Billy paused for a moment. "There is another solution…""What is it?""Doesn't the casino have a rule that allows you to put yourself as the stake? Why don't you do that, Mr. Yates?" "The other party refused!" Tommy furrowed his brows. Ten minutes was almost up. He said, "Why don't I sign a contract with you that makes myself the stake? After all, you believe that I'll be able to pay, right? Yates Group is so big. We're not going to owe you. Besides, my cousin's lover, Ned, is the president of Fletcher Corporation!" "Mr. Yates, it's not that I don't believe you! But the department that's in charge of lending money has never signed any contract with a person as collateral!" Billy smiled and said, "Why don't you try and discuss this further with the other party?""I don't care! No matter what method you use today, I insist on borrowing this money!" Tommy put his foot down. "Otherwise, don't blame me then!" Billy pondered for a moment and said, "Let's do this then! We've worked t
Tommy stared at Billy with widened eyes. "You… What do you want?""How about this? We'll take this document that you've signed and stamped to the Yates residence and ask to see Mr. Yates Senior…" "No! If you take this to my father, he'll kill me!" Tommy looked frightened. "Well, then you can only pay with your organs, Mr. Yates!" Billy was still grinning. "You… That's illegal!" Tommy cried out in fear, his eyes widening. "You don't have to worry about that, Mr. Yates! We're such a big casino… We often meet people who can't pay back the money they borrowed from us, but we can't just let them go. If we did, we'd be making a huge loss!" "No! No!" Tommy gulped, feeling terrified. "I'll pay this money back!""By today?" Billy asked. "Can you spare me a few days?" Tommy's voice was trembling imperceptibly. "Half a month! I'll get the money within half a month!" "I'm afraid not! If you can't pay by today, you won't be allowed to leave this room!" Billy sighed. "Mr. Yates, it'
That afternoon, Tommy handed the prescription to Billy. After he had ascertained that the prescription was correct, Billy happily burned up all the documents that Tommy had signed. Tommy finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you going to borrow money and win back your pride at the gaming table this time?" Billy asked, smiling. Tommy hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Give me a million then!""I like signing contracts with people like you, Tommy! You get straight to the point!" Billy printed out a loan contract for Tommy to sign. After Tommy reentered the casino, he lost that one million before dawn. He rushed into Billy's office and borrowed another million, then rushed back into the casino again. When Angeline received the news, Tommy had already been at the casino for seven days. "Have you saved the video of Tommy handing you the prescription that he stole?" she asked. "Don't worry, Ms. Emmerson. It's been saved. I'll send it to you shortly," Billy said in a lo
Soon, there was a notification from her phone. Sean had sent a voice message."Alright! Don't worry, I'll send you a video once I have him." Sean looked at the photo, where a fair, chubby-looking child was looking sternly at the camera. His finger brushed against the photo gently, and a smile appeared involuntarily on his face. While he was driving to the airport, Sean called Taylor. "Buy some daily necessities that a four-year-old boy would need, and get some toys and snacks that children would like sent to the house. Hurry!" "A boy?" Taylor was confused but agreed, "Okay, I'm on it!" "Wait! There needs to be a children's potty, a children's showerhead, and a stool for him to stand on while brushing his teeth. Prepare all these!" Sean hurriedly instructed after he thought about what Yasmine had said that day about the house not having these things. "Okay! Don't worry!" Taylor answered. It only took Sean 50 minutes to drive to the airport. He followed the information he
Xavier opened the car door and saw the pink car seat inside. He raised his eyebrows. "Pink?" "You arrived too suddenly. This car seat was prepared for Yasmine. Just sit in it for now, and we'll go and buy one in a color you like tomorrow," explained Sean. Xavier had already investigated Sean thoroughly. He knew from the license plate that it was his car for real.Xavier felt happier when he saw that Sean had prepared a car seat for Yasmine. He maintained a poker face as he nodded. Sean put Xavier's safety belt on for him and sent a video to Angeline.Angeline called very quickly after that. When she saw Xavier sitting in the car seat with his arms crossed, Angeline scolded him, "You're getting too big for your boots! You just left a note and then got on a plane home? Don't you know that you're a four-year-old child? What if you meet bad people on the way?" "I'm not four yet! I'm young and don't know any better!" Xavier turned his head away, still sulking at Angeline. He mut
Xavier pinched Sean's arm tentatively and thought that Yasmine was right. Sean had very strong arms.When they got home, Xavier looked around and was fairly satisfied with what he saw. "Mr. Lawson…" Taylor had just done arranging the children's things when he saw Sean taking his shoes off in the foyer, still with Xavier in his arms. He smiled and greeted Xavier, "Good evening, little Yasmine!" Xavier raised his eyebrows. He looked adorably stern as he said, "I'm Xavier! Yasmine is my little sister." Taylor was surprised, his eyes widened. Xavier was the elder brother, and Yasmine was the younger sister. They were twins.This meant that Angeline's children had been fine from the start.When Taylor saw Angeline with a little girl at the airport previously, he had suspected that she had adopted a child. Now that he had seen Yasmine's twin older brother, Taylor immediately grasped the situation. They were both the children of Angeline and Sean. When Xavier saw Taylor's exp
"No." Xavier turned on the tap. Sean heard the sound of water running and stood uncertainly in the doorway.Then he heard the water stop, and there was the sound of Xavier pushing the stool across the floor inside. He knocked again. "Can I come in?" "Yes." Sean pushed the door open and entered. He saw Xavier, who looked damp and soft, rather like a tiny marshmallow. He had wrapped himself up in a little hooded bath towel printed with bears and had a matching hat. He looked like a newborn bear cub but with a cool expression. "Can I help you?" asked Sean. "It's dangerous for children to use hairdryers by themselves. I'll dry your hair," said Sean. He plugged the hairdryer in and began to blow Xavier's hair. Xavier's hair was a mess. He looked up and watched the man in the mirror, who had his head lowered as he turned Xavier's head around with his large, powerful hands. His grip was firm but not too strong, and it felt rather comfortable. When Xavier's hair was dry and he h
"Ms. Emmerson, Tommy has paid back the money he owed this time. I don't know where he got so much money, but he borrowed again…" Billy's voice traveled over the phone. Angeline wasn't surprised. Tommy must have used the funds that were meant for the production of that batch of drugs. After all, she had specially instructed Billy to remind Tommy to use those funds first and return the money when he won it back from gambling. No one would know. Tommy hadn't had the guts to do so the last time, so he had chosen to steal the prescription. Angeline hadn't made a fuss out of that because she wanted Tommy to feel that he was safe whilst in the grip of his gambling addiction. That way, he could be forced into a corner again. As long as Tommy was in a desperate situation, he would think about using that money even without Billy mentioning it. He would think that he would be able to win it back at gambling and just return the money quietly. That was the typical gambler's mindset. A
As soon as the words were out of Angeline's mouth, the sound of lounge slippers padding across the floor rang out. Yasmine ignored the shock on Ned's face and turned to reach for Sean. "Hold me, Daddy!"Sean smiled and lifted her into his arms. Then, he stood beside Angeline and looked at Ned imperiously. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Fletcher. I'm Shane Kingston. Thank you for pushing Angie away in the past—it led to my relationship with her."Ned knew precisely who "Shane" was. Just a few days ago, he'd seen the news about Melissa's press conference explaining her relationship with "Shane".His mind buzzed. He knew Sean and Shane looked similar enough for Dexter's men to have gotten the wrong person. However, he hadn't expected "Shane" to have anything to do with Angeline!"You… Are you the kids' father?" Ned's voice was incredibly shaky."Yes, and again, thank you for that!" Sean smiled. "We've never told anyone about this because I didn't want to endanger Angie and the kids.
Sean didn't give Angeline the chance to finish. "You were right to bring this up to me!"He wrapped his arms around her from behind and continued, "You and the kids will always be my main priority. I know I said I want Melissa to remain safe and happy under my watch, but my feelings for her are purely familial love."She's family to me, and I must care for her. But you and the kids mean more to me than anything else in the world, including her."His honesty made Angeline feel slightly more at ease. She said, "Those are your words, not mine…""I swear on my life that I mean every word." He pressed a kiss to her head. "Can I stay here tonight? I want to sleep with you and the kids. Also, I came from Brayden's place upstairs, so no one will know I'm here.""Granddad made it clear that if anyone finds out about this, he won't allow the kids to see you anymore.""Got it. Don't worry about a thing. Mr. Lawson Senior raised me, and I owe him for that. I won't put him in a tough
Angeline nodded without saying anything. Once Nathaniel was gone, she received a call from Sean."Now that everything has been taken care of, I want to give you a gift," he said, the smile in his tone evident. "Can you have the kids spend Friday night at Grand Court Residences? I want to show all three of you my gift on Saturday."He missed Yasmine and Xavier terribly. Before resolving the issue with Melissa, he hadn't dared to say he wanted to see them. Even if Angeline were okay with it, Robert probably would've objected to his wishes. Now that the dust had settled, he couldn't wait to see them."I don't call the shots regarding the kids now. I'll have to ask Granddad," Angeline said."I'll talk to him about it." Sean was worried Robert would take his anger out on her. "This all started because I insisted on being with you, so I'll handle it. I'll visit Mr. Lawson Senior later today."Angeline didn't know how Sean's conversation with Robert went, but Robert had Asher drop
That night, Melissa called Sean. "Shane, let's publicly announce our divorce. We can tell everyone that we only got married on paper so the Lane family could offer you its protection."Tell them that Dexter repeatedly tried to harm you so he could take the Kingston family fortune, and tell them how he tried to snatch you from the Lane family so he could secretly deal with you."She paused, then continued, "Now that Dexter's in prison, we can get a divorce, and Lori can adopt me as her daughter. We'll become cousins, and we'll still be a family.""Melissa…"Sean was surprised. He didn't expect her to see the light in such a short time."Since you don't have any feelings for me and won't ever make me your wife, I'll settle to be Lori's daughter. That way, you'll always be my family!" Tears streamed down Melissa's face as she spoke. "I adore Lori and want to be her daughter.""Alright," Sean said."Can you head to Keman with me, then? We can visit Dad together before getting
Melissa stared at Lori, who chuckled gently. "It's alright. There's no need to rush into anything. Take your time to think about it. Get good rest for a few days, then go shopping with me. We can buy some clothes to keep up with the changing seasons."I heard from Brayden and Sean that you're the expert in fashion and dressing up. I've always wanted a daughter who could shop, exercise, travel, café hop, and go on spa days with me."She paused and continued, "I didn't get to do any of this with you because you weren't in the best state before this. Now, though, you're all better. You're back to normal, and you've regained your memories!""I'd love that!" Melissa said without hesitation. She'd only done these things with her mother and Emelia in her dreams, but that was all they were—dreams. She was delighted now that Lori was back and willing to make her dreams come true.Sean sat on the couch and sipped his coffee. He knew Lori was doing everything she could to make his life ea
Melissa nodded. Sean said, "I know you have no company management experience. Mr. Lane might have entrusted Trustworth Group to me, but it's still yours. Before you find someone to take over, my plan for the company is still to move its focus back to Lonla."The global situation isn't the best now, and Lonla is the safest place for expansion. That's why the company's focus has to return to Lonla—""You can hand the company over to Brayden," Melissa interrupted. "The only people in this world I trust are you, Dad, and Brayden. Now that Dad's in prison and you don't want me anymore, Brayden is all I have left.""I'm still your kin, Melissa. I won't kick you to the curb and leave you to die. Nevertheless, Trustworth Group is yours. You can have whoever you want to manage it. Brayden is capable of that." Sean looked at Brayden. "What do you think? Are you willing to take over Trustworth Group?""I'll do it as long as Melissa is okay with it!" Brayden nodded. He turned to look
"That's not it! I've always been willing to care for you, and I'm more than willing to care for you in the future! It's not something that I'm forced to do…" Brayden feared his words would inadvertently hurt Melissa, so he decided not to continue in that vein.He said, "C'mon, you should head downstairs to eat something. You've already slept the day away.""I don't want to eat!" Melissa lay down again and pulled the sheets around herself. She said dully, "I want to sleep for a bit longer. Shut the door on your way out."Seeing that she'd already shut her eyes and started weeping, Brayden said softly, "I'll have the kitchen keep the food warm for you. Remember to call me when you wake up, okay? I'll be right downstairs!""Okay." Brayden left the room after hearing Melissa's muffled reply. He shut the door behind him.Melissa remained upstairs. She didn't head downstairs, even when Sean returned. Sean had already spoken to Angeline on the phone and told her he wouldn't meet
Melissa slept in her room and only woke up at night. She removed her headphones and opened her red, swollen eyes. She stared dazedly at the night sky, only returning to her senses when her headphones fell out of her hands.Brayden, who'd been waiting outside this whole time, heard them fall to the floor and hurried into the room. He saw Melissa sitting cross-legged on the bed. She propped herself on one arm while leaning down to pick up the headphones.He hurried forward and picked them up for her, then remained on one knee by the bed. He looked up at her and said, "You slept for ages, Melissa. Do you want to have anything to eat? I got all your favorites, and there are different cuisines. I also got your favorite fruits and snacks!"He'd already had the maids throw out the food he'd bought at noon. Then, he'd had his subordinate buy a fresh batch.Melissa turned to look at him dazedly. She said hoarsely, "Brayden…""I'm here," he said. "C'mon, should we get something to eat
Melissa knew Sean well. So, it was impossible for her not to know if he was being serious. Sean was indeed threatening her, and he was using his life to do it. That way, she wouldn't dare to harm Angeline for fear of hurting him.She loved Sean so much that she could give up her life for him. She wondered why he was treating her that way. He knew she wouldn't allow even the slightest possibility of her threatening his safety.Just then, Sean received a call from Brayden. He said, "...Yeah, I've already picked Melissa up. We're heading to Southstream Manor now… Yeah, you can head over there. Buy some food on your way—Melissa probably hasn't eaten anything yet. She should be hungry."At his words, Melissa couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She covered her face and started sobbing. She'd spent her whole life dreaming of becoming Sean's wife, but he was now in love with someone else and no longer wanted her.Yet, she couldn't do anything about the situation, or she'd be hurting