"He lay back on the bed, watching her as she toyed with a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear with the intention of touching her skin and seeing her wake up at his touch.'When will it be?' he murmured, squinting and swallowing hard.Elizabeth's eyes opened as she felt his touch, and for a brief moment, she registered his gesture and his expression, showing discomfort. She wondered what was wrong with him.'Good morning, Elizabeth.''Morning. Are you okay?'He nodded. She sat up, showing excitement, and hugged him, allowing him to warmly return the embrace. That same warm sensation filled her chest as she touched his bare chest, feeling every firm part of his torso.For a moment, Richard let himself go and fell onto her, pressing his lips against hers and kissing her deeply.Suddenly, she found herself pinned to the bed as his hands slid over her face to the top of her head, gently tousling her hair as he kissed her cautiously, wary of rejection. However, she didn't feel the
Chapter 35: Zany BayGaby held Elizabeth's hand, showing concern, and pulled her friend up the stairs."Look at this," she announced, showing the posters plastered on the walls."What's this?" Elizabeth asked, picking up one of the sheets to read.["New swindler uses her influence to humiliate scholarship students just because he confessed his feelings for her."]"Even the school paper is reporting this. I found out the guy who was recording is from the school newspaper responsible for fetching news and gossip in school. We should have paid attention to this.""Okay..." Elizabeth sighed indifferently."It's even on the school website, the video, even with cuts and image editing. What are we going to do?" Gaby asked, concerned."I've already said, it's okay," Elizabeth commented indifferently, heading to the classroom."Why did you do that?" one of the guys asked, confronting Elizabeth, who remained cold. "He's always liked you, ever since you entered this campus. You're one of the wor
Chapter 36: Jayden's DiscoveryBut that didn't worry him; for a while now, many people had wanted to know who this woman was. Until today, no one had ever seen her or knew who she might be. There were so many stories—of a woman whose face was ascending, gaining power and influence in various financial sectors."Do you want me to handle this?" Jayden asked."Elizabeth hasn't cared about it," murmured the person, analyzing the photos on their computer. Among the pictures was one of her being embraced by Taylor. "Plus, I want to see how far this confusion will spread. Supposedly, I might finally learn who this 'Bay' person is.""Do you think she'll show up? It would be interesting to meet such a powerful woman. I believe, in terms of power, you could even consider marrying her instead of keeping that crazy woman in your house," commented Jayden disdainfully."You don't sympathize with her?""Never. That woman is troublesome. You should be afraid when you think of trusting her.""I don't
Chapter 37: Everything in Its PlaceJayden had headed to the office at the base where he trained. He was still organizing his thoughts, not intending to tell Richard until he found out what was really going on."It can't be... I'm sure that girl is the wild rose, and she recognized me," he thought, restless.Meanwhile, Richard was now in the office, quiet and pensive about the information he had received."I'm taking you to meet my grandfather. I hope you behave because supposedly, my nephew will be there too. He tends to copy me, so obviously, he'll be there to introduce his wife and boast," he warned, displaying coldness."Why should I care whether he's there or not?""You've been meeting him behind my back.""I didn't do that, and that meant nothing. Besides..." she murmured, insecure as she picked up her bag. "We're married.""I hope you know that I won't tolerate betrayal. You won't be forgiven, even if our relationship was the way it was. I believe I deserve your loyalty, right?
Chapter 38: Evidence Against Richard"Considering there have been worse cases, and Miss Bay has never been involved, this might be a special case.""Then, it's possible that Elizabeth has a connection with this woman…" He murmured thoughtfully, a faint smile on his face. "But I thought you had managed to get the video.""Well, actually…" She coughed uncomfortably. "Someone got there before me and had access to it.""Who?" He inquired, intrigued."Someone we already know. Supposedly, it might be that she has… something to do with Zany Bay, the assassin we knew as Wild Rose. Yesterday, I found out that it's not actually a man but a woman.""Interesting, seems like you were close to catching her. What happened?""Let's just say she had a switchblade, and I had nothing. I was careless, but now… I have an idea of how to capture her," he commented mysteriously while staring at the image of Gaby in the recording.Still at university, Taylor took the risk of meeting Elizabeth. This time, he h
Chapter 39: Old AlfredAfter greeting Elizabeth's parents and having to explain one, two, three times that nothing had happened, he finally managed to go upstairs to her room. Seeing the unlocked door, he just walked in and headed towards the girl's bed, which was covered from head to toe. However, what caught his attention were the sheets on her dresser. He subtly analyzed each of them and understood what was going on but didn't let it affect him."Have you not learned yet that it's better to talk than to keep storing meaningless things?" He asked, sitting on her bed and embracing her around the waist, pulling her into his arms and waking her up."What are you doing here?" She asked, pulling away."Today is the day we go to my grandfather's house. The trip is a bit long. Get ready," he suggested coldly, getting up.She just nodded. After getting ready, they set off on the journey without even communicating. Taylor had arrived first at Richard's grandfather's house, as had Emma's fath
Chapter 40: I Won't Stand for It AnymoreRichard seemed confident as he escorted Elizabeth, yet simultaneously, he felt a mixture of confidence and apprehension about how his grandfather might treat her. He knew dealing with the grandfather wasn't an easy task.Alfred, a 70-year-old gentleman, appeared sharp and perceptive in evaluating people's trustworthiness. Despite his advanced age, his elegant attire evoked the image of a duke. Like Richard, Alfred was considered an influential tycoon, holding considerable economic power.Richard lived in constant motion, always seeking improvements and advancements in the power he already held. He was fully aware that both he and Taylor were in a power competition, vying to be worthy of inheriting everything that man possessed, something that far surpassed Richard's resources.Alfred sighed d
Chapter 41: Nothing They WantCarlson, Emma's father, rushes down the stairs as Emma stares at Elizabeth with a wicked smile, even after the slap."Uncle!" Taylor warns, stepping forward to defend Elizabeth, sensing his intention to harm her."No one touches my daughter!""Let him do what he wants, I don't need you to defend me!" Elizabeth protested, pushing Taylor away."A nobody who thinks she's something just for being married to that man," Carlson grumbled disdainfully."Oh..." she sighed, parting her lips in surprise. "True, what will you do? Hit his wife? At least I married someone truly worthy of respect, unlike you, who play at the lowest to gain power.""For heaven's sake, Elizabeth," Taylor grumbled. "You saw ever
Chapter 209: The Last Farewell Today at the mansion, everyone was excited, people came and went, both the Campbell and Leblanc families, employees went up and down bringing and taking things. The twins and Gaby were in Elizabeth's room, styling her hair and adorning it with pearl ornaments. It would be the most luxurious party ever seen. Richard and Elizabeth were marrying again, this time officially and grandly, so that everyone could witness this union and celebrate.After so many events, walking down the aisle to meet the man she loved was priceless. As her father led her slowly as if wanting to savor her arrival at the groom."Father?" whispered Elizabeth upon hearing her father's slight sniffle and realizing he was almost crying." Isn't this the second time I'm getting married?"That wasn't a wedding, it was a mistake of your father, right? But now I'm seeing my daughter really getting married, to someone she loves, I'm just a grandfather now." declared Zeus, holding back tears.
Chapter 208: Implications and Departures."You know..." sighed Brian as he saw Emma, who stared at them with disdain." When you don't talk about the devil, he shows up anyway, doesn't he?" he asked seriously.The twins, in turn, got up and went downstairs together, barely noticing that the Leblanc brothers followed them while smiling and chatting."What are they talking about?" whispered Brian. Then, they subtly approached when the twins sat at a table in the cafeteria and stealthily listened."You shouldn't think about it, it was right to throw those coats away at that moment. Besides... Think about it, do men like them have anything good to offer? You saw, they attract the attention of all women all the time." she commented with disgust."But isn't that a good thing?" asked Brian, whispering, astonished."True, you know, men like that are after every woman they can find. There's no value in that, and I say this because they kept staring at us the whole time. We're nothing but toys,
Chapter 207: A Pregnant Woman in a Scorpion NestShe rested her head on those wooden planks, holding her belly, thinking she would be alone at that moment. Besides the risk she was taking by being in an old house in a forest, it was obvious that there were insects and wild animals around. So, she tried to stay still, even more so when she saw an unpleasant insect just inches away, making her spine tingle. After all, how many more were there? She closed her eyes in terror. It seemed that under that house had become a shelter for scorpions. So, she even tried not to breathe, even with panic.At such a critical moment, she truly thought she was going to die, until she heard the door of that old house open abruptly."Oh Heavens... He never fails..." she sighed in relief."Stay still!" Richard asserted upon seeing the scorpions crawling over Elizabeth."Save me... Please..." she pleaded, holding her breath."It's okay... Just don't move." he said, keeping calm and carefully removing the sc
Chapter 206: A Dangerous and Relaxed WalkElizabeth was already nine months pregnant, and with each passing day, she became more anxious. It wasn't because she eagerly awaited the moment to see her daughter, but rather because, after months in that mansion, even with so much entertainment, she was eager and longing to go out and take her last walk alone.The twins were wandering around the mansion's premises, and as usual, they always went to see Elizabeth."You can come in," announced Elizabeth when the twins knocked on the door."Are you going somewhere?" the girls asked, a bit confused to see her already dressed and drying her hair."I'm thinking of making a brief visit to an old place," she said thoughtfully."You're not thinking of visiting someone, are you?" Kemilly asked suspiciously."What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked, confused."We heard that Taylor is paralyzed, unable to move anything from the waist down. It's a pity for someone so young and handsome.""Why would
Chapter 205: Visiting my former marriageDuring that same period, Taylor was now living with his mother. She took him to her home, even though it was a simple place. Now he had to accept that this was his fate, being completely ignored by his father, who didn't even visit him. Coralie now sat daily in a chair in front of Taylor's bed and dedicated herself to feeding him."Do you know I can feed myself, right? Why do you keep doing this?" Taylor asked, annoyed."And I want to take care of my son, as I never could before," she grumbled as he refused to eat."You don't have to, just leave and let me die. We can't even live in this place, no money, no life, nothing. That bastard who claims to be my father only defends his own interests.""I'm here. Besides, I know how to get money, so don't worry.""How?""Let's just say I made a great friend, even when I was practicing evil," she smiled tenderly. "At least she says she never made a mistake when she chose to trust me.""I abandoned you. S
Chapter 204 - Ambitious and InsistentAs soon as the girls received Elizabeth's message, they didn't think twice before rushing to meet their mother and uncle to share the news and their decisions at that moment.Richard was gathered in the garden with his sister Rayssa and Aloury. The girls talked to their guardians and asked for permission to go with Elizabeth."How come Elizabeth asked you two to go with her?" Richard asked skeptically."Actually, we asked her. We believe we can learn more from someone like her.""Did she say where she's going?"The girls shook their heads negatively."No, actually she said she didn't want you to know.""What am I to her? Is she always going to be avoiding me? Does she think it's fair while dragging my daughter everywhere?" he grumbled annoyed, leaving the twins confused."What do you mean? But if it was your son, why did you let Taylor bother her so much?"At that moment, Richard averted his gaze, showing shame."At first, he implied that baby was
Chapter 203: Things Seem to Be Falling into PlaceRayssa went upstairs to see her sister; Aloury still had no idea that her older sister had been rescued."Do you think she'll be happy?" Rayssa asked, leaning on Richard's arm as he escorted her."You can be sure, just the two of us was a bit lonely.""I heard she married that man, now that I'm back, I'll have to face a divorce while her marriage will be annulled," she sighed thoughtfully."Indeed, it seems our family has a karma related to marriage annulment.""Why? Speaking of which... Elizabeth is your wife, right? Why didn't you bring her?""It's a long story, actually, a story so far-fetched it might take days to know it all," he suddenly commented, remembering the time he was kidnapped.He smiled awkwardly at the thought that it was his grandfather who did that; he was now sure that Rayssa and Aloury's encounter was more dramatic than expected, filled with Aloury's remorse and regret, now that she was lucid. She had awakened from
Chapter 202: Elizabeth's DepartureThe twins eyed each other cautiously, silently communicating with their gaze. Emile nodded in agreement to what Kemilly indicated by looking towards the grand entrance, then turned to his sister."Let's take you, since you can't walk...""No!" Kemilly asserted, using all her strength, pulling her sister and running into the hospital, leaving the two men stunned."What's going on?" Brian asked, furrowing his brow as he watched the girls struggling to run."Interesting, I expected them to jump into our arms instead of running past us..." "Oh... I guess we're quite presumptuous, but perhaps there are really tough women out there in the world," Brian commented, interrupting his brother and suppressing a laugh."Did they make it seem like a game?" Ryuk asked, sliding his thumb over his chin with a light smile, much like Brian.The twins ran to Elizabeth's room, finding her things already packed, feeling disappointed to see her leaving."You're leaving wi
Chapter 201: An Old Problem.She smiled disappointedly, took a deep breath, gathering courage for what she wanted to say."Just forget it, I'm not going anywhere with you. If you think she's not yours, I don't want you to assume a responsibility that isn't yours," she said calmly, not even looking at him."Even if she doesn't have my blood, it doesn't mean I can't love her as a legitimate daughter, Liz... Don't keep rejecting me..." he tried to hold her hand, but she pulled away."Excuse me," Eliza entered the room, interrupting the conversation."I'll let you two talk..." Richard announced, albeit unwillingly."Why are you treating him like this?" Eliza asked, concerned."Because he's stubborn. Clearly, he's doing this out of pity. He wants to accept this child not because he loves me or loves this child, but because he feels sorry for everything I've been through. But the truth is, I've realized that nothing happened between me and Taylor.""What do you mean?" Eliza asked, intereste