The lights were all switched on in the house, making it seem almost as bright as day.Meanwhile, the house was warm enough due to the working heater. It felt almost like summer inside.After dusting the snow off her body, Xyla Quest quickly took off her large coat and hung it near the entrance. She then changed into her slippers and entered the living room.At that moment, Stanley Batton was sitting on the couch watching the news on the television. Coincidentally, the news being broadcast was related to how Dragon Group had successfully withdrawn its investments from the Sullivan Group.Dressed in a black, silk set of house clothes, he seemed very noble.Meanwhile, his fair skin seemingly glimmered under the bright lights.Xyla quickly walked over and sat next to him before opening a pack of chips.“Are you interested in this too?” She asked as she ate the chips.“Just browsing through,” he said.“I heard that Dragon Group withdrew their investments from the Sullivan family because the
By the time Xyla Quest and Stanley Batton made it to the hospital, Jeremy was sitting outside the emergency room with wounds all over his body.His hair was all messed up. Meanwhile, his face and his body were covered in blood. His left arm was also covered in a large white bandage.When Xyla and Stanley saw Jeremy, they quickly walked up to him.Since they had rushed to the hospital, and both were wearing thin-soled cotton slippers, their feet were freezing against the hospital’s marble ground.However, Xyla could not be bothered by that. Instead, she sat next to Jeremy and looked at him worriedly.“Dad, what happened to your arm? Is it broken? What about the rest of your body? Why is there so much blood all over you? Did you get hurt anywhere else?” Xyla asked.“The blood all over me doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to your aunt. When the assassin charged at me, your aunt selflessly stood in front of me. The knife went straight through your aunt’s chest,” Jeremy said as tears began s
Jeremy Quest immediately felt calmer.When Xyla Quest heard what the doctor said, she felt more certain about her suspicions.Although her hypothesis might seem ridiculous, she trusted her instincts.“Alright, thank you, doctor…” Jeremy let out a long sigh of relief.“Don’t worry about it. Miss Conner will have to remain in the emergency room for an hour to be observed. After that, she can return to the sickbay. During this period, you must make sure her wound stays dry. Also, pay attention to her diet. Make sure she doesn’t eat anything spicy or food that may upset her stomach,” the doctor said seriously.Jeremy nodded furiously. It felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.Very soon, May was pushed out of the emergency room. Due to the anesthetics, she was still unconscious. Her face seemed terribly pale.Jeremy quickly walked over and helped the nurse push May Conner to the sickbay with a single hand.There was a pained look in his eyes.Xyla and Stanley Batton tu
When Stanley Batton asked the question, Xyla Quest immediately knew what he was trying to say.“What do you think?” She asked softly as she smiled.Indeed, Stanley was a smart person. It explained why he could work for his big brother as an important member of the gang.“I think the same as you do,” Stanley said calmly. He was twirling his fingers around through the smoke.“How do you know what I’m thinking?” Xyla asked.After that, Xyla turned the car around with a seemingly trained motion as she spun the steering wheel and placed one hand against the car’s window frame.The way she was driving made her seem both beautiful and cool.“That’s because you are very smart,” he said.“You are also very smart. After all, you work for your big brother in a gang,” Xyla said.“What are you going to do next?” Stanley asked after taking another puff from the cigarette. With the smoke wafting in front of his face, it was getting difficult to see clearly his facial expression.“Investigate,” Xyla a
“Alright, I’ll be there. What time will it start on that day?” Xyla Quest agreed heartily.Xyla did not want to make things difficult for her father during such times.“Twelve o’clock, the day after tomorrow. You must remember to come with Stanley, got it?” Jeremy Quest sounded a lot happier.“Alright,” Xyla answered cheerfully.***The welcoming party for Emily Quest and Tom Sullivan was unusually grand.Many of the Quest family’s friends and relatives showed up. By eleven o’clock, the parking spaces inside and outside the courtyard were already filled with cars.Meanwhile, people kept pouring into the courtyard.In total, the Quest family had prepared sixty tables for their guests. Dressed in a festive outfit, May Conner wrapped her hands around Jeremy’s arm affectionately. While the two of them walked from table to table, May kept a broad smile on her face.Prior to this, many people were waiting for her to make a fool of herself. How many of them were anticipating her divorce with
Emily Quest glared coldly at Xyla Quest and Stanley Batton before tugging at Tom Sullivan’s arm. She wanted to join Jeremy Quest and May Conner in greeting the other guests with a toast.However, Tom did not intend to leave. Silently, he stood and looked in Xyla and Stanley’s direction with mixed feelings.The couple with near-perfect looks were holding hands. Tom was pained by the sight of them standing together and attracting everyone’s attention around them.After not seeing Xyla for a long time, Tom found that she had become a lot prettier. Although Xyla barely had any make-up on, she seemed a lot more strikingly beautiful than Emily.Whenever Tom thought about how the woman he cared about might have hurt him, his eyes would turn cold. Now, he clenched his fists tightly.If Xyla threw tantrums, Tom might have been able to bear with her. However, if she hurt him at a deeper level, he would not bear with it.If Xyla really was the one who did those things to him, he swore he would ne
“Thank you, Aunty. Thank you, Sister,” Xyla Quest replied equally politely with a natural smile on her face.In social situations like this, it was necessary to appear cheerful even if Xyla was annoyed on the inside.“Sister and Brother-in-law, your seats are over there. Why don’t I lead you there?” Emily Quest asked as she pointed at a table in the center of the living room.Currently, there were two empty seats at the table. The guests seated at the table were mostly from May Conner’s side of the family. There were also relatives to Xyla’s mother.“That won’t be necessary,” Xyla answered calmly before pulling her hand away from May. After that, Xyla held Stanley’s hand as they both walked to the empty seats.After Xyla Quest and Stanley Batton sat down, relatives to Xyla’s mother began asking her and Stanley questions about their life together.Xyla and Stanley politely answered their questions throughout.Once Emily and Tom Sullivan had greeted their guests at each table, Tom quickl
“Do you want to pick another fight?” Xyla Quest snorted coldly.The longer Xyla looked at Emily Quest’s face, the more annoyed she felt.“Yes, I’m picking a fight. Hit me if you dare,” Emily said obnoxiously as she stared at Xyla with a mean expression.After that, Emily took a step closer to Xyla and poked her finger into Xyla’s shoulder.“Although I don’t have proof that you are behind everything bad that happened to Brother Sullivan and my mother, I know very well that it was you, Xyla Quest. There isn’t another heartless b*tch like you in this world. Clearly, you are a shameless creature. However, you pretend to be polite every day. Do you not get tired? Do you know what people like you are? You are a b*tch who appears innocent and charming but is actually calculating and manipulative. You are incapable of doing anything to my mother or me. As long as you are alive, Mom and I won’t be defeated, and we won’t let you have your way. Xyla Quest, all I did was steal your boyfriend away
Xyla quickly reached for Hannah’s hand. “Is that right? Hannah, you’re amazing…! You’re practically on par with Leon!”Hannah laughed, slightly embarrassed. “Not at all.”“Oh, cut it out. If you hadn’t helped me, how could I have improved so quickly?” Leon chuckled.“I guess I’ve lived up to my promise.” Hannah giggled along.Back then, she had promised Leon that she would become someone deserving of him.She claimed that she would grow with Leon.Without a doubt, she had done it.Now, Hannah had become a successful woman many would often speak of. She earned her rightful seat next to Leon as the CEO of Dragon Group.Stanley also turned to look at Hannah. “Yes, Hannah’s very capable. She’s our family pride.”Hannah laughed. “I was lucky to be accepted by your family.”In fact, Hannah genuinely felt grateful toward the Batton family over the years she had spent with them.They had helped her through all the hardship she encountered when she was poor and down on her luck.Aft
“Hannah, I’ve taken the first step for you. Are you willing to walk by my side for the rest of our lives?” Leon asked, serious.“Yes, I am…” Hannah answered without missing a beat.“I’ll protect you. From now on, you don’t have to worry about a single thing.” With that, Leon placed both hands on Hannah’s face and kissed her on the lips.The moment their lips touched, everything felt surreal…Hannah could feel pink, light bubbles floating all around her. It felt as if all the flowers in the world were blossoming at once.In Hannah’s dark, depressing life, Leon was her only salvation.He was a ray of hope that led her out of hell, so she could see light once more.Hannah thought she would never have anything to do with Leon after she quit school.Even until now, she still remembered how sorrowful she was on her last day of school.But now… Not only did she get the opportunity to interact with him once more, but they also became a couple.Their driver sighed to himself while
Over time, Leon’s feelings for Hannah grew deeper, stronger, and more intense.He had grown used to having her with him all the time.Thus, he hoped she would stay by his side for the rest of his life.Upon hearing his words, Hannah’s mind went blank.What did her dream guy just say?Was she dreaming?Hannah quickly pinched her palm at the thought in an attempt to discern between dream and reality.Her palm hurt. That meant this wasn’t a dream. It was real!Hannah felt even more dumbfounded…This meant Leon actually liked her! He was confessing to her, wasn’t he?Did her dream guy actually reciprocate her feelings?Never in her wildest dreams did Hannah imagine she would go through such an experience.Excitement jammed her mind, so much that she was rendered speechless. There were many things she wanted to say, and yet, she couldn’t utter a single word.Her heartbeat increased rapidly, and her entire body began to shake. Sensing her trembling body, Leon tightened his e
Immediately after, the men in black pulled out guns from their pockets, which they aimed at Raymond’s head.Raymond panicked instantly, going pale.He subconsciously retreated a step back. “Who are you? Don’t you know what you’re doing is illegal?”Leon sneered. “You don’t deserve to know my name. In this city, I am the law.”Leon’s domineering words made him seem even more imposing.At this moment, Hannah felt as if he was a guardian angel sent from Heaven to protect her.Something about him seemed oddly sacred and heavenly.“Mr. Batton, do I shoot him in the head?” One of the men dressed in black asked.“Mr. Batton? Are you Stanley Batton’s son?!” Fear was beginning to spread through Raymond. For one to have Batton as his surname and act this arrogantly in Atlantis, he could be none other than a member of the renowned Batton family.“How dare you address our president by name?!” Another man in black leveled Raymond with a chilling glare.Suffice to say, Raymond was terrif
Terrible pain ached at every part of Hannah’s body as she collided with the cold, hard ground.The pain was such that all her bones felt close to breaking. Everywhere hurt badly.At that moment, Hannah felt like a fragile doll made of clay that had been forcefully slammed hard against the ground until it broke into small pieces.Her mind went blank from the stinging agony.She braced herself and looked at the cold eyes staring back at her, filled with terror. Stammering, she asked, “Mr. Gray… What is the meaning of this?” “What’s the meaning of this? Ha! Don’t you know what’s good for you? You dumb b*tch… You’re lucky that I set my sights on you!”“How dare you refuse my feelings! Not just that, but you even made up a story to deceive me!”“Even when you saw me, you tried to trick me again!”“Do you think I’m stupid? That I can’t think? Do you honestly think I’d fall for your lies again and again?” Raymond went, his tone steadily rising into a furious roar.He then got on o
Although the sun had long sunk beneath the horizons and darkness had set in, the lively city wasn’t about to be silent anytime soon. Hannah felt deeply unsettled, so much that she didn’t leave right away.Instead, she waited in front of the bar, filled with hesitance and anxiety.Should she really leave?Would Rihanna truly be able to sort things out?The man was Raymond Gray… Neither Rihanna nor the bar could afford to upset him, lest they face terrible repercussions.Hannah remained standing on the same spot, uncertain. She really didn’t know what to do.Finally, she came to a decision. She took out her phone and tapped open a ride-hailing application on her phone.Yet just as she did that, she instantly closed it. Afterwards, she began pacing back and forth in worried circles, going to and fro aimlessly. Right as she was trapped in her worried musings, a group of people exited the bar. Raymond Gray, dressed in black, sporty attire, led all of them in a flamboyant manner.
A handsome waiter quickly walked in and looked at Rihanna. “Ms. Jensen, Mr. Gray out there insists that Hannah should get on stage to sing another song. I told him that Hannah would only sing three songs today…”“He lost his temper and claimed he’d destroy our bar if Hannah refuses to sing another song…” The waiter added. He was visibly trembling by the end of the sentence.Hannah figured Mr. Gray was probably the only son of the new mayor of Atlantis there weren’t many people with Gray as their surname in Atlantis. There were even less people who were arrogant like him. He was the only one.Hannah had heard about how terrible this person could be. He was known to be a womanizer too.Due to his powerful background, he looked down on everyone else. He didn’t respect women at all… Moreover, he had a relatively cruel personality. One could almost describe him as being a pervert.There was once when an owner of a bar offended a female internet celebrity he was dating. He directly hired
Hannah Roland smiled politely at Lina Cohen. “Nice to meet you… Thank you in advance!”“No problem… Do let me know if there’s anything you don’t like about your makeup too,” Lina said.Hannah nodded. “Okay, sure…”“By the way… Do all the signers here get such good treatment? I’m surprised we’re even assigned our own makeup artists,” Hannah asked carefully as she wasn’t aware about things like these..However, Lina smiled without answering Hannah’s question directly. She held Hannah’s hand casually the next second, “Come here. I’ll start doing your makeup now…”Hannah nodded…Lina was a very professional makeup artist. She took an hour to finish Hannah’s makeup.An hour later, Hannah’s appearance transformed completely.Lina permed Hannah’s long, black hair into natural-looking curls.Hannah had intricate peach-colored makeup on her face which made her appear lively and youthful.Once Lina was done with Hannah’s makeup, she happily retrieved a long, white dress from a clothes
Hannah Roland smiled without saying anything.***Hannah arrived at the bar where she worked at seven o’clock the next evening and walked into Rihanna Jensen’s office.Rihanna was going through paperwork in her office. When she saw Hannah, she immediately stood up and smiled at her. “Hannah, you’re here…”“Here’s the contract…” Rihanna said before pushing a thick stack of paper to the center of the table.Hannah quickly stepped forward and skimmed through the document. She then picked up a pen and signed it…Rihanna smiled upon seeing this. “Okay… I’ll transfer the money into your account tonight… I’ve told our big boss about your situation. He’s fine with my decision to pay your salary in advance. In fact, he even told me I did a good job…”“He said you can sing without worrying about a single thing… If you need any help in the future, do let us know…” Rihanna added.Hannah felt glad when she heard this, and became teary-eyed. “Thank you… Please thank our big boss for me too.