Satisfied with herself, she left her studio in her assistant's car.She arrived at the restaurant early and since Anthony was not there yet, she sat and waited anxiously wondering if Anthony would decide not to come after all.She was about to reach for her phone to call him when she saw Anthony getting out of the car through the glass window and smiled.Once Anthony took his seat, Bianca said, "You are great with time management. You arrived at precisely half past eleven."After the dishes were served, they began eating and Bianca took every chance to observe Anthony's expression.He did not seem to have noticed her dress and she suddenly came to a realization that men might not like the idea that their women were dressed in revealing outfits.'I should have worn something less revealing,' she thought to herself."Anthony, I heard that Anne isn't feeling well lately. Is that right?" Bianca asked, "I heard from the people at the office saying that it has been days since she last
Bianca was stunned by his words. As the car drove off to the distance, her emotions finally spiraled out of control and tears scrolled down her cheeks."Hey, isn't that a famous pianist? Why is she standing outside the door?""She looks so depressed..."Sensing all the eyes on her and that someone was recording her with their phones, she frantically turned and went inside the restaurant, before returning to her seat.The restaurant maintained a good level of privacy, so she knew no one would bother her.Her body shook like a leaf as she struggled to control herself.'Why is Anthony calling off our engagement? Why?' She thought. 'What I've been worrying about is finally happening. Why would he do that to me? I might have done something wrong, but Anthony has never thought about calling it off before. Why now...' Anne's face appeared in her head. 'That's right. It's definitely because Anne is pregnant. It's all her fault! It's fine, though. She will be dead soon and with her and he
She did not want to bring harm to innocent people, so she sat up and started eating, one small bite at a time."Take it slow, Ms. Vallois. Let your stomach get used to it. You didn't eat much at noon," Fiona said.Anne could not stand to eat too much or she would vomit, which meant that she would continue eating, so she had to take it slow.Eventually, she finished her food."How do you feel, Ms. Vallois? Any discomfort?""I'm fine," Anne said.'I can't believe that medicine works,' Fiona thought to herself.Anne got up and went upstairs, with the maid following closely behind her.Once she was inside the bedroom, the maid stood outside the room and Anne ignored her. Anthony had commanded the maid to follow her everywhere, and she knew that she had no power to change that.She leaned against the bed and rubbed her stomach.She should not have gotten pregnant.Even if she gave birth to it, it would only increase the factors that concerned her like the triplets did. She alread
The maid hid the phone underneath a plant and Ashlynn happened upon the sight of the maid hiding it away, so she used the maid's phone to call Anne.Ashlynn returned to bed and her phone on the nightstand started ringing.She picked it up and saw Corentin's name on it. "Hello?""What are you doing?""In my room. I am not doing anything.""I'm not coming home for dinner. Don't wait up," he said.Ashlynn never would have waited for him, nor did she care about when he returned. If possible, she would much prefer that he remained gone, but she knew that it was impossible."Okay," she said.At night, Ashlynn had dinner on her own and took her dog back into the room afterward.Corentin did not arrive home until nine.He was in a room drinking when he received a phone call, he was slightly taken by surprise when he saw the display on his phone and immediately got up to answer the call. "Miss me?""Are you out with another woman? If you have another woman, let me go," Ashlynn said.
Corentin toyed with the cigarette between his fingers. "No one touches her. Besides, without her, do you think you can enjoy this life that you have right now?"Paul smiled and leaned back against the couch. "That's true. I guess you never know what happens. If Corentin doesn't care, you all have no place to complain, not when you are having the best time of your lives right now."Rendered speechless, Owen still felt enraged, but knew that there was nothing he could do if Corentin wanted Ashlynn.Corentin scanned them coldly. "Learn from Paul. If any of you come in my way, I will make sure you suffer for it."All these men had followed Salvatore's lead from years ago and were all obedient to his orders.Ashlynn stepped out of the car and spotted Corentin waiting for her by the road with both his hands in his pockets. He walked over, wrapped his arm around her waist, before lowering his head to nip on her lips."Ugh…you reek of alcohol..." She complained."Better that than smelli
"You must be joking. We are uneducated and will only embarrass ourselves if we try working in the Lloyd Group," Paul said, "I opened this bar and these fellows helped me out with it. Corentin comes by for a drink from time to time. You know that Corentin is busy running the company. Don't worry, though. We will keep an eye on him. If he tries going to another woman, we will tell you."Ashlynn did not care if they did so, but was concerned when she learnt that Paul was the owner of the bar.A bar was a place where all sorts of people would gather and seemed fitting for people like them. On her way in, she noticed that the bar was completely packed and realized that they had been rather successful.'Maybe they all changed after Corentin got out of prison?' She thought to herself, 'But is that really possible?'"Sis, here's to you." Paul raised his glass.Ashlynn did not refuse and reached for her glass, when Owen said, "Sis, drink from this bottle instead. This should mean nothing t
Ashlynn could not fight and simply let him do as he pleased.Losing control of her body, she followed Corentin from the car to their room. By the time she woke up the next morning, she woke up to the memories of what happened the night before and felt ashamed, but she did not regret drinking or going to the bar. Had she not gone, she would have never realized that Paul and the others were there."Woof!"She turned around and saw her dog curling into a ball on the carpet, its tail wiggling cheerfully when it met her eyes."I will pick you up later." She needed to clean up.In the afternoon, she had nothing to do and took her dog for a walk.To her surprise, she ran into Meredith in front of a luxury brand boutique.Meredith seemed surprised to see her as well, as she had merely come out to shop with her friends."Are you here to shop for clothes as well?" Meredith scanned Ashlynn up and down, noticing all the luxury brands on her body, the shoes Ashlynn was wearing were limited
'Why is he here? Is he invited to this birthday party as well? He didn't mention anything to me just now...' Ashlynn thought.Before she could wrap her head around what was happening, a figure darted past her.Meredith hurried over to Corentin. "Here you are, Corentin. I thought that you won't be coming to my birthday party. I know that you care about me..." She stilled before she could finish her sentence, as Corentin had ignored her and continued to walk past her, before stopping in front of Ashlynn.The others instantly wondered if Corentin was truly seeing Ashlynn. They had all seen the way Corentin ignored Meredith and Meredith's expression darkened.Someone decided to add fuel to the fire. "Mr. Lloyd, this lady here brags about being your woman. How could a woman this arrogant be associated with you? She can only dream about it."Ashlynn frowned and thought to herself, 'I wouldn't have said that if I knew he was coming.'Corentin lowered his face until it was inches away fr
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