Sam and Ashley were busy with their business abroad and only returned to the country three years ago. Therefore, they knew nothing about Nancy's life before she became Susan, like a famous celebrity, and what happened between Nancy and Yaacob. As such, they introduced 'Susan' to Yaacob without any hesitation.Susan? It was obvious that Nancy made a real effort to stay anonymous in Rhea City. The model Yaacob suspected to be Nancy just happened to share the same name.In fact, Yaacob did not manage to find Nancy because she was known as 'Mrs. Young' on the guest list."Mrs. Young?" Yaacob muttered very softly, so soft that his emotion was masked.At this very moment, Yaacob realized why Benson was reacting very oddly, as if he had something to hide and denied having met him before. He was certain Nancy wanted to avoid him and did not want him to know she was there. That was why she was in a hurry to leave before the party was over."The night is still young and we have more activit
"Susan, I'm terribly sorry. We didn't expect it to turn out like this," Ashley took the initiative to apologize to Nancy.After all, the Taggarts were the ones who brought Yaacob along. They felt awful seeing how badly beaten Benson was.Nancy was putting ointment on the cuts and gashes on Benson's face. She shook her head and told them, "You're not to be blamed."Since Sam and Ashley did not know the reason behind the incident, they thought she meant Yaacob was at fault."Nancy, don't blame Yaacob. He's actually a decent person. We just don't know what got into him. He was acting very strange today." Ashley could not put her finger on the funny feeling that Yaacob made her feel. "Anyhow, we can't afford to offend a person like him."The Taggarts' business relied greatly on the deals they had with Getson Corporation, and Nancy was well aware of that.Yaacob had risen to a height that no one with a sane mind would want to cross him. Therefore, Nancy was unwilling to provoke him un
After Yaacob ended the call with Nancy, his gaze remained on the little girl in front of him, who was also staring back at him eagerly."Uncle Yaacob, I'm hungry. When is Mommy coming?" Celica asked."It'll take at least twenty minutes for her to get here. I'll order some food for you first."Yaacob picked up the menu, but he glanced at Celica again. She was really tiny, probably only about two or three years old. She looked rather small in the highchair, but her face and body were rather cubby. Her curly hair and big, round eyes made her look like a porcelain doll.In addition to the menu, Yaacob was holding a document he had brought from the kindergarten. The document contained detailed information about Celica, including her birth date and birth time."Are you really only two years old?" Yaacob asked her.Celica was busy picking the candies from the appetizer plate to eat. Upon hearing his question, she immediately held up three chubby little fingers and said, "Yes, and I'll b
It was not hard to imagine how eye-catching a beautiful woman, a handsome man, and a big-eyed, chubby, doll-like child would be when they walked down the street. People passing by could not help but steal glances at them.Yaacob followed the three of them. He saw either Benson or Nancy carrying Celica. However, Nancy usually could not carry her for long, so Benson would considerately take the child from her.Even when he held Celica, Benson would always have a hand free to hold Nancy's. The interactions between them appeared natural, without any forced or staged behavior. It did not seem like they were putting on a show for Yaacob, and that was just how they normally interacted.While Nancy was busy selecting clothes in the mall, Benson would entertain Celica on the side. Occasionally, Nancy would come out in the clothes she had just picked, and both Benson and Celica would simultaneously go ooh-and-ahh."It looks great on you!" They would say.Benson, indeed, seemed to be the per
Even though Nancy scolded Yaacob for being crazy over the phone, she realized she was even crazier when she stood before his hotel room door. For two minutes, she kept trying to convince herself that she should just turn around and walk away.However, she found herself ringing the doorbell after thinking about Celica. The door opened immediately after that. There was no way Yaacob could have opened the door so fast unless he had been waiting for her at the door.Yaacob, dressed in a bathrobe, put his hand on the doorframe, and a strong smell of alcohol instantly hit Nancy. Judging by how strong the smell was, Yaacob was probably drunk out of his mind.He smirked and said, "I knew you would come. Come in."Nancy remained standing outside, so Yaacob simply pulled her in."Let me go!" said Nancy after she was dragged in. She flung off his hand. "Yaacob, you can act crazy all you want, but I came here to tell you that I'm already married, so I won't be playing your games!""Is that s
Nancy stopped stirring the pasta sauce for a moment. She did not know what to say. Thus, she glanced over at the pot of boiling lobster and said, "I really need to take it off the heat now, or else it's definitely going to be overcooked."However, Yaacob suddenly grabbed her shoulder as Nancy reached out. He forced her to look at him and asked again, "Do you hate me?"When their eyes met, Nancy realized that Yaacob's eyes were bloodshot. Maybe it was because of all the wine he had, but his emotions were definitely all over the place.In fact, it seemed like it was the wine talking because if he were sober, he would not have wanted to talk about the past! Nancy did not like talking about what happened three years ago either. However, at that moment, she knew she had to speak up for the poor lobster's sake."Do you want to hear the truth?" Nancy asked him."Of course!""I did hate you at one point. Maybe I wouldn't have if we had an amicable second divorce, but what you did to me t
After Nancy and Benson left, Yaacob suddenly felt empty, especially when he read Celica's paternity test in his hand.'If this is real, then it really proves Celica has nothing to do with me,' thought Yaacob. After all, Nancy would not dare to show it to him if it was fake. He would only have to take it to the hospital for verification to expose her lie.'Or maybe she's bluffing? I did trick her last night, so now she's trying to return the favor? Well, well. She's certainly become more cunning in the three years we've been separated. Even I'm having a hard time seeing through her.'Yaacob had forgotten that he was the one who taught Nancy all the tricks.The paternity test was done abroad, so in order to save time, Yaacob faxed it to Randall.Half an hour later, Randall called him to give him an update."So is it real?" asked Yaacob the moment he picked up the phone."It's already been verified. They did the paternity test in a professional organization, so the chances of it be
When midnight came, Nancy received a call from the hospital telling her that Benson had been sent to the emergency department.She immediately rushed over. The doctors were still trying to save his life when she got to the hospital. Apparently, Benson was experiencing gastrointestinal bleeding due to overconsumption of alcohol.Yaacob was also there at the hospital. He was the one who brought Benson there.Nancy immediately knew what happened when she saw Yaacob. Even though Benson could not hold his alcohol, nothing like this had ever happened in all the three years he had been running the company.Thus, the only logical explanation was that Yaacob deliberately forced Benson to overdrink."Yaacob Getson! Come at me if you have a bone to pick! Don't drag other innocent people in! I'm going to make you pay if anything happens to Benson!" she shouted at him."I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause him any harm," said Yaacob sincerely.He really did not expect Benson to be such a lousy
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