With his sharp roar, all the air in the spacious living room was sucked out. Sylvia withdrew the harsh look from her eyes and grinned. She wore a sharp smirk as if to mock him and imply, “Look what a good hostage I am!” Odell was silent. He felt his temper rising in his chest. He paused. With an overpowering stare, he said, "I'll give you three minutes to gather your thoughts and prepare an apology to Tara.” Sylvia smiled. “And what if I don't apologize to her?" "Then, don't even think about ever leaving this place!" The smile on Sylvia's mouth vanished. Was he going to repeat what happened and have her slapped sixty times? Was he going to break her legs instead? After a few seconds, she said, "I won't apologize to her even if you make them kill me today." Odell frowned coldly. She met his gaze without fear, her eyes shining with determination. Odell felt his body tightening involuntarily. Suddenly, Tara tugged at his arm to counsel him, “Forget abou
"I'm fine," Sylvia said, “What brings you here?" “Carl told me." Tristan then turned to Odell and addressed him sternly, “Master Carter, Sylvia hasn’t done anything criminal, has she? And even if she has, it’s the police who should take charge. Surely it’s not for you to play judge?” Odell raised his eyebrows and sneered, “Well, she’s here. What are you going to do about it?” Just like that, he established his dominance. Tristan stammered for a few seconds before composing himself. “I put together a crew of my own as well, and their numbers are no fewer than yours. Do you want to settle a score?” Odell flashed a hostile look. Immediately, Tara spoke up, "Odell, let’s let them go. This whole thing all started because of me. It's my fault. Please don’t be angry." Her voice was tender and thoughtful. However, Odell was unaffected as he peered at Sylvia. Sylvia was emboldened when she heard that Tristan brought more men than Odell. Odell had been long suspect
The car coasted down the lane. Sylvia leaned back in the seat with an iron impression. She felt like all the energy was drained out of her body. Tristan quickly sensed that something was wrong with her. He recalled Odell’s final threat before they left and said to her, "Sylvia, I can help you sue for custody of the child." The look in her eyes wavered. Tristan added, “Isabel has been living with you the entire time. Even if I can’t help you secure Liam’s custody, I will do everything in my power to help you take Isabel back.” Sylvia was quiet for a while before responding, "Thank you, but it’s fine.” It was not that she did not want to go to court against Odell, but she did not want to be the one to bring ruin to the relationship between the Ledgers and the Carters. Both were very well-known families in Westchester that had been working together for a long time. One of the reasons that the Ledgers could grow so rapidly in recent years was attributed to its allian
Jacob opened the door for them before Ben carried them into the car one by one. After entering the car, the children immediately saw Odell’s figure. Liam was slightly startled, and Isabel puffed and pouted. Odell looked at them. His face was as harsh and intimidating as always. Isabel was about to yell at him but immediately decided against it when she noticed the expression he wore. Liam observed him with a narrow look. The two children huddled together and kept as far away from their father as possible. They were visibly scared of him this time and wanted to stay away from him. Odell frowned. "Sit down." They fixed their pearl-like eyes on him with timid expressions and did not move a muscle. "Don’t make me repeat that again.” The two of them exchanged a look. Shortly after that, Liam moved to Odell’s side, and Isabel followed suit and begrudgingly shuffled over to Liam’s side. Odell swiped a look at the siblings and extended an arm to pick Isabel
In the past, Odell would have caved in and let them go, but now, thinking of Sylvia only reminded him of how she had left with Tristan without any remorse. She had even abandoned her children to go with him. Odell had a terrible look on his face and did not answer. Liam cocked an eyebrow and observed him while Isabel was still whimpering. After failing to draw a response from Odell, she rested for two minutes before she wrapped herself around Liam and went back to sobbing again. Odell was at a loss for words. His forehead had several creases formed across them. Several minutes later, Isabel seemed tired of crying and subtly turned to him. She tried to steal a look at him from the corner of her eyes. Odell flicked an eyebrow and proceeded to glare into her scrutinizing gaze. She pulled away instinctively and buried her face into Liam’s neck again. Shortly after that, she started whimpering again. Odell stayed silent and put a finger to massage his temple. S
"But I want to see Mommy and talk to her.” Liam patted her head, "Let's call Mommy.” “But the baddie took our phone away. He won’t even let Great-grandma, Uncle Ben, or Uncle Jacob lend us their phones.” "There is one more person whose phone we can borrow.” Isabel's eyes lit up as she asked, "Whose?” Liam smirked mischievously. "Dad's." ...... Several hours later, in the middle of the night, two small figures snuck out of the room and crept across the floor on their bare feet. They reach Odell’s room without making a sound. Liam slowly held the door handle and pulled it down. Isabel slipped inside like a slippery loach. When she saw Odell sleeping soundly in bed, she crept to the head of the bed and stole the phone from the bedside table. She quickly crept out with the prize in hand. Liam closed the door softly and brought Isabel back to their room. He turned on the phone and took Sylvia’s number off the blacklist. Then, he clicked the dial button.
Meanwhile, at the Lake Victoria Villa, in Tara's large living room illuminated by bright crystal chandeliers, Tara could be seen in a swanky dress. She sat gracefully on the sofa with a glass of wine in her hand. Sonia was sitting next to her and anxiously darting her eyes across the room. As expected of the most iconic villa in Westchester City, every nook and cranny seemed like something out of a painting, exuding fine elegance and tasteful architecture. Although Sonia was someone who was born with a golden spoon in her mouth, she was still amazed by the decor. The Rosses lived in an affluent area where the plot of land was priced significantly, but the houses were on the older end. Meanwhile, there were only ten sparse units in Lake Victoria. These properties were something that money could not buy. Tara read every hint of envy in Sonia’s eyes, and she smiled. “Sonia, Odell gave me this wine a long time ago, and I never had time to try it. Give it a sip. It should ta
Sylvia was very satisfied and thanked her. “This is enough. Thank you.” Without any delay, she went to Carl who was in charge of the studio to request half a day of leave, then she drove to Alister’s address. Alister lived in the secluded outskirts of the suburb district, and it took Sylvia almost an hour to get there. She raised her hand and knocked it against the door. Alister quickly opened the door from inside. Her face registered shock the moment she saw Sylvia, and she instinctively tried to close the door. However, Sylvia pushed the door open before she could and walked past the threshold. Alister stumbled backward and regarded her visitor with a vigilant look. "What are you doing here?" Sylvia answered harshly, "You know." The look in Alister's eyes shifted and she said, "I don't." Sylvia was not going to beat around the bush and went straight to the point. "When did Tara pay you to spy on me?" "Who's Tara? I have no idea who that is.” She continued