She set the glass of water down onto the coffee table, all the while tensing under the pressure of Anthony's presence.He noticed the bruise on her neck and grabbed her chin when she was about to get up. Startled, she froze anxiously. "Wh-what's wrong?""I don't remember it being this bad." He studied the bruise sharply.Realizing what he meant, she touched the bruise on her neck and said, "I…I did this, otherwise people would misunderstand…ugh!"He dragged her closer and she fell, landing one knee on the couch and the other on Anthony's thigh. She instinctively reached down to steady herself and bit her lips in embarrassment.He rubbed his finger on the bruised skin and she still felt sore from the touch."Looks like I should have been less merciful with you," he said while staring at the bruise."Please spare me." She glanced at him, doe-eyed. "It really hurt when I turned it into a bruise…"He tensed at her pleading expression and grabbed her by the back of her neck, before
Anne waited for Cheyenne at home, wondering if Sarah had said something that upset Cheyenne. Noticing she was late for work, she went ahead and applied for a half day leave.Her reputation was in the dirt in the Aesthetic Clinic regardless of what she did, so it would not make any difference if she was absent for another day.She waited for hours, but Cheyenne had not returned, she then called the school to check, yet there was still no news of her mother.When she tried to call Cheyenne again, Anne found out that her phone was turned off and instantly realized the severity of the situation.No matter how upset Cheyenne might be, she would not possibly be absent in school when she had only started working there. She seemed so happy when she got the job that it wasn't possible for her to not show up at work out of the blue.Anne hurried to the school to ask the guard about it. The guard had not heard of Cheyenne, but agreed to help check the surveillance footage, which showed that
The bad feeling in her guts simply would not go away.The police officer asked his colleague to pull out the surveillance footage and Anne watched as Sarah's car appeared, but then disappeared around the corner shortly after."Why can't I see the car after this?" She asked."There are no cameras there."She scowled. This meant that she could not see her mother getting out of the car or where she had gone after that. Though they eventually saw Sarah's car driving out of the other end of the road, there were multiple alleys along the way with little to none cameras, so there was no way for her to investigate any further."Just wait. Maybe she's already back," the officer said.The officer's words ignited the hope within her and she thought to herself, 'That's right. Maybe she's already back!'She turned around to leave and almost bumped into someone else. She steadied herself and realized she had run into Oliver.Surprised to see her there, Oliver blurted out, "Miss Vallois?"Sh
Anne crouched and petted them on the heads, uncertain as to how she could explain what had happened because she wanted her children to live their lives free of concerns."We are not going out to play. I just came here to see you. I have work later tonight and Grandma can't come as well…"The triplets pouted with resignation.Overwhelmed by guilt, Anne added, "Once I get everything done, I will take you guys out to play."A boy approached Anne and asked, "Miss, can they stay overnight at the school with us?"The triplets hesitated."Do you three want to stay?" She asked."We do!" They replied in unison.Anne thought it was a good idea. After all, it was best for her children to spend more time with their playmates. She went and informed the teacher about this, before turning to leave.She still could not reach Cheyenne's phone. Just as she was rendered helpless, a car stopped next to her.Lucas stepped out of the car. "Why are you here at this time?"She smiled. "Here to chec
"Mr. Newman?" The officer was slightly surprised to see Lucas there. After all, Lucas was a known professional in the education industry and because the officer was of a higher level, he naturally knew about Lucas.Lucas nodded. "Miss Cheyenne worked at our school and we cannot escape the blame when she encountered such a thing on her way back from school.""If Mr. Lucas is willing to make compensation for the loss, you may proceed to discuss this with Miss Vallois here, okay?" The officer said.Anne immediately objected to the idea. "It's fine. This has nothing to do with the school. My mom got off work as usual and was taken away by my aunt. How could the school be to blame in any way?" She turned around and looked at Lucas with blood-shot eyes with tears threatening to drop. "Thank you for sending me here, Mr. Newman. I won't take up any more of your time.""…I'm sorry for your loss." Without another word, Lucas gave her a sympathetic look and turned to leave, but the police sto
There were tear marks across her face and as she looked at Anthony, she realized that one could become courageous not only when they were drunk, but also when they were grieving."What do you want?""Come dine with me.""You could have gone to any woman. I'm sure Michelle would love it. Why me? Why today? Do you really hate me that much?""Devastated?" He questioned coldly, rendering her speechless. "That's your family. To be honest, I can't empathize.""That's because you don't have a heart to begin with! You are cold and vicious not only to the outsiders, but to your own family as well. I'm curious but is there anyone in this world who cares about you for just who you are, instead of your status and wealth?""Say that again!" He roared darkly.She trembled and bit her lip in fear. When he pressed himself against her, she shouted, "Ah!"He pinned her against the chair and gritted out, "Cat got your tongue?"She struggled to breath, unable to say another word."You should be
Pain shot up Lennon's body from his wrist and before he realized it, all strength was drained from his arm, forcing him to let go of Anne.Anthony twisted his arm in one smooth motion and it was followed by Lennon's wail and the sound of bones cracking."Scram!"Lennon had not expected to run into Anthony once again, and immediately crawled away.Anthony turned to look at Anne's wrist and she inched away from his touch. "I don't need your concern! All of this is because of you, isn't it? You must be pleased now that everyone thinks that I'm a prostitute and tried to humiliate me every chance they get!"His expression darkened."Well, it's just my luck, I guess," she muttered sarcastically, before walking into the ladies' room.She stared at her reflection in the mirror, her tears were threatening to fall once again, so she looked up to try and reel in her emotions.By the time they left the restaurant, the sky had already turned dark.Anne stared outside the car window along t
Anne could not bring herself to enjoy it and it felt as though she was stuck in her own world, unable to fit in.'Did Anthony bring me here just to watch them drink? He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would do something this unnecessary.' She thought.Lucas, on the other hand, was his usual self, well-mannered, casual yet charismatic."Why aren't you drinking?" Anthony turned to stare at her.His eyes were the darkest shade of black, which sent chills down her spine. She looked away and whispered, "Can I go home? I'm not interested in this kind of scene."She preferred to remain by her mother's side."There's no rush. The fun is about to begin."She twisted in fear. Before she could ask what he meant by that, the door to the private room was opened and the bodyguard walked in. He bowed respectfully and said, "Mr. Marwood, they are all here.""Okay." Anthony shot the bodyguard a knowing look, and the bodyguard immediately exited the room.Feeling increasingly anxious, Ann