"Mama!"Along with the shouts came the triplets. The three ran into the room and threw themselves at Anne on the couch.Chris anchored himself on Anne's leg, Chloe sat on Anne's lap while Charlie climbed up the couch from behind to wrap his arms around Anne's neck."Why are you in the room, Mama? We came to find you as soon as we are done with our lessons!" Chloe said."We know everything the teacher said, so it's boring," Chris said."We might as well play with Mama!" Charlie added."You know everything?" Anne asked."The teacher said we are smart!" Chloe leaned onto Anne and said, "Mama, let's go outside to play!""Sure."The triplets took lessons in the morning for hours, so Anne knew that they needed fun. She took them out of the room and headed down the stairs.Shortly after she exited the room, her phone in the room rang. It was a call from an unknown number.Once they were out in the yard, Charlie chased after his football excitedly, before balancing himself on the ba
"Don't say that. This is all my fault. It's my bad. I'm sorry..." Anne sobbed, her tears blurring the sight of everything before her."Lucas...has he done something wrong?" Joanne asked. She knew that what was happening had something to do with Lucas's feelings for Anne, but did not know the details of the recent events."He did do something, but he only did so with good intention. It wasn't wrong..." Anne could barely breath with the pain spreading across her chest.Both Lucas and Anne could not possibly have been wrong, Anthony was merely a monster and crossing a monster could never end well."Mrs. Newman, I will talk to Anthony. Don't worry.""Okay. Thank you, Anne."Anne hung up and froze in place dazedly. She had thought that the Newmans would survive this crisis and that Corentin would be able to deliver good news, so she called Corentin and asked, "Uncle, how are things? I heard that the Pinnacle Academy is closing down. Is there no way at all?""I reached out to my conne
"You want to replace the Pinnacle Academy?" Anne realized that it had been his ambition all along and gaped. "No, Anthony, you can't do that! Let the Pinnacle Academy be. It won't stand in your way!""Replacing it was bound to happen anyway. Lucas's downfall is your fault," Anthony said."Why do you have to be so possessive? If there's really something between me and Lucas, you wouldn't stand a chance." Anne did not know how she could change Anthony's mind, but all she knew was that if she failed to do so, the academy of decades of history would disappear.'What of the Newman Family, then? What about Lucas? Losing everything overnight could drive him mad!' She thought.Anthony darted forward and grabbed her by the jaw, before staring into her eyes. "I wouldn't stand a chance? Are you sure?"Her lips quivered with uncertainty. Anthony was far too powerful and even if she wanted to settle down with Lucas, they would never stand a chance."You were about to get engaged back then, ri
She could not focus even when she was with her children, as the Pinnacle Academy was running out of time.She returned to the room with countless thoughts occupying her mind.'What can I do to change Anthony's mind? What leverage do I have...' She thought.No matter how hard she thought, the only conclusion was that she had nothing but herself to offer.Her phone rang and she dazedly reached for it and though the number was not saved as one of the contacts, she recognized the number and immediately knew that it was from Lucas.Anne did not answer and turned her phone off. If she answered the call from Lucas and Anthony found out about it, she would never be able to explain herself and the Pinnacle Academy's demise would only be certain.Lucas might have called because of Joanne's call from earlier, or perhaps he was calling with the same intention as Joanne; either way, she could not answer the call. Whether she answered the call or not played no role in determining the fate of t
She leaned on his shoulder and pouted. "My fingers are going to break. Your muscles are too hard."She planted a gentle kiss behind his ear and Anthony scowled as though he was trying to remain calm.Anne batted her eyes and continued, leaving a trail of kisses along his jawline.Anthony played along and lifted his chin to enjoy the sensation."Something you want to say?" Anthony asked hoarsely."...No..."Anthony grabbed her arm and dragged her forward to sit on his lap."Umph..." She looked into his eyes and inched closer to press her lips against his.His lips were warm and her heart raced as she caressed the shape of his lips.His chest heaved as he grabbed the back of her neck to deepen the kiss, eager for more.Anne's head span and she started seeing stars.Anthony pulled away slightly and whispered hoarsely, "There's still time to call it off."His voice sounded so dangerous that her heart threatened to leap out of her throat, but she knew that this was her only chan
She could not feel any pain when she fell off the bed in tears. After a while, she got up on her feet and stumbled her way toward the bathroom to put on her clothes, before heading down the stairs through the living room.'Anthony could do anything to me, but why would he do this to the Newmans? Why does he have to be so merciless?' She thought, 'This all happened because Lucas likes me and wants to help me. Anthony isn't targeting Lucas; he is targeting me!'She dragged her feet down the stairs, feeling as though she was about to fall apart with each step she took."Ah!" She stumbled on the last stair and fell onto the floor.Anne broke down in tears at the helplessness that overwhelmed her.Hayden hurried over. "Mrs. Marwood, what's wrong? Are you hurt?""Don't touch me..." She kept her head bowed and could not help but tremble.Hayden stilled as he tried to take Anne's arm. "Mrs. Marwood, are you hurt? Let me help you inside and call Doctor Brown to come over.""What's there
Anne remained frozen on the couch as she listened to the triplets muttering to one another outside the door."Is Mama not home?""Maybe Mama went out with Papa.""They didn't say anything.""Let's head downstairs for now!" The servant said.Anne did not react.The screen on the television was frozen in frame at the scene where Lucas answered questions from reporters. After Mia left the room, Anne locked the door and had been still like a statue from that point onward.Hayden's phone rang and he answered hastily as soon as he saw the name on the screen. "Mr. Marwood.""Where's Anne?""In the room.""She didn't cause a scene?""She tried to go out this morning and fell down the stairs. She scratched her knee and I've ordered a maid to take care of the wound. After that, Mrs. Marwood just stayed in her room and kept the door locked," Hayden said."She didn't say a single word?" Anthony questioned coldly."No. Mia said that Mrs. Marwood did not say a single word and has only b
"What are you doing…ah!" Before she could finish, she had been flung onto the couch.She paled when she realized what Anthony was about to do and he pressed up against her, his shadow looming over her.Anne had a taste of what it felt like to rather be dead as Anthony showed her the consequences of saying those words.Provoked, Anthony was determined to sooth the boiling rage within him with Anne's screams.The fact that Anne refused to obey had caused him to become increasingly agitated, and he would not stop until Anne obeyed and had eyes for no one but him.He did not care what it took to achieve that goal.In the end, Anne was sent into the hospital after Anthony's relentless torture.She woke up in the middle of night to find herself in the hospital.Anne did not cry and simply stared at the ceiling dazedly, not even realizing it when someone entered the room.Anthony sat by the bed and reached for her hand, but she immediately pulled her arm away."Still haven't learnt?
At first, Corentin was stunned. Then, he said, "Who have I killed? Ash, you've misunderstood. I've changed now. It's true. Hurry up and come down. The ravioli is getting cold.""Don't come over! I'll jump if you get any closer!" Ashlynn shouted hysterically."Alright, alright. I won't go over!" Corentin did not dare to take another step further. "Ash, I'm telling the truth. I didn't kill anybody. Come down, and I'll explain to you. It's all a misunderstanding.""Actually, I've felt it was strange since the beginning. It's just that Anne's reassurance dispelled my suspicion about you." Tears filled Ashlynn's eyes, but they did not stream down her face. She looked at Corentin and said, "But I know everything now. I don't have evidence, but you are Salvatore Yeager. At first, I thought you would change for the sake of the child. In the end… In the end, you didn't even spare the child's grandparents. Salvatore, are you even human? Why would a monster like you exist?""Ash, come down, a
After Ashlynn was discharged from the hospital, she called Anne when she was alone in the room."Anne, are you alright? I heard you were taken by Tommy and were later saved by Anthony.""Mmhmm. I'm fine. I've gotten home safely.""That's wonderful," said Ashlynn.Anne could tell that Ashlynn was not feeling alright, so she asked, "What's the matter? Are you not in a good mood?""I've found out about my parent's passing," said Ashlynn.Anne was stunned. She found out? "I'm sorry, Ashlynn. I've kept it hidden from you.""It's fine. I know you're being considerate to me and the child." Ashlynn took a pause before asking again, "Was Tommy killed by you guys?""No. He fled the cruise ship back then. When we found him, he was already killed by somebody. His body was pulled up from the sea.""Corentin was there as well, wasn't he?""That's right. Did he tell you that?"Ashlynn's eyes looked emotionless. "Have you guys ever suspected Corentin?"Anne immediately got so nervous tha
Corentin hugged Ashlynn. "I heard that Tommy's dead, so your parents' murders have been avenged. Now, they can only rest in peace. Calm down."Ashlynn collapsed in his arms as she cried. Then, she started to feel waves of throbbing pain in her belly, and her face turned pale.Corentin noticed something was not right with her, so he hurriedly roared at the driver, "Go to the hospital now!""Hurry up!" Jeremy urged. He held Ashlynn's hand and realized that it was freezing. "Ashlynn, you have to be alright. You still have me! Hang in there, Ashlynn!"Ashlynn looked at him with tears in her eyes. She was extremely saddened. She could not understand why things would end up like that. Did she not deserve to have parents?When Ashlynn woke up, she was already at the hospital.She subconsciously touched her belly, but Corentin grabbed her hand. "You're showing signs of miscarriage, so you need to recuperate."Ashlynn scanned around the room and asked, "Where's Jeremy?""He's outside. H
"I know…" Jeremy looked up and saw Ashlynn standing at the entrance. He was so shocked, and he immediately stood up. "Why…are you here?"Ashlynn stood there dazed. She looked at Jeremy, then the person who spoke earlier. "What do you guys mean when you talk about my parents' soul resting in peace?""Nothing. We were talking about someone else."Ashlynn could tell from their faces that they were clearly panicking. She was not deaf. She heard what they said clearly.Her face turned pale, and she immediately searched for her phone. She did not have it on her, so she rushed to the car."Ashlynn!" Jeremy ran after her and stopped her. "What are you doing?""I'm going to call Mom and Dad.""They are traveling. Don't disturb them."Ashlynn looked at him. "Jeremy, tell me honestly, why aren't Mom and Dad coming home? Don't lie! I have always felt it was strange. Why haven't they come home when I'm already so far along? Something is wrong, isn't it? Did something…really happen to them?"
Corentin came forward and asked, "Anne, are you alright?"Anne nodded."You don't look too well. What happened?""Tommy's dead," said Anthony."Have you found the cure?" asked Corentin.Anne shook her head."Unfortunately, the infected people would have to endure it a little longer."Anne suddenly thought of something, and she immediately pushed Anthony away. "Don't touch me."Only then, Corentin noticed a small patch of ulcer below Anne's cheek. "Anne, did Tommy drug you?"Anthony frowned. "I don't mind.""I do. Both of us would not be able to have contact with the children, and they will worry." Anne rejected his touch.Anthony had been touching her the whole time. It was unclear if he had been infected. Anne was very worried."It wouldn't make a difference now. If anything, I would have already been infected just now," said Anthony.Anne still refused to listen. "That's not necessary. Just don't touch me. We still don't know where the cure is, and Tommy died so suddenly
Just as Tommy finished his sentence, he heard a commotion behind him.Ivan was fighting with the assassin, and every strike he delivered was fatal. If Ivan were not skilled in combat, the professional assassin could have killed him in just a few moves.Tommy realized something was up, so he immediately wanted to grab Anne.While Anne retreated, she was pulled into a person's arms."Let me go!" She thought it was a man she did not know, so she hated to be touched like that."Anne."Anne was stunned. She looked up and felt happy to see a familiar face. "Anthony?""It's me."Tommy was infuriated as he watched the two of them looking lovingly at each other, Tommy became infuriated."As expected, Anne, you did leave a trace for Anthony." Tommy's expression darkened."You're the one who took me too lightly," said Anne.It was because she had always wanted to run away from Anthony in the past that he had the wrong impression, was it not? "So what? You want to kill me? With just t
Anne was drugged at that moment, and there were surveillance cameras all over the cruise ship. She saw a surveillance camera over her head when she was returning to the room. Therefore, it was impossible for her to sneak around in the middle of the night if she wanted to.Tommy had long been guarding against her.However, Anne still left Anthony some clues before she left him. She believed Anthony would find her very soon, but she never expected that he would do it so quickly.At daybreak, she seemed to have heard the rumbling of a helicopter above her. Then, the door swung open. Before Anne could make sense of the situation, she was picked up. "How did you get the message out?" Tommy said. He even searched Anne's body after that."Ah! Are you crazy? I don't have a phone!""Don't think Anthony can take you away just because he's here. If I'm going to hell, I'm dragging you along with me! Let's go!""You…" Anne had no strength, so she was dragged out of the room by him.He thre
Anne ignored him.If she were not afraid that Tommy would pull some tricks behind her back, she would have slept with her back facing him."Do you remember running to my home and sleeping on my bed when Anthony bullied you as a child?"I don't.""I know you do. I truly wanted to help you back then," said Tommy.Anne knew he was speaking the truth, so she did not refute him. She stared at the ceiling and said, "I think the past Tommy died a long time ago."Tommy's expression was mixed, and he asked, "Are we not able to go back anymore?""Instead of asking me this now, you should've gone to hell after you killed the people I cared about. No matter how unhappy your childhood was, you can't hurt others for your own pleasure." At that moment, Anne did not pity Tommy at all."Look at you on your high horse. Has Anthony not killed anybody before? Has Corentin not killed anybody before? Why did you forgive them for killing people but not me? Just because the victims were your friends?
Seeing that she did not move at all, Tommy said, "It won't be good for you if you don't eat."Anne thought that he made sense. If she did not eat, she would go hungry and would have no strength later. How could she fight with Tommy then? It was because she refused to eat and only drank water while hiding in her room that Tommy drugged her.After a while, she seemed to have figured it out.She picked up the fork and started eating the fish.Tommy saw her eating and asked, "How was it?""Could it be that you're the one who made it?" Anne looked up and shot a glance at him lazily."That's correct. I am the one who made it."Anne thought, 'Is this something worthy to be praised?'"It must be tough for you to do such a thing on top of everything else.""If you're worried that it's tough for me, why don't you make it with me?""I don't know how to cook.""How great. You just have to enjoy being served." Tommy clicked his tongue, but he was looking at Anne with a doting gaze.Anne