Jim furrowed his brows as he glanced at Charlotte. "Haven't you always hated mutton?"He remembered as clear as day that this was why Number-9 and Number-12 became close friends. Number-9 hated mutton, but unfortunately for her, the orphanage served it for their meals quite often, which was why she became friends with Number-12, who loved mutton and was willing to give out her vegetables and bread in exchange for mutton.At that time, Jim had puzzled over this and even asked Number-9 why she was willing to give out her meat in exchange for vegetables and bread. It was clear to anyone that this was not a fair trade at all.However, at that time, she had told him with a smile that since she did not need it, she was willing to sacrifice herself and give it to someone else who needed it more than her.Because of this, Jim had fallen in love with this young girl's cheerful and caring attitude and had kept the memory of her close to his heart despite only having lived at the orphanage fo
"Even if someone were to sabotage our relationship, I won't fall for their tricks."With that, Jim placed another piece of meat on her plate; his attitude toward her evidently softened compared to before.Charlotte seized this opportunity and placed a bowl of soup, which contained the drug used to control Jim, in front of him. "I made you a bowl of soup; you should drink it while it's still hot."Jim was already feeling a little guilty for his behavior toward her, so when Charlotte handed him the bowl of soup, he did not suspect anything and instead drank it immediately.Soon, the drug started to take effect.Jim let out a yawn, put down his cutlery, and excused himself from the table to get some rest.When Jim disappeared from view, Charlotte finally let out a sigh of relief. "Well, since Master Landry has already gone to bed, I guess…"Even though Roanne had not finished her meal yet, she could feel the cold, stifling aura emanating off Charlotte's body that was clearly hintin
Roanne was utterly stunned by Charlotte's sudden aggressive behavior.She bit her lip and lifted her head to stare at Charlotte, blood still seeping out of the corner of her mouth. "Charlotte, I have no idea what you're so pissed about."Roanne was just telling the truth; she did not understand why Charlotte was so irate.Whether it was at the orphanage or after they had escaped from that horrible place, Charlotte had always been the one who loved mutton.When they were still at the orphanage, a girl named Number-9 used to offer her uneaten mutton to Charlotte in exchange for vegetables and bread.Even though Roanne was a timid girl who was constantly bullied by the rest of the children, she still knew what was going on and had a vivid memory of this kind girl.This was because…every time Number-9 got her hands on the vegetables and bread, she would give half of her food to Roanne in secret.Because of Number-9's kindness, Roanne had managed to survive and did not starve to deat
The man was mild-mannered, gentlemanly, and emanated an aura of knowledge and culture.Roanne was willing to believe that this man was her dream come true.However, this wondrous sensation only lasted until she got into the car.As soon as she got into the backseat, she discovered that two other people were sitting in the car.The man sitting in the front passenger seat was Joshua, whereas the woman sitting in the backseat, next to her, was none other than Luna.She was more than familiar with these two faces.Roanne bit her lip and was about to open the car door, but the handsome man swiftly locked the car before she could get out.Theo, who had gotten into the driver's seat, smiled as he glanced at her. "You haven't even put ice on your swelling yet, so why are you so desperate to get out?"He glanced at Luna and said, "Get her some ice."Luna muttered in agreement and handed Roanne a packet of ice she had prepared beforehand. "Here you go."Roanne bit her lip and, after tr
Roanne's entire body stiffened when she heard this.She lifted her head to stare at Joshua through the rearview mirror. "Are you saying…you can help me find my birth parents?"Joshua curled his lips into a small smile. "Of course I can."He shifted into a comfortable position and gave Roanne an elegant smile. "The only people in Merchant City who are willing to help you…aren't capable of doing so, whereas the people who can…will never be willing to help you."Therefore, your only chance is to work with me."Roanne bit her lip when she heard this.Joshua was right.It was not that she had never tried searching for her birth parents before, but the people willing to help her did not have the power and influence to do so.To find the couple who had abandoned her more than 20 years ago was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.However, the people who could truly help her…would not be willing to do so at all.Even though she was the sister of Charlotte Jacobs, Jim Landry's g
"When I find them, I'll bring them over to see you so that they can get a clear idea of what you've been up to alongside Charlotte."The tone in Joshua's voice grew frostier as he continued, "You deliberately sabotaged Jim and Bonnie's relationship and his sibling bond with Luna, and even plotted to take the Landry family fortune as your own."If your parents see the despicable things you did, they'll probably be glad that they decided to abandon you at that orphanage."The atmosphere inside the car was suffocating.Roanne clenched her fists as she lifted her head to glare at Joshua. "I never did any of these! Don't spout nonsense like this!"All of these were Charlotte's doing, so what did they have to do with her?She was obeying Charlotte's orders and doing things as she wanted!"This isn't nonsense; everyone in Merchant City knows what you did." Joshua reached out to unlock the car door with a sneer. "Didn't you want to get off? Well, you can go now, and anything I do after
After hanging up the phone, Roanne exhaled and lifted her head to glance at Theo. "I think you're a good person. You…"She turned around and glanced at the black Masevati parked in the distance as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.Finally, Roanne curled her lips into a smile and glanced at Theo once more. "I'll get in touch with you if I can."My sister is looking for me, so I'd better go now."With that, she strode back toward Landry Mansion, all while Theo remained motionless and watched her leave.When Roanne finally disappeared from view, he furrowed his brows and returned to the car."No wonder you kept reminding me to bring my name card before we left."Theo never had the habit of bringing his name cards with him wherever he went. He thought that even though some of his artwork had become famous, he was still an ordinary artist, and no one would want to get to know him.Because of this, Theo rarely brought his name cards out with him, b
...In the garden of Landry Mansion's backyard, Roanne iced her face as she waited for Charlotte in silence.The words Joshua had said to her in the car kept repeating in her mind. "When I find them, I'll bring them over to see you so that they can get a clear idea of what you've been up to alongside Charlotte.""You deliberately sabotaged Jim and Bonnie's relationship and his sibling bond with Luna, and even plotted to take the Landry family fortune as your own."If your parents see the despicable things you did, they'll probably be glad that they decided to abandon you at that orphanage."…These words rang in her head over and over, like a curse.Roanne bit her lip, her heart beginning to turn as cold as her swollen cheek.Even though she had not seen her birth parents in more than 20 years, there was not a second that she did not long to meet them.Even if they had abandoned her on purpose, Roanne still wanted to find them and ask them why they did not keep to their promis