"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
"Who knows what Yaacob is thinking? Maybe she's of no value to him at all, and maybe he just likes her," Xander retorted. "Impossible!" Lucy would rather think that the only reason Yaacob married Nancy was for her valuable role in his master plan than believe he liked her for who she was. She reiterated, "There's no way Yaacob would fall for someone he had just met. After all… we all know why he was arrested four years ago. He would never make the same mistake twice!" "Don't even bother trying to figure out what Yaacob is thinking, Lucy," Xander advised her. "I don't think he and Nancy are right for each other, but neither are you and him!" "Xander…" "That's enough! Also, this is the last time I'm tolerating you using Anna for your selfish gain! Stop trying to trip Nancy up in front of Yaacob. He's smarter than you think!" A sheepish look crossed Lucy's face when Xander said this. Before she could even deny her involvement in Anna's appearance, however, Xander turned and head
Nancy could not help feeling insulted by this. "Hey, what do you think I am? Some kind of prostitute?""Hey, my money doesn't grow on trees. There's no such thing as a free lunch," he said matter-of-factly.Nancy was a little offended by this. She felt like she was just there to satisfy him physically, yet at the same time, he spoke to her in such a solemn tone that it made her feel like he was dishing out philosophical advice. Perhaps it would be more convincing if he were not stark naked."Well, you can insult me, but not my integrity!" Nancy said defiantly. "I don't want your money. Do you think I can't make my own?""Okay then!" he replied, smiling, and put the card back into his wallet."Hey, wait!" Nancy stopped him. "Can you loan me some money first?"After having lived in poverty for over a month, Nancy had basically gotten a clear idea of the entire Athenapolis market. Even if she made her own money, she would only be able to afford a luxurious piece of clothing after
Yaacob's tone sent chills down Nancy's spine. She instinctively inched backward and shook her head. "No… No!""Then why are you getting away from me?""I… I'm not!""Really?""Y-Yes!" Nancy cleared her throat and feigned calmness.The next moment, Yaacob turned around and fished out a knife from the nightstand drawer."Hey, what are you doing?" Nancy was stunned by this. She retreated until her body was on the edge of the bed, but Yaacob advanced toward her.The blade brushed against her thigh, but the next moment, Yaacob spun it toward him as he reached out to grab an apple from her side of the nightstand. "Apple?"Nancy's heart finally calmed down when she saw him pick up a bright red, juicy-looking apple from the fruit bowl. "No thanks. I don't have an appetite."Yaacob paused, then handed her the knife instead. "Well, put this on your nightstand. There's an old wives tale that says you'll stop having nightmares if you keep a knife by your head!""Um… I don't need that, ei
"Nancy, have you heard of someone named Randall Smith?" "No, I've never heard of him before." Nancy shook her head. "Who is he?" "He's the head of a very elite underground organization abroad. In a way, he's been tiptoeing on the edge of legality. This man is extremely powerful and has very strong connections all over the world, but all he does is dirty work." "Hey, weren't you going to tell me about Yaacob?" Nancy interjected. "Why are you telling me this?" "I'm getting to it. My point is, Yaacob is close to Randall Smith, and the two of them even proclaim to be best friends. Some of my friends have seen Yaacob frequenting the casinos in Las Vegas that belong to Randall Smith. Combined with the fact that he somehow managed to acquire an immense amount of funds soon after returning to Athenapolis, I'm sure you can understand what I'm getting at." Nancy's heart lurched when she heard this. "Hey, speaking of this, there's something I want to ask you. Do you know if the properti
"Hey!" Nancy was utterly stunned by this turn of events. "What are you doing?" Yaacob did not reply and instead, grabbed her arm and tossed her right into his car. His expression was so dark that Nancy did not even dare to continue fighting back. She watched in silence as he sped toward Amethyst Coast, his expression the coldest she had ever seen. A storm was coming. She could feel it. The moment they got home, Yaacob dragged her into the study and locked the door. "What… What are you doing?" Nancy asked, staring at him in horror. "I'm giving you one chance to explain why you were seeing him behind my back," Yaacob said coldly. He sat down in his leather chair, placing his legs up on the tabletop, staring at her like the grim reaper. Nancy wrung her hands in terror. She knew that she had to pick her words very carefully. Her life was at stake here. "Would you believe me if I said it was just a coincidence?" "Do I look like an idiot to you?" he glared at her. "Alri
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