Sylvia was led to a guest room at Stockton’s mansion after she arrived at Glenchester. The butler had even arranged for a bodyguard and a maid for her. It was already morning yet she had still not seen Sherry. She wanted to leave the room but the maid and the bodyguard stopped her. The maid smiled. “Mrs. Carter, Ms. Fowler hasn’t woken up yet. It’s not yet time for you to meet with her. Please wait for a little longer.” Sylvia frowned. She had been waiting for an hour now. She might have arrived a little earlier than normal but even if John did not want her disturbing Sherry, her friend should have woken up by now. The bodyguard and maid must have gotten orders from John to keep her in the room, but why prevent her from seeing Sherry? Had he done something to her this time? Sylvia glared at the bodyguard. The man was tall and strong, and there was no way she could defeat him. She went back into the room and shut the door. …Meanwhile, Sherry had just woken up f
Back in Sylvia’s room, she had just opened a window and was about to attempt to escape through it.When she was about to jump from the balcony to the yard, she heard a knocking at the door. The maid’s voice followed. “Mrs. Carter, are you resting? Ms. Fowler has woken up, so Master Stockton told me to bring you over to her.” Sylvia’s eyes lit up. “No, I’m already up. I’m coming.” …Riding a shuttle bus that had been especially designed to be driven within the huge manor grounds, it took Sylvia three minutes to reach the other building where Sherry’s room was located. Several bodyguards were stationed outside the entrance. However, since John must have given the order, no one stopped her. She walked through the front yard and reached the door. When she entered the living hall, Sherry came out of her room. Her hair was loosely draped over her shoulder and she wore a long dress with slippers. It looked as if she had just woken up. There was nothing wrong with her attire
After chatting for a while, the servants brought in breakfast. The breakfast that was served contained all the specialties of Glenchester and was very sumptuous. Simultaneously, the two of them looked at the table of food, so Sylvia missed the flash of shock and surprise in Sherry’s eyes. “Come on, Syl. Let’s eat.” She grabbed Sylvia’s hand and pulled her over to the table. Sylvia was also starving as she followed her over. But, hadn’t Sherry said that she had lost her appetite? After a while, Sylvia’s eyes swept over the empty plates on the table that Sherry had furiously wiped clean and felt baffled by it. “Burp.” Sherry let out a huge belch and giggled. “I don’t know why but my appetite came back when I saw you, Syl.” Sylvia remained quiet. John, who was eating next door, was left speechless. “Hmph.” …After breakfast, Sylvia asked, “Sherry, why is John keeping you here?” Sherry sat with her back against the sun. “I told you before, I cheated on him.” “It do
Sherry could not help but glare at John as she said, “I said, she doesn’t want to see him.” John’s smile faded. Odell looked at the door to the guest room that was the only one with the door closed. “Master Stockton, Ms. Fowler, I’d like to talk to her alone, please.” John followed his gaze to the guest room and the smile returned to his face. “Sure.” Odell went over to the closed door. Sherry’s expression changed. She tried to stop Odell but John held her back. She tried to struggle but John forcefully cupped her face. “Stop it. Come out with me.” He then carried her out of the living hall. The other servants followed them out and the whole house went quiet.Odell went up to the door and knocked. Sylvia was leaning on the wall beside the door. “Sylvia,” he said. Sylvia did not answer. Odell frowned and spoke in a deep voice. “I know it’s my fault. I wronged you for the first three years.” He had received a call from Ben as he was traveling to Glenchester. Be
Not long after Odell left, Sylvia came out of the room. Sherry and John were in the living room. Sherry went over to her side as soon as she came out. John smiled. “Mrs. Carter, Master Carter has already gone home. You can stay here for a few days in peace. If there’s anything you need, just tell Arnold, the butler.” Sylvia was not overly fond of John either but she maintained her manners and thanked him. “I appreciate that, Master Stockton.” “Don’t mention it.” John got up and glanced at his watch. “Please excuse me as I have work to attend to.” He then looked at Sherry. “Sherry, please look after Mrs. Carter.” “I don’t need you to remind me of that,” Sherry retorted. John’s gaze turned frosty for a second, but he maintained his smile and said to Sylvia, “Mrs. Carter.” “Master Stockton.” John then went out. The moment his figure disappeared through the door, Shery cursed loudly, “That f*cking b*stard. Hypocrite!” Sylvia merely watched in silence. …After Joh
Sylvia glanced at Sherry’s sewing. It looked like she was sewing a lily. It resembled a flower but it was not exactly beautiful. All of a sudden, Sherry asked, “Syl, are you hungry?” The question caught Sylvia off guard. “I’m okay, but I do feel like nibbling on something.” Sylvia was rather bored. Sherry then turned to the maid. “Hey, didn’t you hear her? Syl wants something to eat. Hurry up and bring some snacks over.” The maid frowned, seemingly reluctant to go. Sherry became agitated. “Are you deaf? That b*stard John told us to take care of Syl. Don’t you know who Syl’s husband is?” The maid glanced at Sylvia before she went off. Sherry then turned to smile at Sylvia. The change in her expression was faster than turning a page of a book.“Hold on, Syl. The maid will bring something over.” Sylvia looked at her friend. “Sherry, are you hiding something from me?” Sherry had never been a bully before, so why had she been so angry at the maid? She was also not s
Sylvia stared at the empty plates in silence. “Syl? Why aren’t you saying anything?” Sherry looked at her cautiously. “Sherry, is it true that John doesn’t feed you? Did he also force you to do all this embroidery work?” Sylvia asked coldly. Sherry’s expression froze. “No, no. I would have starved to death if he didn’t feed me. I’m doing embroidery to pass the time.” “What about your phone? Did he confiscate it?” Sylvia asked. Sherry pursed her lips and she started to get teary. Sylvia’s brows furrowed. She got up and sat beside her friend. “Sherry, please tell me the truth or I’ll be angry.” Sherry hugged her friend around the waist and wept. “That b*stard is inhuman! He eats like a king every day but feeds me leftovers! I haven’t even eaten any meat in such a long time! “He even forced me to sew all this nonsense. I have to sew ten of these each week. He also forced me to do gardening! Look at the flowers there, I planted all of them with my own hands!” Sylvia looke
The maid soon brought dinner over. Fearing that Sherry might scold or beat her, she quickly made her exit after serving dinner. Sherry tossed the needle and cloth aside before grabbing Sylvia and pulling her over to the dining table. Footsteps came from the door as soon as they sat down. The maid respectfully greeted the person. “Good evening, Master Stockton.” Sherry’s face suddenly turned pale and she put down her cutlery. Sylvia turned to look at the entrance. John, who was wearing a white shirt, walked over. He smiled at Sylvia. “Please, Mrs. Carter, make yourself at home.” He then sat down beside Sherry. Sylvia’s lips tightened as she sat down. The maid brought a new set of cutlery over. John picked his spoon up and smiled. “Mrs. Carter, please help yourself.” He smiled gently and talked politely. If Sherry had not already told her what happened, Sylvia would never have believed that the man was such a hypocrite. Out of respect for the host, she thank
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