Carl did not answer Violet's question immediately. Instead, he drew her attention to the folder on his desk. "Don't you want to see what's in there?"Violet approached him skeptically. As she perused its contents, she realized it was a DNA test."I collected the samples from you and Whitney," Carl informed her. His voice was frosty."Please! I can explain!" Violet cut in hurriedly. Now that Whitney was involved, she couldn't help the sharp fear rising within her. "I can assure you that it's not what you think."Carl sat down expectantly.Violet considered her options swiftly. If she admitted to Whitney being her daughter, she would expose Whitney's lie and, therefore, put her daughter directly in danger.After all, Whitney had told Carl that she was an orphan when she first approached him.Carl had always been merciless, especially when it came to those who dared deceive him.The thought of his ruthlessness was enough for Violet to shoulder the blame entirely in exchange for Wh
"Whitney!" Violet screamed. She immediately ran toward the house.A firefighter halted her advance. "Miss, this building has been temporarily sealed off. You can't go in there right now.""My house is on fire!" Violet stressed, her voice urgent. "My daughter is still inside!""We've already sent a team in. If you could just …" The firefighter had barely finished when Violet shoved him aside and rushed into the building.The firefighter attempted to catch up to her, but Violet was quicker than he anticipated."Whitney!" she yelled as she raced up the stairs. "Whitney, where are you?"Violet got to the eighth floor in no time. A few firefighters were in the process of extinguishing the fire, and there was no sign of Whitney in the bedroom."Where's my daughter?" The panic that surged within her was unprecedented. "Where is she?""We have checked the scene thoroughly, Miss. There are no casualties despite the damage to the property," one of the firefighters informed her.Violet l
Carl's roaming hands paused at Violet's waist. His grip tightened in a wordless warning.Violet understood him loud and clear.He was demanding her absolute cooperation or risk facing the consequences of her defiance."Carl …" Helen was dumbfounded.Carl was her childhood best friend. Yet, he had never even held her hand before, let alone kissed her.Helen might hold the title of Carl's fiancée, but that had never really amounted to anything beyond their parents' joint wishes.Now, Helen was forced to stand and watch as Carl kissed another woman in front of her. His enjoyment was evident in the way his eyes fluttered shut, as if there was no one he loved more deeply than Violet.Helen sniffed. She blinked before bursting into tears.Violet shook her head exasperatedly. If she cried as easily as Helen did, her tears could fill an entire ocean with all the bullying and exploitation Carl subjected her to daily."I am your fiancée!" Helen wailed. "Don't abandon me, Carl.""He
"How dare she!" Carl's mother, Elsa Hughes, roared. Her expression was icy. "What is it this time? The women around Carl are usually easy enough to get rid of.""Well, this Violet is different," Helen emphasized. "Did you know Carl actually smiled at her? He's never even smiled at me before."Elsa immediately reassured Helen. "Alright, alright. Calm down. When I'm done wrapping up my work here, I'll fly over and help you out over there.""Please hurry, Mrs. Walker!" Helen sobbed. "If you don't, I might be dead by the time you're here."It wasn't until Elsa promised to speed things up that Helen finally hung up.She then wiped away her tears. "Let's see how you can compete with me, Violet!" she snarled at her own reflection.On the other hand, Violet did not waste too much of her time worrying about Helen. Instead, she went down to the dungeons alone. Violet intended to search the area where she'd bumped into the traitor the other day. She had hoped that she might find some cl
Violet's lips curled upward.Helen ducked behind Elsa, avoiding the sharpness in Violet's gaze.With someone on her side, Helen continued her taunts. "I wouldn't be surprised if Whitney, too, turns out to be a fake. Why don't we get rid of her as well while we're at it?"Judging from the murderous glint in Helen's eyes, she would've sent someone to assassinate both Violet and Whitney even if she'd let them go.Elsa tossed the envelope at Violet.Violet opened it and examined the evidence briefly. The sequence of events was intricately linked. Whoever made this certainly made it look convincing enough.Violet couldn't help but imagine her impending fate. After all, with evidence as solid as this one, it was hard to find someone who wouldn't believe it."Mr. Walker performed a DNA test on Whitney before," Ms. Bentley couldn't help but chime in. "Whitney is his biological daughter."Violet couldn't understand why Ms. Bentley would lie so blatantly to Elsa. If her lie were to be ex
"Of course!" the old man promised. "We're going to perform at a psychiatric hospital today. From what I've seen of her, she's perfect for the role of a tree! Let me teach her the basics first."As he spoke, the man led his group of students over to Elsa. He then taught her how to sing and dance."You … What are you doing?" Elsa shouted.As she gradually returned to her senses, she turned to Violet. "Violet Cooper! How dare you lie to me? Do you have a death wish?"Violet was unfazed. "It's not like you're planning to let me walk away alive even if I hadn't lied to you.""Get away from me!" Elsa roared.Despite that, none of them seemed remotely bothered by the iciness on her face. Instead, they remained as enthusiastic as ever.As the group consisted of elderly people, Elsa could not bring herself to meet their advances with violence.She couldn't touch nor harm them. It would only tarnish the reputation of the Walker family.When Violet looked back again from a distance, she
"Leave us for a while," Carl told Reed.Reed helped Violet back to the couch and glanced at her anxiously. Then, he left the room, albeit reluctantly.Violet's arms ached. "Why are you exactly like Whitney?" she protested. "It's just a few pills. They're not even bitter! Would it kill you to swallow them?""Violet." Carl approached her slowly. "Are you a sorceress?"Violet blinked at him. Her reflexes were sluggish due to the alcohol in her body."Why are you calling me that?" she asked, aggrieved. Even the pitch of her voice was raised. "Why are you constantly bullying me?"Carl could not understand what was happening. "If you're not a sorceress that beguiles one's mind, then why …"Why did he always feel so helpless when it came to her?"What did I do wrong now?" Violet pouted. "Was the meal just now too expensive?"Carl placed a hand against her cheek. The warmth emanating from her skin urged him on."There's no need for the pills," he told her before picking up her hand.
Carl raised his arm. Yet, he stopped himself before he could hit her.Violet glared at Carl. She hadn't lost her mind. She just wanted to hit him!These days, her bottom line for Carl's bullying was dropping lower and lower. She had convinced herself it was for Whitney's sake as well as it was for those inexplicable emotions that plagued her relentlessly.It was bad enough that he had taken advantage of her. How dare he say something like this to humiliate her now?Yes, she loved money. But every last cent she had gotten so far was the result of her hard work and her intelligence.Violet suddenly realized that she cared deeply for Carl's opinion of her. In his eyes, was she truly this pathetic?Violet's chest clenched. Carl's words were a knife that dug into her heart and shredded her to pieces.Carl's fists curled as well. The veins on his forearms bulged.None of this was what he'd wanted to say to her. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to voice the actual words in his mind.
"Uh-huh." Violet reached out and hugged Carl. There was deep affection in her voice."I've conceived two children for you, and you've been pretty nice to me recently. Who else should I marry if not you?"Great joy rose in Carl's eyes after listening to Violet.After all the ordeals they had gone through, she finally agreed to marry him!Violet chuckled when she saw Carl unconsciously getting excited. Her heart was filled with satisfaction.She said on purpose, "But if you're not serious about marrying me, I won't be serious about marrying you too. We can get a divorce once I give birth to the baby. How about that?""I won't let you leave me." Carl held Violet tightly, looking anxious as if she would disappear all of a sudden.His heart was satisfied when he felt her warmth in his embrace. He lifted her up and spun around in excitement. He looked like a kid who got candies, which stunned Maverick as he entered.Maverick then lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Carl, this
"Vi, promise me you won't risk yourself ever again. Please trust me no matter what happens." Carl hugged Violet in fear.Violet nodded and leaned on his shoulder. She said softly, "Carl, if you hadn't shown yourself on television, I wouldn't have fallen for Benilio's trap easily. Then, Silvia wouldn't have kidnapped me.""Yes, it's my fault." Carl tightened his arms around Violet. "Vi, I've been wanting to ask you something. I don't know if you would give me an answer.""What?" Violet rested in his arms. She was getting sleepy after using her wits and energy against Silvia."Help me keep these two keys. When I need it, help me open a box." Carl took out two heart-shaped keys like a magician, giving them to Violet.Violet took the keys and looked at them carefully. She couldn't find anything special about them. She nodded and agreed to Carl's request."Okay, anything else?" Violet was getting more sleepy."There's something more, but I can't tell you about it right now." Carl loo
"Carl, I'll settle things with you next time."Silvia knew she would be at a disadvantage if she continued fighting with Carl. Without waiting for Carl to strike, she took out a poison gas bomb with itching powder added to it.She threw it at Carl. The poison gas bomb landed on the floor and exploded immediately. As Carl backed off quickly, Silvia used the opportunity to escape in a flash.Carl only went after Silvia when the gas dissipated. Silvia had already reached the entrance of the restaurant with one injured leg. She took a pregnant lady hostage and left quickly."Contact the Zuissian police and lock down the city. They must catch Silvia and save the pregnant lady."Carl came out from the kitchen, and Maverick immediately went up to him and told him about the current dangerous situation.Carl made a quick decision and asked Maverick to deal with it accordingly. Then, he looked around and asked for Whitney's and Mick's whereabouts."Whitney and Mick? Did they come here?" M
Benilio asked for the votes to be finalized and combined with the judges' choices. He was about to announce Carl as the winner when the crowd suddenly erupted.It turned out that a plump foodie who only ate Carl's walnut cake suddenly collapsed. Her foaming mouth indicated that she was poisoned."What? Who would be so evil to kill us?" The foodies were horrified. Some of them screamed and became restless.The restaurant went into chaos at once. Amidst the mess, a cold smile formed on Silvia's lips. She quickly snuck into the kitchen where Carl was at."Arrest those troublemakers and send them to the police. Keep calming the crowd down." Maverick watched as Silvia sneaked away with a smile on his face. He gave his orders calmly.The Walkers' bodyguards, who had been on standby, received Maverick's instructions. They immediately contacted the Zuissian police headquarters and asked for police cars to take away the troublemakers.They also got Carl's and Nathaniel's walnut cakes exam
The plump woman stared at her watch gloomily. Her expression turned uglier the more time had passed. A few female foodies wanted to chat with her, but they backed off once they met her gaze.Soon, there was an empty space surrounding the plump woman that separated her from the crowd.Maverick and the Demon King stood on the upper floor, looking at the situation downstairs with their eyebrows furrowed hard."Mr. Walker, I think I found Silvia." Maverick took a photo of the ground floor and sent it to Carl."Since she showed up here, it means she must've everything ready where Annabel is kept at. Our men are rushing over to Annabel. You must ask our men to protect Violet, too. I suspect that …""They've found Annabel. She's safe and sound. But there was a pool of blood there. They don't know whose blood it was." Carl cut Maverick off.He continued, "Maverick, I've done everything to keep Violet safe."All you have to do is to keep an eye on the foodies. There are real foodies amon
"Demon King, I'm right outside the door. Come out for a second. I've something to give you." Maverick thought about it and called the Demon King.At that time, the Demon King had just slightly recovered from the blow of losing Annabel. He frowned a little when he received Maverick's sudden phone call.His fingers trembled, and he really wanted to reject the call. But when he thought of his beloved Annabel, he picked up."Huh?" The Demon King heard Maverick as soon as he picked up. He furrowed his eyebrows."You're outside? What about Annabel? You didn't come with her?"The Demon King was obviously disappointed. He thought by speaking with Maverick on the phone, he could hear Annabel's voice a little.Violet sat right beside the Demon King. She curled her lips when she saw the Demon King sulking like a kid.She thought that the Demon King and Annabel would make a pretty good couple if there was no Maverick. The Demon King had never dated anyone, and he would treasure Annabel."Y
"Carl, there are many special ways to propose. You can look it up on the Internet or ask for help from someone more experienced in love. For example, Ray from our company is pretty good at it." Annabel continued to suggest.Carl's face darkened even more when he heard that.Ray didn't even know how to pursue a woman properly. Yet he knew how to propose to someone? Quit joking!"Annabel, you don't have to worry about this. You just have to focus on recuperating," Carl said bossily and hung up.Annabel snickered when she heard the call was disconnected.Oh, Carl. He was undeniably good in business, but when it came to women …"It really is true that genius men can be complete fools in some other ways." Annabel sighed.Maverick had just finished carrying out Carl's orders. He got the stuff ready and was about to tell Annabel that he was going to send the stuff to Carl. It was at this moment that he heard Annabel's random comment."Annabel, are you talking about me?" He grinned. He
"Kiera, I won't give up." Nathaniel strengthened his resolve after looking at the pictures."What's the point?" Kiera disagreed."There's plenty of nice people in the world. Even if you don't like me, there are so many excellent women out there. Why can't you find someone among them?""I can't. I can't find anyone else like Vi ever again." His voice became lower as if he was caught up in his memories."I've decided from the first moment I saw her. Ever since I met her when we were young, I was bound to protect her for the rest of my life. I'll be her knight in shining armor forever.""Kiera, I've made these desserts for Vi, and I need your help to give it to her. I'll drive there right now. You just have to come out for a moment." Nathaniel's pleading voice came from the phone. Kiera couldn't bear to refuse. She let him drive over and agreed to take the desserts.Nathaniel was overjoyed and immediately left in his car.He was in a hurry. He didn't realize that after he left, a
Whitney, who had been hiding in the dark, curled her lips when she saw the interaction between the two.She grinned. She would matchmake Nathaniel and Kiera so that they could leave Violet and Carl alone. This was the life Whitney wanted."Ms. Quartley, keep up the good work. I'll create more opportunities for you guys," Whitney swore to herself."Whitney, I'll help you." While Whitney was thinking about ways to get Kiera and Nathaniel together, Mick's calm voice sounded next to her ear.Whitney knitted her eyebrows and looked to the side. She pouted in dissatisfaction."You'll help me? Do you know how to pursue a girl? Do you have previous experience that can help me bring Mr. Nathaniel and Ms. Quartley together?"Whitney put her hands on her hips like a spoiled girlfriend."I don't." Mick's gaze dimmed. But when he saw Whitney's smile, he strengthened his resolve."But I'll help you with everything I've got. Besides, although I've never pursued a girl, my dad has plenty of ex