"Uncle Cliff…" Natalie was at a loss.She had never imagined the once high and mighty Cliff would resort to such an act.Just then, hurried footsteps approached.As Natalie turned her head, she caught sight of a familiar face."Why are you doing this? Get up! Get up now!" Henry quickly went to Cliff's side and pulled him to his feet.Natalie's firmness in this matter was something he had witnessed yet again. Even with Cliff kneeling and pleading, she still didn't want to be with him. So, he had to face reality.Oh, how much she detested him."Uncle Cliff, I should be going back now." Natalie quickly shifted her gaze away from Henry and turned to leave.This time, Henry didn't chase after her. He simply watched her leave with pain in his eyes.Then, he quickly averted his gaze and turned angrily to Cliff. "Why did you have to meddle? Did I ask you to intervene?"Do you even know what it means to consult someone?" Henry turned his face away, dissatisfied.Clif glanced at him
Elsie was visibly annoyed, and her face was set in a scowl. However, she was unable to come up with a retort.For some reason, she was particularly bothered by Leslie's presence.Perhaps it was because she had witnessed how much Hugh had doted on Leslie over the years.Seeing that her adversary had fallen silent, Leslie simply walked away. She hadn't planned on lingering in the mall anyway. However, just as she was about to leave to check another counter, a voice called out, "Les!"Leslie had encountered Harper once before, so she recognized her voice.Leslie then glanced over and noticed that another previous brand's counter had been cleared out. Now, it was being replaced by a jewelry line under TK International.Harper was probably overseeing the progress there."I didn't expect to run into you here. I haven't had the chance to apologize for last time. I'm sorry for Mom's misunderstanding," Harper spoke in a soft voice.But more than Harper's words, what caught Leslie's at
Leslie met Hugh's gaze.For a moment, she almost softened. She'd almost got deceived again by those deep, affectionate eyes of his.However, she quickly forced herself to look away, not entertaining his presence. Then, she turned back to her car.This time, Hugh stepped aside. Then, he called out to her, "Les, I'll see you in a couple of days."Leslie heard his words and mumbled under her breath, "'See you', my foot!"…Soon, the day of Natalie's departure was approaching, and Leslie proposed a get-together as a farewell for her.Natalie felt such occasions were somewhat melancholic. But she was unable to resist Leslis's insistence and eventually agreed.Before going to the dinner, Natalie first made a trip to the Montte Villa, where Owen was currently living.Even though Owen was now suffering from dementia, she felt it was right to say farewell to him given his kindness toward her.After all, the next time she'd see him would be after half a year, when her study abroad prog
Due to the secluded location where Henry had parked, Natalie couldn't see his car at all from where she stood.Henry rolled down the window as his deep eyes unblinkingly watched her figure.If Natalie had asked him personally to stay for dinner, he would have agreed without hesitation. But it was clear she didn't want him to stay.Perhaps she truly resented him for the troubles and hurt he had caused her.Henry had forgotten how he managed to get through the past few days.Despite his strong desire to be close to Natalie, he had to force himself to maintain a distance.His heart felt as if it were being fried in oil, enduring constant torment.Soon, Natalie drove away.Henry then instructed his driver to follow her, keeping a discreet distance.When Natalie arrived at Zenith Diner, Henry realized that she was meeting Leslie for a meal.It looked like a celebration of her upcoming departure abroad…He hadn't expected her to be so eager to leave the country.Was there nothing
Without saying much, Henry slowly approached the table. He stared at the back of Natalie's head for several seconds before gently bending down and lifting her in his arms.Meanwhile, Leslie watched as they left.As Henry was about to reach the door, she called out from behind, "She's had a hard enough time these past years. I hope you can make the rest of her life sweeter."Although Henry didn't react, he absorbed every word Leslie said.He then looked down at the person in his arms again. He noticed her furrowed brows and the sadness on her face."Natalie, no matter how much you push me away this time, I won't give up on you," Henry whispered to her before placing her in the back seat of the car.Henry didn't take Natalie back to her place. Instead, he brought her to Emerald Bay.He then laid Natalie on the couch. Just as he was about to turn around to fetch some water to help her wash up, his wrist was caught."Don't go…" Natalie's voice was soft, but it was clear enoug
Sheldon's face was etched with disbelief as he listened.His heart felt as though it had been suddenly torn open, sending intense pain coursing through him.The truth behind it all was far more piercing than he had ever imagined.He thought his parents' indifference over the years was solely because they were still grieving Gerald's death.But he never considered that he wasn't their child at all!It seemed that his entire existence was just to shield Gerald from misfortune.John noticed that Sheldon's face had turned deathly pale and continued, "But how could we have known? We adopted you, but in the end, it turned out that you were the one who caused Gerald's death!"Amie stood silently to the side, seemingly unsure of what to say in such a moment. But Sheldon could tell from Amie's reaction that John's words were true."So, Sheldon, let me tell you. You owe the Cook family! You owe Gerald, and you owe us!" John asserted righteously.Sheldon's eyes gradually reddened.He mo
Sheldon and Lyla didn't expect this to happen, and both of their faces were slightly reddened.Sheldon quickly stood up and cleared his throat in embarrassment."I told you to stand up on your own, didn't I? But you simply had to drag me into this…"Even though Lyla was an open-minded woman who had been abroad for a few years, she still seemed a bit gawky when she got too close to the man she admired.…Natalie was waiting at Emerald Bay for a while.However, she wasn't waiting for Henry to return like what she was told to do. She was actually thinking about their relationship.She had to admit that she still had feelings for Henry. Or else, there wouldn't be a suffocating pain in her chest whenever she thought of leaving him. And she wouldn't have made love with him the previous night.However, she couldn't put Henry in a difficult position because of her own desire. Since Henry might have found out why she wanted to leave the country, she couldn't possibly avoid him anymore
Wade lowered his eyes, but then, he suddenly realized something. "Do you mean Jasper Brown?"After all, no one held a deeper grudge against Henry than Jasper Brown. He was dying to take his revenge on Henry.On top of that, ordinary people wouldn't dare to touch Henry even if they disliked him. But Jasper had some power, and he wasn't afraid of using it.Henry remained silent, his eyes filled with murderous intent."Mr. Chase, what should we do now?" Wade asked hurriedly.As much as Henry wanted to make Jasper pay, he was more anxious to know Natalie's whereabouts now.He would settle with Jasper another day."Forget about Jasper. I want Natalie to be found first," Henry said with worried eyes."Alright, Mr. Chase. We'll do as you ordered." Wade understood it right away.…Meanwhile, at the Brown residence, Thomas was listening to his men's report. Apparently, he wasn't happy about the outcome of the report."Enough. Get out!" Thomas waved his hand.After the men left,