The light in the courtyard outside seemed unnecessary in this moonlight.Sylvia spread a layer of base color from top to bottom of the canvas, then added in the moon and stars.Her brush strokes were quick and decisive, and in no time, she quickly painted the scenery in the yard.There was a garden in the yard that was filled with a variety of flowers as well as dense trees.She looked over twice and drew the flowers and plants. Then, she looked over again, intending to remember the shape of the trees in the area.There were not many trees, but each one had a different shape and size. Their leaves were all lush and of varying shades.Sylvia narrowed her eyes and observed carefully.From top to bottom, she looked at each layer of the treetops until she saw the bottom layer.Then, she spotted a tall and dark shadow leaning against the trunk of the furthest tree.The shadow was tall and straight. The more she looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.Sylvia was shocked, closed
Under the light, his handsome face was instantly covered with a layer of gloom."Don't you already know whether or not I'm a man from that night's experience?" Odell took one step forward to her and raised his hand as if to break her neck.Sylvia paled as she instinctively wanted to step back.He grabbed her by the collar, his gaze cold as he approached her. "Or do you want to experience it again?"Her legs went weak at once.At that moment, Thomas approached them. He stood weakly beside her as he said to Odell, "I'm the one who developed feelings for Sylvia, and I was the one who took the initiative to pursue her. Just come at me if you're unhappy, but please don't bully her again!"'What is he saying?'If I'm unhappy, of course I'll take it out on him. I'm not stupid!'Odell frowned and narrowed his cold eyes at Thomas. "You'd better get out of the way now, or I'll break your arm."Thomas stood unmoving. "I'll get out of the way if you want to, but let go of Sylvia first."
Odell frowned. “Who told you that?” Sylvia glared at him. “You don’t have to concern yourself with that. Tell me, was it you who did it?” Odell’s expression turned grim. Before he could utter his reply, Thomas’ feeble voice sounded from further away, “Sylvia, calm down. Maybe Odell doesn’t know about this, maybe it’s those people who set this up.” Odell was baffled. “Those men only listen to Odell. It would be impossible that they would have set this up themselves,” Sylvia argued. “Maybe there’s something going on that we don’t know yet. I don’t think Odell would do something like this,” said Thomas. Sylvia continued to glare at Odell. “Hmph. Then you have underestimated your brother. He’s capable of doing anything.” That night, he had ravaged her in all ways possible. Odell was silenced by her statement and her glare. His already grim expression worsened and he looked as if he could strangle Sylvia in the very next second.Thomas noticed the sour look on his broth
The two bodyguards immediately stopped the moment they heard him shout.Thomas covered his abdomen with his hands and continued to curl up on the ground in pain. Sylvia wanted to help him up but was pulled back into the arms of the man who was behind her.She crashed into his chest and found that her waist was constricted by his long arms. She was then lifted up over his shoulder, just like a sack of potatoes.His large steps and hastened pace allowed him to leave the house in a blink of an eye. In the dark night, his expression remained grim, making him look like a grim reaper that was claiming a life. Sylvia shrunk back in fear and did not dare to move. She saw the bodyguards leave the living room, so she had to assume Thomas was safe for now. Within a short time, he carried her out of the shade and arrived at an open space. His black sports car had been parked there. Sylvia was shoved into the car, knocking her head on the car with a thud in the process. She gro
Sylvia took Odell’s silence as his acknowledgement. She sighed and added, “Odell, Thomas hasn’t eaten anything in two days. You’re starving him to death.” Odell narrowed his eyes coldly. Sylvia was startled by his gloomy gaze, she instinctively moved closer to the door. “Did he tell you all that?” he asked. Sylvia cautiously looked at him and answered, “He didn’t tell me anything, I saw it with my own eyes.” Odell choked on his emotions upon hearing her explanation. His hands uncontrollably clenched into fists. Sylvia’s sharp eyes noticed his clenched fists and was filled with fear that he might hit her in the next second. Immediately pressing her back against the door, she nervously said, “Odell, Thomas really didn’t tell me anything. Please don’t be like this.” He scoffed. “He might not have told you anything, but what if he had intended for you to see all of those things?” “Impossible!” Sylvia cried out without a second thought. “Thomas wouldn’t do something like t
Sylvia’s tense body relaxed as she breathed a sigh of relief and cursed her own nerves.She had seen everything with her own eyes, how could there be anything fishy going on? What a big man. Did he really have such a difficult time admitting what he had done? Moreover, she had not even tried to blame him. All she had said was that she wanted him to release Thomas. Thankfully, by locking her out on the balcony, at least she would not have to sleep with him. With that thought in mind, Sylvia curled herself up and leaned against the wall to sleep. The night breeze was a bit chilly during this season but it was not bone-chillingly cold. The breeze blowing lightly on her was actually quite comfortable. After a while, Sylvia fell asleep. Seconds turned into minutes. The man stood in front of the window in the study room next door as he smoked. The wind came in from the opened window and carried the smoke away. His gloomy expression slowly eased, until he reached the last
Sylvia’s face was cold as she said, “What if I insist on bringing it in?” The man sneered. “Then don’t blame us for being rough.” After that, each man in the group then revealed a small axe from behind their backs. Sylvia was stunned. She had hidden two pieces of bread in her pockets, so even if she could not take the whole breakfast set inside, it would not be too much of a problem. She just had to go inside and check on Thomas. After thinking about it, she placed the breakfast on the ground. The men stepped back and granted her access to the villa. Sylvia ran into the villa. After she went inside, the man who had threatened her pulled out his phone and texted someone. Meanwhile inside the villa, Thomas was sitting by the window in his room. He stared outside blankly, allowing the sun to shed its brilliance on him. He had on a white shirt and the combination with the brilliance of the sun on his pale skin made him look a little ghostly.All of a sudden, the phone be
His cold face instantly became gloomy. Walking up to her, he looked at her and said, “Yes, I’m beating him up. What are you going to do about it?” “I…I…” Sylvia stuttered. Then, she threw herself into his arms and tried to constrict his arms by wrapping her arms around him. She looked up to him and said, “Odell, I won’t let you hit him!” Odell stood still, allowing her to hold him tightly. His lips and eyes curled as he chuckled, “Just you alone?” Sylvia increased her strength. She refused to surrender and shouted defiantly, “Yes, me alone! As long as I’m breathing, I won’t let you hit him!” The moment the words fell, both her arms were wrenched away with a greater force. Sylvia was shocked. She tried to grab him again but the man caught her by the waist. She found herself being lifted up and pinned under the man’s arm. She was then carried closer to Thomas and forced to watch him land a kick on Thomas with his foot that was encased in a leather shoe. Thomas curled
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