The end of each month was often the busiest time for the finance department, and everyone had been working overtime for days in a row."Ah! It's finally done! We finally don't need to work overtime tomorrow!""The end of each month is hellish!""I'm so tired."Everyone leaned against their desks in exhaustion when Xander came out of his office and asked, "It's still nine, so is anyone interested in having a gathering?""Yes!" The others who had been lying down like corpses instantly stood up energetically.Their shouts startled Anne.'I thought they said they were exhausted? Are they sure?' she thought to herself.Anne did not want to join the gathering and desperately wanted to go home for a shower, but before she could say anything, Xander said, "Anne, I've sent you the address. Half of them are going with you, and half will follow me."Excited, the others immediately pulled Anne onto her feet. "Let's go!"Anne complied with resignation.A gathering had to be lively, and s
Anthony's expression darkened. "Didn't you lie here so that someone would come to touch you?"She widened her eyes in disbelief as she wondered if the man before her was mentally ill. "I was just taking a break."She could tell that Anthony had had quite a few to drink as well, but then again, it was only natural for one to drink when they were at a bar."Who's Charlie?" He questioned darkly, "Another guy?"Her heart almost stopped when she heard Anthony mentioning Charlie's name, terrified that she might have let it slip in her sleep."Um..."Anne was about to explain when Xander walked over to them and said, "You are here, too, Mr. Marwood? What a coincidence. Our department is having a gathering here as well."Anthony shot him a cold look before looking away from Anne and walking into the gentlemen's room.Xander tensed at the chilling glare he received and realized he had approached them at the wrong time.Anne frowned and pouted at the fact that despite not seeing Anthony
He returned to his room and tossed her onto the couch before staring down at her while she slept.Her face was flushed under the effect of the alcohol, which made her look both innocent and seductive at the same time.Her collar had loosened from moving around along the way, and he could see the flushed skin under.Anne was going to sleep, but he commanded coldly, "You reek of liquor. Go take a shower."Unfortunately for him, even a knife against her neck would not stimulate a reaction from her.Anne simply twitched and trembled, so he tried to pull her up, and she buried her deeper into the blanket.He grabbed her by the jaw and repeated, "I'll say this again. Go take a shower.""No... Go away. I want to sleep..." She shoved his hand away and tried to go back to sleep.Anthony was a clean freak, so he would not allow her to sleep in her outside clothes even if it was not his bed, so he grabbed onto her wrist and dragged her all the way into the bathroom."Don't... Umph...!" H
"What?" She did not understand what he meant. "I didn't think that."The next instant, she froze at the sound of knocking on the door and wondered for a moment if it was one of her children."Go open the door," he commanded rudely.Anne hesitated because she had no clothes on her at all, and if she were to grab her clothes, she would have to walk around naked in front of Anthony."Is there a point in hiding?" he asked before snatching the blanket away."Ah!!" She screamed while fumbling to cover herself."Shut up!"She put on her clothes while blushing and cursed at him in her mind over and over again as she went to open the door.Whoever was outside the door remained quiet after knocking twice on the door as though they were never there to begin with.When she opened the door, she found a bodyguard standing outside with a bag of clothes.The bodyguard left as soon as he handed her the bag, and Anthony left as well without another word after changing into his new clothes.Sh
Anthony returned to the corridor with a dark expression and a little handprint on his trousers.He did not quite know why he had decided to come to the sixth floor to see the children.Was it because of what Anne said?His mood worsened at the thought.Anne dared not go up to the sixth floor until she saw Anthony's car leaving.She closed the apartment door behind her as soon as she went inside, and when she saw her children running toward her, she immediately moved away. "No, wait. My clothes will get dirty...""Mama, that...that guy came to look for us!" Charlie said."Is he with Mama?" Chloe asked."Was he with you last night, Mama?" Chris asked curiously.Anne felt as though her children had seen right through her. "No, he just happens to be in the area..."What else could she say?When the children returned to their games, she whispered to the nanny, "Did he say anything?""Nothing. He just acted like he had the wrong door and left. It was weird," the nanny said.Anne
Leaving Damian behind on his own.They returned to Tommy's office, and Anne immediately pulled away. "Why did you take me here? I'm going downstairs.""He is still mad, so he might come after you." Tommy sat on the couch with his legs crossed.Anne stilled hesitantly. Though Damian could not fire her, he seemed like the type to hit people, so she took her seat leisurely and poured herself a glass of water."Have you always been that reckless?" He watched as her lips reddened in contact with the hot water.Anne knew what he was referring to and wanted to say no, but when she thought back to everything that had happened in the past, she realized she had always been reckless. Had she not gone to the bar back then, she would not have gotten into a physical relationship with Anthony, would not give birth to the triplets, and would not be in so much drama with Anthony since then. Those were all the consequences of her recklessness."It's courageous. I'll give you that." Tommy tapped hi
When she came out of the shower, she saw her children playing with her phone.Charlie held up Anne's phone and asked, "Mama, what's the password?""Mama changed her password," Chloe complained."Why?" Chris asked."I want to watch cartoons," Charlie said.Anne grabbed the phone and keyed in the password. By the time the triplets turned to look, the phone was already unlocked, so they did not catch sight of the password.Her children had excellent memories and could often memorize things after seeing them only once, so Anne had to make sure that they could not see it. She would be terrified to death if they tried to send messages or call Anthony behind her back.She tried to look for cartoon videos and suddenly received a call."Mama needs to take this." Anne stood up and left the room.The triplets immediately hurdled up to discuss."It's not Papa.""Doesn't look like it.""Mama looks different."Indeed, it was not Anthony, but Sarah who was calling."What is it?" Anne as
"You can eat whatever you want with me. I remember everything that you've gone through. You are my daughter, and I won't let anyone bully you. You can tell me anything, and I will help you, no matter what," Sarah said gently.Anne flipped through the menu hesitantly and said, "I... didn't go through that much. It's all in the past now."Sarah was excited. "Yeah. It's all in the past now!"The two of them did not need much food, but Sarah would have ordered a table full of dishes if Anne was not there to stop her."I'm so full." Sarah rubbed at her belly. "You take your time. I will go use the bathroom."There was some distance to the bathroom, and one would have to walk through the VIP area. Just as she was making a turn, Sarah heard a voice."Oh, what a coincidence that you are here as well."Sarah glanced over and saw the world-famous pianist, Bianca.Her uplifted mood was instantly ruined, and she turned to leave, wanting to stay away from Bianca and avoid Anthony, who might
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