The next thing Nancy knew, she was at the police station. The waitress had called the cops, and Yaacob was the one who bailed Nancy out after her interrogation. Mr. Gordon, on the other hand, had been sent to the hospital with no news. There was no guarantee that the doctors could save him or not. Nancy's heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. Mr. Gordon was a rich and powerful man, so much so that even the Lawsons were eager to get on his good side. Knowing this, Nancy would surely get into big trouble for what she had done. She never thought that Yaacob would even be able to bail her out. As she followed him to the police station entrance, she could not help asking, "Is anything going to happen to me?" "Well, they're still trying to save that David Gordon guy, so we have no idea what's the extent of the injury yet. However, judging from his family's reaction, they'll certainly make you pay for what you did, no matter the severity," Yaacob said this so cas
The process for the registration of marriage was surprisingly easy. All they needed to do was bring along their identification, fill in some papers, and sign. However, since it was such a spontaneous decision, they did not even have the time to go for a premarital body checkup. As they emerged from the courthouse, Nancy clutched the papers tightly in her hands, trying to fathom what had happened. She could not believe it. That was her second marriage! She stared at the picture of herself and Yaacob on the paper. The man's face and name were totally foreign to her, and yet they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. Nancy was so engrossed in the photo that she missed a step and almost tumbled off the steps. Fortunately, Yaacob reached out to catch her just in time, and she landed against his well-toned chest. "I look better in real life than in photos, so there's no need for you to worry. You have plenty of time to admire this handsome face. As for now, pay atte
Yaacob picked Nancy up from the table and proceeded to make his way upstairs. Nancy's entire body stiffened in shock. She never thought Yaacob would carry her like this, much less in such an intimate position, with both her legs wrapped around his waist. Her cheeks flushed scarlet at this realization. Although that was not her first marriage, it was still her first time being so intimate with another man. Spencer was such a gentleman that when they were dating, he would not even touch her hand. It was a no-brainer that when he eventually fell for Teresa, he became even more reluctant to be near Nancy. It was a strange new feeling for Nancy. They were entangled in such a position that she could feel the warmth of his skin and the tautness of his muscles through the thin fabric of their clothes. She could tell that this man was an avid gym goer. His firm muscles attested to that. With every step he took as he ascended the stairs, Nancy could feel his muscles flexing through his
Nancy frowned when she saw them. "What are you doing here?" she asked, directing her question at Spencer. Teresa, clearly displeased that Nancy was ignoring her outright, strode over to her grandfather and greeted him in a syrupy sweet tone, "Hi, Grandpa." "Oh… it's Teresa!" Andrew gazed at her lovingly, but at the same time, the look in his eyes was not at all the way he looked at Nancy. It was clear who was his favorite. All of a sudden, his gaze fell on the man standing behind her. "Spencer? Nancy told me… you were busy with work." "Uhm… yes! He was, until now!" Nancy piped up before Spencer could say anything. She walked over to his side and asked, "I didn't know you'd be coming, Spencer. Why didn't you call me first?" "I'm here to accompany Ter—" "I know. You're worried about me coming here alone, so you decided to surprise me. I had been telling Grandpa about how busy you were because I didn't want him to think you're an irresponsible grandson-in-law!" Nancy said, lac
"What… What are you doing here?" Nancy gaped at Yaacob. "Weren't you the one who wanted me to come?" "Oh…" The truth was, Nancy wanted to know what took him so long. They had agreed to come at four o'clock, but he only showed up when the sun was about to set. However, she did not want to say that in front of Spencer. At that moment, all she wanted was to get away from this place. "I thought you weren't coming anymore. Never mind. Let's go!" "Nancy!" Spencer called out after her. "Who is this man? How… How do you know each other?" "Just shut up and mind your own business." Nancy gestured behind him, where Teresa was now standing, and tried to scamper out of there with Yaacob. To her surprise, Yaacob remained motionless. "Hey, he's asking you a legitimate question. Why don't you answer him?" Nancy did not know what to say to this. The next moment, Yaacob turned her around to face Spencer and Teresa. Then, he lowered himself so that he was hovering next to her ear and wh
"What the hell are you doing?" Nancy's eyelids flew open, and she swatted his hand away. She sat up in the bed, and her gaze met Yaacob's. At this moment, he was wearing his bathrobe with the belt wrapped loosely around his waist. From the way he was perched above her, Nancy could see every crevice of his well-defined abs through the gaping bathrobe. His gaze was sharp, burning with fiery passion. It was no secret what he was thinking. Nancy pulled her collar up and shot him a warning glare. "Not tonight!" Yaacob's expression darkened at this. "Is it because of him?" "No, it's not. What does this have to do with him?" Nancy peered at him out of the corner of her eye. "It's because of something else. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what." She still remembered how quickly he had been to kick her out of his study. Now that they were not yet on speaking terms, how was she supposed to make love to him? Even if she relented, it would not be enjoyable for either of them.
"Where do you keep your underwear?" Nancy shouted in the direction of the bathroom. "The top drawer of the closet!" Nancy pulled open the top drawer which, sure enough, revealed rows of neatly folded men's boxers. Nancy initially thought that men who had higher standards of living would gravitate towards black, white, or gray in their wardrobe choices, and Yaacob would be no different, but to her surprise… His underwear drawer was filled with boxers of all shades, from red, orange, and yellow… down to purple and indigo. It was as though he were trying the colors of the rainbow. "Did you find it?" he shouted again, thinking she was having trouble finding it. "Yes, coming!" Nancy ignored all the other colors and instead grabbed the only pair of black boxers she could see. She pried the bathroom door open just a crack and stuffed her arm through it, holding the boxers in her hand. "Here!" "Bring them inside for me!" What an unreasonable man! Nancy silently cursed him f
Nancy decided she would pretend this never happened unless Yaacob brought it up. Perhaps neither of them would want to bring it up considering there were other people here. Nancy was hoping Yaacob would forget about this when all of a sudden he said, "Before we start our meal, I believe someone has something to say." Nancy's heart leaped into her throat. Before she could even summon the courage to say anything, however, Yaacob called out, "Xander, Lucy?" Xander and Lucy exchanged glances, then stood up and made their way to Nancy, each clutching a glass of mine in their hand. "Nancy, we're sorry for how we treated you the last time we met. We sincerely hope you can find it within yourself to forgive us," Lucy said. Xander, despite casting her looks of extreme reluctance, also raised his glass and said, "Sorry for how we behaved last time." Although one could argue that his apology was not sincere, Nancy could tell that it already took him a lot to put down his ego to sa
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