Surprised, Tristan looked at Tara and asked, “How did you know she resigned?” Sylvia and Tara were barely acquaintances given their relationship, so she would never tell the lady about her resignation. Tara sighed. “I heard some news.” Then, she pulled out her phone from her bag and showed Tristan the pictures she sneakily snapped at Elysian House the other day without Odell’s knowledge. The picture showed Sylvia sitting at a table with Catherine, Tristan’s mother. Tristan grabbed her phone and zoomed in. A closer look later, he nervously asked, “Where did you get this picture? Why is Sylvia sitting together with my mother?” “I accidentally ran into them at Elysian House the other day, and I heard Mrs. Ledger wanted to give her money to make her leave your studio.” Tristan frowned. He asked, “My mother really spoke to Sylvia about this?” Tara looked into his eyes. “Why should I lie to you? I was in the other room that day, and I overheard it with my own ears.” Tristan
Sylvia was once again stunned. Questions filled her mind. She pushed him and asked, “Tristan, put me down! Let’s talk!” Tristan giggled and put her down. Excitement lingered on his face as he stared at her. It made Sylvia lose the thought of rejecting him using the harshest words possible. Curious, she asked, “Tristan, I thought I made myself clear on the phone. Why are you here talking to me about all this?” “I know everything.” He acted like he really knew everything. “What do you know?” “You resigned because my mother got to you and forced you to.” Tristan then put his hand over her head and caressed her hair. “You rejected me with all those harsh words on the phone because of my mother, am I right?” Sylvia was rendered speechless. She did not resign because of that. “Tristan, what I said to you over the phone is all real. Mrs. Ledger did come to me, but I did not resign because of her.” “You don’t need to explain anymore. I understand.” Sylvia did not know what
Odell furrowed his brows. It was still not time to clock out and he disliked people from his private life visiting his workplace. However, knowing that it had been days since he spent time with her, he said to Cliff, “Bring her in.” “Yes, sir.” A few minutes later, Tara came in in a fitted dress with an intricate box in her hands. “Odell, are you busy right now? Am I interrupting?” she asked softly. Odell put the documents down on the table. “It’s okay.” She went up to his desk and put the dessert she brought for him. “Odell, these are the desserts I got from a famous bakery. I’ve been queuing for an hour for this. Have a taste.” “I’m not hungry now. I’ll try them later. Why are you here?” he asked. “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that it’s been a few days since I've seen you and I missed you.” Tara then went behind him and put her hands over his shoulder, giving him a gentle massage. Odell tightened his lips. “It’s been quite hectic lately.” The look on Tara’s face sl
Sylvia came home early today with a bunch of hot pot ingredients and started preparing with Aunt Tonya. With the hot pot soup base, the meat, and the meatballs that Isabel loved, the preparation took them a full five hours. When it was almost time for the kids to come over, Sylvia took her apron off, dragged the table and chairs to the yard, and waited for them to arrive. However, no one came even after the sky turned dark. Sylvia looked at her watch. It was almost an hour past the time that they were supposed to arrive. Worried, she called Isabel’s phone but could not get through. She then called Liam, but the phone was turned off. Then, she called Jacob, the bodyguard. Two dial tones later, the call got through. "Jacob, are Isabel and Liam back from school?” Jacob froze for two seconds before he said, “The two of them are already back home.” He sounded evasive and conflicted. “Why didn’t they come over today?” “Umm…” Jacob sighed. “Ms. Ross, Master Carter said
"I’m here to see Odell Carter,” Sylvia announced. The receptionist was caught off guard when Sylvia mentioned Odell’s full name. He asked, “Do you have an appointment?” “I’m his ex-wife. Call him and tell him I want to see him. If he doesn’t want to see me, I’m not leaving.” The receptionist was surprised once again. He quickly went behind the reception desk and made the necessary calls. Sylvia waited on the spot. She had to get an answer today. If Odell really called security on her, she would definitely fight them off. She was his ex-wife anyway, and she did not work in the same building. If things went out of hand, it would only embarrass him, not her. Two minutes later, the receptionist approached her with a smile. “Miss, Assistant Bogard is coming down. He will bring you up to Mr. Carter.” The cold look on Sylvia's face softened a bit. “Thank you.” Soon, Cliff came out from the elevator. “Mrs… Ms. Ross. This way please,” he said with a smile. Sylvia followed hi
Sylvia was shocked when she found out. “He’s not eating?” Odell did not answer. The stony expression on his face was basically telling her to stop her pretense. Sylvia recalled how Tristan looked when he had come to her yesterday. He seemed slimmer and rather weak, and it was a surprise to her that starvation was the reason for that. She had no idea he could go down the extreme path, and neither would she have instigated him to do so. She looked at Odell and said, “I've rejected him many times now. I don’t care whether you believe me or not, but I never instigated him to stop eating so that he could convince his parents.” Her eyes widened in determination. Odell was surprised for a moment. Then, he regained his stern face and said, “If you really rejected him, he wouldn’t have gone on a hunger strike against his parents.” Sylvia did not know why Tristan chose to be stubborn and extreme. It even confused her feelings for him. Feeling helpless, she insisted, “Odell, I’m t
Odell bellowed, “You have three seconds to get off me!” While grinning, Sylvia clung on even tighter and said, “No!” “You…” His voice grew heavier. Sylvia was stunned for a moment, and before she could react, his handsome face moved closer to hers. He stuck his lips to hers. The man’s dominating presence assaulted her, and his scent gushed into her nose and filled her mind. The intimacy made her freeze for a few seconds. Then, she regained her composure and tried to push him away. However, the stronger she pushed, the tighter he sealed his lips on hers. She kept on struggling until she lost her balance and stumbled. Thud! She fell onto the couch, and Odell’s rigid body came collapsing on her. He hovered above her, looking into her eyes with a mischievous gaze. “I think you aren't actually here for the kids. You are here to seduce me.” Sylvia blushed. Annoyed, she said, “I’m here to see the kids!” He grinned. “Then, why are you hugging me?” “I don’t want you th
After they hugged, Sherry asked in annoyance, “Syl! Since when did you come back? Why didn’t you tell me?” Sylvia tried to force a smile. “I tried calling you several times, but I couldn't get through. Your social media accounts are all private as well, so I simply couldn’t find you.” Sherry awkwardly scratched her head. “Oh my, I actually ran into some trouble back then and I forgot to tell you.” Sylvia knew Sherry would not simply change her phone number and delete her social media accounts. Something must have happened. She asked, “What's going on?” “It’s history. I've forgotten all about it.” She put her hand around Sylvia’s shoulder and continued, “Come on, tell me. When did you come back?” Sylvia knew Sherry wanted to leave it out of the conversation, so she simply did not press on the topic. She continued her walk with Sherry and said, “I’ve been back for some time now.” She briefly told Sherry what happened after she brought Isabel back. Sherry also updated her fr