Yvette felt a profound inner turmoil as she grappled with the choice Irving had presented to her.Even if she no longer maintained contact with them, they were still her family. Steven was her biological father. The two brothers were still her relatives, though not particularly close.To judge a person's character, one just has to observe how they treat their family. Erin glared at Irving with intense hatred, wishing she could turn him into ashes."Irving! You promised that you would release them once we found them!" she exclaimed.Irving responded with a cunning smile. "Heh, I did say that—but what if I change my mind?"He continued, "Erin, have you ever experienced the sensation of wielding absolute power? I hold all the cards right now. I have the freedom to act as I please, and even if your animosity toward me burns fiercely, you won't dare to challenge my authority."The feeling is truly amazing. It's the sweet taste of genuine freedom! Did any of you really believe I w
The puddle on the ground turned out to be alcohol!Irving and Yvette's feet instantly caught fire."Yvette, are you crazy? Are you looking for death?" Irving roared.Angered, he fiercely pushed away the wheelchair while trying to escape the flames, but his shoes had already been soaked with alcohol, and the fire quickly climbed up his pants.The searing pain made Irving immediately drop and roll on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames on his body.Meanwhile, Erin and the others rushed to extinguish the fire on Yvette.They were shocked that Yvette chose to die with Irving to protect them. Erin's face turned pale as she desperately searched for a fire extinguisher. Unfortunately, the secret room was empty aside from them, and there was nothing of use. Even the ceiling lacked a sprinkler system.Fortunately, after much effort from Chandler and the others, the flames engulfing Yvette were extinguished.However, her legs had suffered severe burns, requiring immediate med
Ryder's self-blame stemmed from his concern for Erin.Jill commented, "I used to think you were heartless, but you're quite compassionate when it comes to love. You take responsibility for things that have nothing to do with you, and that's quite admirable.""Well, being compassionate ultimately results in being friend-zoned. As I stood by Yvette's grave, I couldn't help but wonder, if I were the one who took the bullet for Erin, how devastated would she be?"His question made Jill somewhat disdainful. "What a lame question! If you're so curious, go ahead and die for Erin too! But if you died, you wouldn't know how she would react anyway. "Unless you staged a fake funeral—but then Erin and the others wouldn't believe it."Her words made Ryder chuckle softly as he raised his hand to light another cigarette. "Fortunately, Noah is dead too. Even though he was mentally impaired, I was scared he might regain his sanity and seek vengeance against Erin's family. Chandler has become so
Chandler took his family and friends to Maple Villa two days later.The family of five all made the trip, and the rest of their close friends also arrived at Maple Villa one after the other.The last person to arrive was Simon, who came at 8:00 pm.Tina welcomed him as he got out of the car. "I thought you weren't coming!"Simon took his car keys and retrieved a suitcase from the trunk.He looked at Tina and explained, "I got delayed by some work matters.""Simon, you're only staying for two nights, right? Your luggage is even bigger than mine!""More than half of the stuff in the suitcase are gifts for the kids," Simon explained. Tina nodded, "I see! You're quite considerate, Uncle Simon!"Simon pushed the suitcase toward her and asked, "Where is everyone?""They are chatting in the lounge. Enny and Eddie are tired from playing all afternoon. They went to sleep. Your gifts for them will have to wait until tomorrow."Simon smiled and replied, "The gifts can wait. Let's meet
With a self-deprecating tone, Erin said, "Looks like I'm not good at everything. You'll lose some respect for me after seeing the sweater I knitted."Erin lifted the sweater she had knitted, sporting many dropped stitches. Seeing her handiwork, Chandler joked and said, "Wifey, your knitted sweater is very unique. I'll wear it to work.""Stop teasing me, Hubby. You'll be laughed at wearing this sweater in the streets. I've given up. I should just order a custom-made sweater online for everyone. "It's getting colder, and you'll be able to wear it soon. We can wear it when we go on a trip abroad together. We can all match," said Erin.The men weren't interested in her suggestion, but Tina and Jill were very much on board. They immediately went up to her and told her what pattern they wanted.Seeing the two of them so interested put Erin in a good mood, and she noted their request.Noticing a smile on Erin's face, Ryder immediately walked up to her and put in his request. He shot
Corwin's remark may or may not have been intentional. He did not look embarrassed after his admission. On the contrary, he looked straight into Erin's eyes.Erin looked embarrassed by his remark. "Is that so? Thank you for your compliment. Any other woman could've said the same thing I did.""I have heard other women say what you said. But why do I only feel touched when you say it?" He looked at her in confusion as if he was looking for an answer.Erin was at a loss for words.Was she overthinking it? What did Corwin mean? Was he flirting with her?Erin quickly rejected that thought. She felt Corwin's emotions might have been affected by Brooke."Corwin, I'm going to head back first," she bid him goodbye with a bit of embarrassment.Suddenly, Corwin replied, "Erin, I'm sorry. I just thought of my wife."Erin looked back at him and smiled. "It's fine. I didn't overthink about it. I can understand."Erin's smile filled Corwin's gaze and left him in a daze for a moment. Her smil
Dana's concern made Janette say firmly, "My boss knows. There's no need for you to work with me if you're worried.""Janette, I'm just asking. Since you've planned it all, we can work together.""Are you serious?""Yes, I am. But the pay is too low. If you can do three million dollars, my boyfriend and I can get the job done," said Dana.Janette hesitated. "Three million dollars is already out of my budget. Let me think about it.""Alright. I'll look forward to your good news."…Erin went to hike early in the morning the following day.She wanted to visit the places where Cherry had been. It was her way to remember her late mother.Chandler drank with Kylan until late at night, so he was still asleep.The three children were all still sleeping too.Erin had asked Jill to join her, but Jill was still asleep at the agreed time. Erin had no choice but to go ahead herself.Erin reached the top of Maple Villa after almost an hour.The staff at the villa had told her that an ext
Erin didn't object if Corwin wanted to head down the mountain. That was what she wanted anyway.Both of them descended the mountain together. They barely said anything to each other as Erin was focused on the mountainous path, and Corwin did not interrupt her. Chandler and the others were already awake when Erin and Corwin were nearing the villa. None of them slept in. They all went to the dining hall to have breakfast.While they were talking about Erin, Jill appeared with a small backpack. "Don't worry. Erin asked me to hike up the mountain with her this morning, but I didn't wake up. She probably went on her own.""It's good for Erin to go hiking. It's better than her staying indoors." Calix walked up to their table with his buffet breakfast.When Chandler appeared in the hall with Eddie and Enny, Kylan waved to them. They joined the others.Chandler held the menu and asked Enny, "What would you like for breakfast, Enny?"Enny had her hand under her chin. She squinted slee