At the noisy nightclub, Lynn, with a full face of heavy makeup, was drinking with a group of classmates."Lynn, you said you're getting married soon. Is it for real this time? Still with the same old Mr. Getson?" asked one of her friends."I wouldn't tell you if I'm not sure about it, now would I? Yaacob wants to get back together with me and we went on a date just yesterday. He told me after he had enough of a certain promiscuous slut and he felt that I'm the best!" blabbered Lynn."Slut… Are you referring to Nancy Lawson? I thought you used to love her songs when we were in high school."“Well, I didn't know her true color back then. Besides, I was too young and naive to know better, so I was deceived by her. She thought she could do the same to everyone with her good looks. Do you think she was pretty, perfect, and could twist just about any man around her finger? That's not the case at all!" Lynn continued as she downed her cocktail.Then, she crooked her finger to beckon her
Nancy might be older than Lynn by a few years, but she was far from being considered as old.Ironically, just moments after the taunting died down, about five guys came over to talk to Nancy and asked for her phone number.Lynn and her entourage had been sitting around for hours, and not a single guy had approached them.It was obvious that the most beautiful person would always be the center of attention in any club."Shit, you bitch! Your husband doesn't care about you, huh? If not, he wouldn't have let you come to the club dressed like a slut." Lynn glanced at Nancy disdainfully.Nancy looked down at her outfit and felt nothing was out of place. It was a rather chilly day, so she wore a long overcoat. She removed her coat only after she had entered the club, revealing a V-neck cashmere dress.Nancy sincerely felt that was nothing out of the ordinary. She was amused by the irony; Lynn wanted to build herself up as being young and trendy while criticizing her from a moral standp
Lynn and her friends started telling Yaacob what a big bully Nancy was to Lynn as soon as he sat down. Of course, they added a little extra spice to the story, conveniently leaving out how Lynn bullied Celica.Yaacob leaned back on the sofa as he listened. The dim neon light shone down the side of his face, making it hard to read his expression.Lynn also leaned back on the sofa. She said as she laid her head on Yaacob's chest. "Mr. Getson, my father has given his word that he will let go of what happened three years ago. I swear I didn't do anything to Nancy. She was the one who started it. You have to help me."Obviously, the flirtatious Lynn wanted attention from Yaacob, but Yaacob was cornered after Lynn mentioned her father.Even Nancy caught the implicit warning in Lynn's words. All Nancy wanted was justice for Celica.Lynn refused to apologize to Celica. Since Nancy had a go with Lynn, she could not be bothered to wait for Yaacob to make his decision. She was ready to go.
Nancy was still uneasy after she got home.She was thinking about what Yvonne had told her the other day about Yaacob's situation. She was worried that something worse might happen to Yaacob if Lynn told her father about him, even though he assured her he would never let anyone tell him what to do.Nancy was so worried that she decided to call Yvonne."Hey Yvonne, what do you think will happen to Yaacob if the Brownings and Harrison Keating work together?" asked Nancy."I'm not really sure. I've only heard bits and pieces of the news and told you everything I know. Nancy, you should just stay with Benson and not get involved in what is going on between Mr. Getson and the President. We are just their pawns and would never be part of their world. If you got involved, you would only get hurt."Nancy sensed from Yvonne's tone that something was wrong. She asked, "Are you all right?"Yvonne broke down as Nancy asked the question. She began to sob. "Nancy, I am the pawn.""What?""Re
Nancy walked out of the bar after Yvonne left.Yaacob was out in his car the whole time. He followed Nancy as she came out and honked at her.Nancy heard it and turned to look at Yaacob.Just then, a taxi stopped in front of Nancy. Benson got out of the car with Celica in his arms. They had come to pick Nancy up.Nancy took Celica in her arms and turned again to look at Yaacob.Yaacob felt that Nancy wanted to talk to him. He became so nervous that his heart practically skipped a bit. However, before Nancy could take another step, her phone rang.She returned Celica to Benson and took her phone out of her bag.Yaacob had no idea who was on the other end or what was said, but he could see that Nancy was getting anxious, and her eyebrows furrowed as she listened intently.Nancy moved into a corner for the rest of the call. Even Benson was curious. Benson stayed where he was with Celica. He turned and realized Yaacob had been behind him all the time. He gave a friendly wave to Yaa
"When are you leaving?" "Mommy said in a couple of days." "Is that so? I'm guessing she already has the necessary documents ready, and all that was needed was to notify me." Celica did not understand what Yaacob meant, but she could still tell that he was upset about something. She inched closer to him and pressed a wet kiss on his cheek in an attempt to cheer him up. "Don't worry, Uncle Yaacob. I'll miss you!" she chirped. She gently patted Yaacob's shoulder for good measure. "Please don't be sad…" Yaacob finally understood why Benson always put Nancy and Celica first; how could one resist such an adorable little girl? With that, Celica handed her pink toy phone to Yaacob as though she wanted him to give her his contact number. She learned that from observing her parents; people could always keep in touch with each other no matter how far apart they were, provided they had their cellphones. "Celica, why don't I buy you a real phone? That way, you can contact me if anything
"Mr. Getson, Ms. Browning is very upset about not being invited to the shareholder meeting. She demands to see you right now." "Tell her to go away." "Mr. Harrison has called twice already. Do you want me to transfer in his call?" "No. Ignore him." "Mr. Smith and Ms. Peck are back in the country. They want to know if you're up for a meet up." "I'm not." "Mr. Getson, this is Mr. Smith we're talking about!" Taya reminded him. However, Yaacob still turned her down. Yaacob knew there was no way of curing his mysterious illness. The only way he could get by was to fill up his time with work. That way, he would not have time to dwell on anything. However, he refused to meet with anyone besides his secretary. It did not matter who it was. Yaacob was not in the mood to see anyone, no matter how close he was to them. Despite that, Randall still showed up that afternoon. "What's going on here? I was away for a while. The moment I returned, I heard about how terrible you're
Randall ended up finding Rowena in a tiny motel room that was not only bare but had poor soundproofing. The moment Randall arrived, he was greeted by an exciting ten-minute performance from the couple in the room next door. "Oh my God… I'm going to come!" "Shh, keep your voice down, honey. We don't want the neighbors to hear us!" Randall scowled. He turned and asked Rowena, "Is this where you'd rather live than a luxurious villa? Is this the kind of place you're so desperate to hide out in?" "I didn't want to give my identification to anyone, and this motel didn't ask for my ID. After all, giving them my ID would make it easier for you to find me," Rowena explained. She was surprised at how quickly Randall managed to find her this time. She thought she would have a night to herself before he found her, but she was wrong. "I can't believe you went to such great lengths to get away from me." "You were the one who promised me freedom, Randall, but you're keeping me hostage l
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