The punching bag fell on the floor and he froze. Frustrated, he tossed the boxing gloves on the ground and strode toward the changing room. The owner was right. She was no longer her family, so why would he stay outside instead of spending time with his kids? He wanted to go home and if the woman avoided him, he would throw her out and stop her from seeing the kids anymore. …Back at Carter Residence’s spacious living room, the sun shone through the window and shed its brilliance on Sylvia. Sylvia was sitting on the carpet beside the window and she started to doze off as the sun warmed her up. Isabel was watching anime on her phone by her mother’s legs while Liam was on the other side reading his book. The scene felt heartwarming, but the peace and quiet were broken when the black sports car screeched to a stop outside. The screech woke Sylvia up immediately. She turned to the window and saw the black sports car driving into the porch. Sebastian and the two maids wer
Sebastian was just outside the door when Lily arrived. He wore a bright smile and welcomed her. “Ms. Springsteen, what brings you here?” he asked politely. Lily smiled. “It’s almost Christmas, so I was thinking of visiting the kids and Madam Carter.” Sebastian recalled Odell’s grumpy look when the man returned, so he begrudgingly furrowed his brows. Lily sharply noticed his reaction and asked, “What’s wrong, Sebastian? The kids aren’t around?” Sebastian thought about it for a moment. Odell was fine when he left in the morning but he returned with a grumpy look, so something must have happened outside. Sylvia was also inside with the kids, so things should be fine. He said, “The kids are home but their mother is here as well.” Lily’s expression changed. “Ms. Ross is here?” Sebastian said, “Yes. She’s here to accompany the kids, and I believe she’s leaving in the afternoon.” Lily recovered her frozen smile and said, “I see.” She then brought her assistant and walked
Sylvia booked a ride as soon as she ran out of Carter Residence and went back to her own house. The sky was still bright as the sun was still shining. She returned home and collapsed on the couch, her heart was pounding wildly. Why did he kiss her all of a sudden? Lily even caught them in the act! She assured Lily that she would not ruin their relationship and now, no matter how many excuses she could come up with, it would not clear her name anymore. While the frustrated thoughts bogged her mind, her phone rang. She pulled it out and saw a text from Odell. “Where are you?” Even through the phone, Sylvia could sense the man’s anger. He was the one who forced himself onto her. She should be the one angry, not him. However, her kids were still with him and she could not afford to offend him in any way. She pursed her lips and replied, “I’m at home.” Odell did not reply after that. Sylvia was struggling with her thoughts. She texted him again out of concern, “H
Lily’s expression changed. “Grandmother, you’re saying that that woman seduced Master Carter?” Madam Springsteen angrily said, “What else could it be? If she kept her distance, there shouldn’t be anything between her and Master Carter. You saw them kissing at home. It’s almost Christmas, so Master Carter should be at home since it’s the holidays… I believe she went over every day just to see him and once it got frequent, it wasn't strange for something to happen between them.” Lily angrily clutched her hands. She thought after announcing her identity as Odell’s fiancée at her grandfather’s event, Sylvia would stay away from the man, but now things got worse. Madam Springsteen sat down beside Lily and said, “Lily, don’t be sad. I’ll teach her a lesson and I’ll make her remember the consequences of her actions. No disgraceful woman shall snatch the man of your dreams away from you.” “Thank you, Grandmother.” She originally thought Odell still had feelings for Sylvia but after
It was then someone from the Art Academy typed a new message. “We’ve been tagging her for two hours now. Even a blind man can see it. I think she’s avoiding us.” “Maybe she’s scared and embarrassed to admit it.” Christopher had enough of the criticism and decided to step up. “Enough. Stop this at once.” However, his warning did not deter them as it only fueled their frustration more. “Mr. President, her work represents the face of the academy. If this gets out, it’ll embarrass the whole organization. You sided with her too much.” “I know how much you liked her before but now, she’s a piece of garbage.” “You want us to stop because we’re saying the wrong thing? No, it’s the truth. If you want to stop us from talking about this, we’ll leave the academy.” “Yeah, we’ll leave.” The situation slowly snowballed out of control and many of them threatened to leave the academy. Sylvia decided to type a reply with her shivering hands. “I painted it.” The chat group went
There were only some instant noodles in the kitchen. After a quick search and finding nothing in the refrigerator, she decided to go out to have some freshly cooked food. She walked along the street and stood at a commercial street filled with stalls and restaurants. She went inside the restaurant where she was a regular. The dishes served matched her palate, hence her fondness for it. She sat by the window. She placed her order and the food was served after a while. Eating hot food warmed her body and she enjoyed the meal a lot. Halfway through dinner, several familiar figures came in. Sylvia frowned. The men and women seemed to be from the Art Academy. She met them once or twice during events but since she usually spent time with Christopher and Simon, she was not close with them. Some of them were the ones who scolded her in the group chat earlier. It was then they turned around and spotted her. Sylvia nervously looked down and continued eating, feigning ignora
Just when she was about to cross the street, a white MPV drove toward her and blinded her with the headlights. Sylvia froze and suddenly slipped, falling on her bum. The white car screeched to a stop in front of her. Sylvia tried to catch a breath but then an elegant woman came down from the car. The woman wore a delicate dress and had a thick shawl around her shoulders. The driver also came down and walked her closer to Sylvia. The lady then peered down at Sylvia scornfully. Sylvia finally got a clear look at the lady and it shocked her. “Madam Springsteen?” Madam Springsteen grinned at her. “How’s your day been?” Sylvia’s face turned pale. She immediately thought of the criticism she received from the group chat and ran into a few of them in the restaurant. She shivered under the freezing wind. As she clutched her hands, she asked, “It was you who released the painting?” “It was one of my men,” Madam Springsteen said with a grin, “I want everyone to know how bad t
After she adjusted her thoughts, she switched on her phone. She saw several missed call notifications from Isabel and Liam. They even sent her a voice message shortly after that. Sylvia tapped on it and heard Isabel’s adorable voice speaking to her. “Mommy, why is your phone off? Are you going to leave me and Liam again?” She sounded sad. Sylvia furrowed her brows and tapped on the second voice message. “Mommy, if you don’t call us back in an hour, we’ll go to the police,” Liam said. Sylvia immediately checked the time she received the message. It was exactly an hour ago. She called them immediately and the call got through in less than a second. Isabel bawled, “Mommy! Where have you been? Why did you turn off your phone?” Sylvia explained softly, “My phone’s battery died, and I fell asleep. I just woke up and saw you guys texting me.” “Oh…” The little girl sighed a breath of relief. She continued, “Mommy, why didn’t you come over in the afternoon? Is it because