There was not a chance she would tell Aunt Tonya about Odell kissing her since it would only cause her distress. Aunt Tonya still wore a concerned look on her face. Sylvia suddenly requested, "Aunt Tonya, I want to eat the noodles you usually make.” "Okay, I'll go make them right away," Aunt Tonya replied and turned towards the kitchen. Sylvia breathed a sigh of relief, then went back to her room. In the solitude of her room, she shrieked and hurled insults at Odell. After her mood alleviated, she went to the bathroom and took a hot, refreshing shower. She washed her face several times and rinsed her mouth. Before she knew it, it was almost seven to eight o'clock after she finished dinner. Sylvia had promised to see Isabel and Liam that night, and she did not want to break her promise. However, the thought of what Odell had done to her, forcing himself on her and kissing her infuriated her greatly. What if he resumed his disgusting behavior when she meet him aga
“Yeah, I’m full already.” Odell wiped his hands and addressed Tara again, "I have something I need to do later. You just get an early rest.” Tara took his arm into hers and fixed him with a longing look, pressing her body into his almost subconsciously. She whispered, "Odell, Liam and Isabel should have fallen asleep by this time. Why don’t you stay with me tonight?" Odell fell silent for a moment before forming an answer, “I need to head back to the company to deal with something." "Okay." Tara let go of him reluctantly. Odell caressed her head gently as if to provide comfort, then he got up and walked out. Tara did not think much of the episode. He had always been very busy since the day she knew him, especially since Sylvia birthed those two brats to add to his trouble. Even before Sylvia brought Isabel into the picture, he seldom spent the night with her because he needed to go home to take care of the miserable brat, Liam. It was partially because the brat sta
Sylvia was just about to head towards their room. "Stop," he commanded. Sylvia looked at him again. “Do you need anything else?” He shot a cross look at her. "It's only half-past five. Who let you come here at this time?" Sylvia formed a line with her lips and was about to say something when Madam Carter’s sharp voice came from inside the house, "I did!" Immediately after that, she appeared at the bend around the corridor. Odell grimaced. Sylvia's eyes lit up, and she immediately went to the madam’s side. Madam Carter smiled and said to her, “Syl, Isabel and Liam are changing in the room. Go check up on them.” “Alright, Grandmother,” Sylvia answered and head up the stairs swiftly.Madam Carter then shot a displeased look at Odell. "Didn't I tell you this afternoon that Syl is coming for dinner? Why are you talking to her like this? She’s just here to spend time with the kids and it shouldn’t bother you. If it bothers you so much, you can feel free to leave!”
Odell swept a glance at Sylvia and proceeded to take Isabel into his arms while turning to the housekeeper, “Maxworth, prep dinner.” The butler proceeded to the kitchen. Madam Carter finally quieted down and turned to Sylvia. “Syl, bring Liam here to join us for dinner." “Alright, Grandmother.” Sylvia quickly carried Liam and sat with the madam herself. Meanwhile, Odell took Isabel and sat across from Sylvia. The dinner was rather lively and everything was progressing civilly. After dinner, Sylvia spent time playing with Isabel and Liam as she always did before she took them to their bedroom and put them to bed. She only come out after they fell asleep. Madam Carter and the housekeeper had gone to rest some time ago, so only Odell remained in the living room. She pretended to not notice him and walked quickly outside. "Stop," he suddenly called after her. She pretended not to hear and continued advancing. Just when she seemed like she was about to step
Their days were productive and full of joy. Soon, five days had gone by. ...... On this particular day, Sylvia took them to the fun fair and spent longer than usual at the fair. By the time she took them home, it was already dark. She parked her car in front of the entrance of the Carters' residence. Sylvia took Isabel and Liam out of the car in turn while the children looked at her with a lingering look. She patted their heads, smiled, and said, "Go back and get some early rest. We can meet again tomorrow morning." This seemed to do the job of comforting them. Sylvia bent over and inched her face forward until she was right between them. As if synchronized, Isabel and Liam pecked a kiss on her cheeks on each side. Liam bade her farewell. “Bye, Mommy.” Isabel yelled loudly, "Mommy, I’ll see you tomorrow!" Sylvia smiled and assured them, “Yeap, I’ll see you two tomorrow. Hurry up and go inside.” The two walked inside hand in hand. She only drew her ga
They were very polite and very eager to meet the artists. Sylvia and Christopher were as receptive as they could be. After some time passed, the crowd finally dispersed. That was when a familiar figure emerged from the departing crowd and appeared before Sylvia. Sylvia was taken aback. It was Tristan in a slightly oversized white shirt. He wore a gentle smile and looked charming as usual. “It’s been a while, Sylvia.” Sylvia smiled politely. “It sure has.” He asked, “How have you been?” “Pretty good,” she answered. He made a look and suddenly said, “I need to tell you something.” “Go ahead.” He cast a look at Simon who was next to Sylvia. Simon received the message and stepped away without needing further prompts. Then, Tristan began telling Sylvia, “My parents have spoken to your parents. My engagement to Sonia has been called off.” She answered with an unflinching expression, “That’s your private affair. You don’t need to tell me.” His expr
Only this time, there was a shade of red in his eyes. "Tristan, I..." “You don’t have to say anything. I was the now who caused you so much hurt back then.” He smiled and continued, "But I will always treat you as my friend. If you run into any trouble in the future and believe that I can be of help, just come to me without hesitation.” Sylvia responded briskly, "Okay." Tristan turned and left. He walked straight towards the exit of the venue and vanished into the outside world. Sylvia compressed her lips into a line and sighed deeply. Not far away, Simon, who noticed Tristan leaving, walked back to Sylvia’s side again. "Sylvia, the party is going to start soon. Let's go over and get something to eat.” “Alright.” They walked to the section where the seating was arranged for the guests. Name cards could be seen on every seat. Coincidentally, Sylvia was placed at the same table as Odell and Tara. She was seated right opposite Odell and met his gaze the momen
Sylvia hurriedly raised a hand to brace herself in front of him while glaring at him in shock. "What are you doing? Let go!"Odell's tall figure did not move, and his eyes looked at her coldly. "What are you in a rush for? Am I going to eat you?"She frowned and said, "I'm not in a rush. I just want to go back to eat."His expression showed contempt. "I've been watching you. You started eating as soon as you sat down and only stopped to come to the washroom. What, haven't you eaten enough?"Sylvia did not expect him to watch her eat.A strange feeling enveloped her body. She continued to press her hands against his chest and snapped, "Yes, I haven't eaten enough. Let go of me!"Odell sneered. "Are you a pig?"She ate more than twice his usual meals. Did she not have enough yet?Sylvia was speechless. Her throat got choked up, and her cheeks reddened. However, no one knew if it was because of anger or from their ambiguous distance.She was so angry that she punched him. "Odell
She was her usual self in every aspect. She put her heart into her job and never started trouble so long as nobody tried to start trouble with her. The crew cycled through their locations during their shoot. The constant travel made her skin break out slightly, but there were no other concerns otherwise. The shoot progressed very smoothly and within three months, they managed to wrap up everything at the mountainous region previously mentioned. It was nearly evening when they wrapped up the shoot. Holding a bouquet in hand, she took a group picture with the crew and celebrated with everyone. After that, she planned to hitch a ride with another crew member and leave for home. To their demise, some men in uniform who claimed to be the road maintenance technicians showed up to break the bad news to them. They mentioned that they had to repair some of the roads urgently and so the way home was temporarily obstructed. The director took his phone and called the city hotline fo
He remembered his first meeting with Isabel. She was sitting all by herself on the floor, in the middle of nowhere. Her vulnerable expression only made her more endearing. So, he managed to get her to go to his place and installed her in his home. He fell for her and paid careful attention to all her needs. It did not take long before Isabel caught feelings for him as well. The two of them got together in no time. Their days were plain and ordinary, but also very fulfilling, that was until he met Clarice. With the help of his father, his power struggle with Roland had reached a tipping point. It was at that opportune moment when Clarice’s father saw something in Roland and planned to wed his daughter Clarice to him to join up their families, which was a cause for alarm for Decker. He stressed over it for an entire night before approaching Clarice himself the very next day. Clarice quickly caught feelings for him as well. Furthermore, Roland had been foolish enough to reject
Decker was smiling quite earnestly at Isabel. Isabel threw a deeply suspicious look at him, then she glanced at the stack of documents laid out on top of the table in front of her. “Transferal of Shares.” She was dumbfounded. "I've gone through the contract, it’s safe to sign so go ahead.” Roland picked up a pen and handed it to her. "Roland, I..." "Sign it first, I’ll explain when we get home.” Isabel frowned and tried to protest. "I—" "Don't make me have to beg." Isabel did not know how to respond. Fine. She briefly scanned through the contract. The contract stated Decker’s agreement to transfer the remaining forty percent of his shares in Rockwell Corporation to her. Roland must have talked to the shareholders of Rockwell Corporation about this as well. They all regarded Isabel with polite smiles. Isabel had flipped through the final page of the document. She signed her name on one of the marked-out sections. She proceeded to sign all thr
They ended the call shortly after that. Isabel glanced at Martha and was hesitating if she should break the news right away. Martha seemed to have sensed her staring and suddenly turned to her with a flash of concern. "Isabel, what's wrong?" Isabel took a deep breath and broke the news. "Auntie, Master Rockwell just passed away." Martha's eyes widened. After a lengthy silence that lasted more than ten seconds, she started to break out in tears. She covered her face with her hands and expressed amid bouts of tears mixed with laughter, “Wonderful! About time! I hope he enjoys life in the underworld. God knows that someone like him will never deserve a spot in heaven!” Isabel did not know whether she should celebrate with Martha or console her. Soon, Martha began to collect herself. She briefly wiped away her tears and joyfully took Isabel's hand. "Isabel, let’s go shopping! I’m in such a good mood today, I’m going to go on a shopping spree!” "Okay. But Roland w
Isabel held onto Roland's hand firmly during the entire drive home after leaving the hospital. It was because Roland’s hands were cold and rigid. Isabel sat with him and tirelessly rubbed his hand to keep them warm. After one hand was warm, she would shift her attention to the other. By the time she managed to warm the other hand, the original hand would turn cold again. She decided it was easier to take both of his hands and caress them with the warmth of her palms. Roland looked at her with a gentle glow deep within his eyes. “Thank you, Isabel,” he said softly. Thank you for loving him, and for sticking by his side all this time despite circumstances. Isabel smiled. “I’m just warming your hands, it's no big deal. Still, you’re welcome." Roland smiled faintly and left it at that. Soon, his hands began to warm up off of the heat of Isabel’s palms. When Isabel felt that his hands were no longer freezing, she prepared to pull her hand away. That was when
Decker looked nothing like his usual self. The pompous, arrogant man who held himself far above others and who expected everyone around him to kiss up to him because he was superior to them all. It was as if he had been plunged not only to Earth but a pile of swamp. He had completely lost his usual grace. Isabel said crossly, "Decker, have you gone mental? Is everything going on too much for you?” “Yeah, could you help me?” he said with a coy smile, “Just one hug should be enough to take care of it all.” Isabel rolled her eyes. Without warning, he suddenly braced himself and lunged right at Isabel, stepping past Brandon who was caught off guard by this sudden attack. Isabel barely had time to react. Just when it seemed like his hand was about to graze Isabel, a long pair of arms seized Isabel from behind and jerked her backward. It was swiftly followed by a long, muscular leg shooting outward right next to Isabel. Thump! Decker was kicked to the ground.
"How did you and Roland meet?" Decker suddenly asked. Isabel turned away, fully intent on ignoring him. "Did you meet each other at Carter Corporation? Or did you meet him outside of work and gradually fell in love with him, then you decided to set him up with a position at Carter Corporation?” What did he mean by that? Was he insinuating that Roland was relying on her to snake his way into Carter Corporation? She threw a sideways, belittling look at him. "Do you think Roland is anything like you? He wouldn’t latch on another woman to further his goals.” Decker was not upset by this as he continued with a smug smile. "Oh? Then how did he get into Carter Corporation?" “He proved his worth.” Isabel realized that she had been roped in by Decker again. Nevertheless, she continued, “He passed the interviews himself. I was one of the interviewers and initially planned to dismiss him, but he managed to leave a very good impression on my father and the rest was history.” "
"I never meant to kill him! Roland, you have to believe me. Why would I still try to deceive you when I’m in this state?” “In that case, you can go ahead and explain things to him in the afterlife.” Master Rockwell was taken aback by this, his demeanor tightened. "You...you..." Roland looked at him calmly. "Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. It was Grandma and my parents who raised me. They instilled morals and virtue into me and made sure I’d grow into a decent man.” Master Rockwell was briefly relieved to hear this, but before he could rid himself of his trepidation, Roland continued in a dark voice, "But I won’t forget about you and Decker bribing all those media outlets to defame Isabel. I know you manipulated the stock prices to try to kick me out of the corporation. I’ll make sure to settle our score through the legal system.” If convicted guilty, they would have to rot in prison. “Roland… listen to me, Roland. Decker is your uncle. If you want revenge, you can come
Master Rockwell must have heard their shifting movements and opened his eyes. When he recognized the faces of Roland and Isabel, there was a brief glow in his murky eyes. He motioned to the nurse to have her help him sit up from the bed. After he managed to position himself seated up against the head of the bed, he asked the nurse to leave. Then he cast a loving, tender smile on Roland and Isabel. “Roland, Isabel, please have a seat.” Roland said disinterestedly, "We have things to get to, just hurry up and tell us what you have to say." Isabel stayed silent. A look flashed in Master Rockwell's eyes. Then, he turned to Isabel and expressed regretfully, "Isabel, I’m a foolish old man, it was me who told Decker to leak pictures of you two. He had no choice because I forced him to do so. If you have to blame someone, blame me!” Isabel frowned. She was somewhat impressed by how smoothly the old man switched his mask from one to another. From a forlorn and sad state t