being looked down upon, so she turned away to gaze at the woman instead. The woman was so breathtakingly gorgeous that Nancy was beginning to wonder if Yaacob picked his friends based on looks. From her experience, she knew that he was an incredibly superficial man. "Nice to meet you!" the woman extended her hand towards Nancy and introduced herself. "I'm Lucy Lane." "Pleasure to meet you too. My name's Nancy Lawson!" Nancy reached out to shake her hand, but to her surprise, the moment her fingers brushed against Lucy'
Yaacob placed a piece of Wagyu beef onto Nancy's plate, chuckling. "You can't give me an answer like that. That's clearly a trap." Lucy's lashes quivered when she caught sight of the smile on Yaacob's face. She was even more surprised when she heard Yaacob add, "We're all family here, so don't hold back. Just order anything you want. Go all out." "Well, in that case, I want a bottle of '92 red wine," Nancy requested. "Sure thing!" Yaacob immediately summoned the waiter and gave Nancy's order. Not only that but when the waiter wheeled the wine in, he stood up and helped her pour it. "Just a little bit for the taste. You shouldn't drink too much," he said, pouring her a small glass. The look in his eyes was so tender, it was as though he had already gotten into the character of a caring, loving husband. Unbeknownst to him, Lucy's scowl was growing more intense by the minute. "Yaacob, can you pour me a glass too?" she asked. "No, you drove yourself here, so you shouldn't d
Nancy's hand stiffened at the mention of Spencer's name. Lucy, realizing that, immediately tried to salvage the situation. "Xander, Yaacob has brought his fiancee to meet us today, so let's not talk about the past, shall we? Besides, we all heard of what happened after that, and she's divorced now anyway!" Lucy's comment seemed to have made it worse. Yaacob, previously oblivious to the disdain in Lucy and Xander's comments, could not ignore this any longer. He glanced at Lucy out of the corner of his way and warned, "Shut up and just eat your food, will you?" "Yaacob!" Xander exclaimed. "Lucy's right. You only returned to Athenapolis a month ago, so you had no idea what happened here before that. You never saw just how desperate Nancy was to marry Spencer. It was the talk of the town! I know you're eager to get married, but even then, you still shouldn't play with someone else's old toy!" Nancy finally could not hold it in any longer. She bit her lip, trying to stifle her fur
Lucy shuddered at this and quickly released him. Despite Yaacob's anger, she still felt a little upset at being treated like this. "I'm just looking out for you. Am I wrong for doing this? Xander and I already investigated Nancy before. Her background is really complicated, and she sleeps around with everyone under the sun. I have a friend who works in the media who told me that her promiscuity is the real reason behind her divorce from Spencer. A month ago, she was caught red-handed checking into a hotel with a man who's not Spencer." Lucy was talking about Yaacob's encounter with Nancy, but she did not know that. Yaacob did not intend to explain anything to Lucy. Instead, he rubbed his temples in exasperation. "It's one thing for her to get divorced, but another matter entirely because she's now fallen out with the Shaws. This means you'll be put in a very awkward situation when you inevitably run into Spencer in the future, Yaacob! We all know the real reason you decided to co
Yaacob never tried to contact Nancy again after that day. It seemed that he meant it. The truth was, after giving it some thought, Nancy regretted her decision to walk away that night. When she received her court order in the mail, she could not help wondering if everything would be different if she had not stormed out of the room that day. However, every time she recalled Xander and Lucy's condescending faces, she would change her mind. Even if she had gotten married to Yaacob after all, it would surely be a miserable one, having to live in the shadows of his snotty friends. She would rather rot in jail than have to impress his haughty friends! Besides, after that incident, she could not help thinking that Yaacob was far more powerful than she initially thought. Nancy had seen Lucy around town before. She was the heiress to one of the country's richest fortunes, and the Lanes were close to the Shaws. On the other hand, she could not quite put her finger on who Xander was.
"What? You're getting married again? Who is it this time?" Yvonne was utterly stunned by this. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore, because the engagement fell through!" Yvonne was more than relieved to hear that. "Honestly, I'm glad it fell through. You've always been hopeless at choosing men, so I think it's best you stay single for a while first." "Yes, thank you, Ma'am. I promise I'll let you weigh in the next time I try to settle down." "It doesn't change anything because you refuse to listen to what I say. When I tried to warn you about Spencer, you didn't listen to me. You were drowning in blind affection, and you even threatened to cut me off because of that!" "Alright, I get it. I admit I was stupid. Let's not talk about this anymore. I feel like I'm being shredded into pieces every time!" Nancy and Yvonne were both upfront and honest people. Although they went six months without talking, they were never the kind to hold grudges, and it was only a matter of time befor
Just as Nancy predicted, Teresa glanced at her rundown surroundings, disguising her contempt as concern for her sister. Finally, she asked, "Nancy, why don't you come home with us?" "Home? Which home?" "Our house, of course! The Lawsons!" Nancy smirked and took a step back. "It's been years since I left that place, and I no longer want anything to do with those people." "Come on, we grew up together, and there's no such thing as grudges among family," Teresa said, trying to convince her. "I know you're still mad at me and refuse to take the alimony from Spencer, but it's time to put this behind us now. Mom and Dad are worried about you, so come back, please?" "Alimony? What alimony? Who said I refused to take it?" Nancy echoed in a shrill voice, trying to put Teresa in her place. The color drained from Teresa's face. She never once imagined Nancy would bring up the topic of money all of a sudden. Teresa knew Nancy like the back of her hand. She knew just how stubborn Nanc
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