Nonetheless, Tommy had done everything of his own volition because he didn't want the loan shark to harvest his organs. On his way back home, Tommy broke down when he saw his sex videos playing on the big LCD screen in front of the nightclub. The road was filled with crowds taking photos of the LCD screen, commenting on his moaning and flexibility. Although some of the videos were censored, everyone could tell Tommy had sex with a man. The worst part was he wasn't even gay. Feeling sick as he thought about this, Tommy rushed toward the toilet and vomited. Everyone saw his adulating look in front of the men. He was so embarrassed that he wished to vanish from the earth. The thoughts of people worldwide talking about and mocking him flooded Tommy's mind. He curled up and hid between the gap between the toilet bowl and the basin while pulling his hair.Tommy never thought that the method he had used to blackmail and torture the women had now inflicted upon himself. Soon,
"You saw Angie, didn't you?" Ingrid asked firmly. "That bitch Angeline… It was her fault!" Tommy shouted as if he suddenly remembered the day he gambled with Angeline. "I was winning until that bitch Angeline showed up, and then I kept losing, losing, and losing!" Ingrid held Tommy's hand and said, "Just stay in the house for a couple of days. Don't look at your phone, and don't look at the news! Everything will be fine once the news subsided. "The worst case scenario, we can just get you out of this country!" "Out of this country, yes! Ingrid, please get me out of this country! I can't stay here any longer!" Tommy bawled. Carmen heard Tommy's voice as she entered the house. She ran upstairs toward the bathroom and gave him a good thrashing. "You little bastard! You're our only child. Whatever you wanted, we gave them to you! Why did you do such a nasty thing with those men? You've embarrassed our family!" Carmen yelled while hitting Tommy. Ingrid quickly pulled Carmen aw
Sean exited the car carrying Xavier. "Xavier!" Jessica shouted as she saw Xavier. She smiled and squatted with her arms open. The usually aloof Xavier ran toward Jessica's embrace like a happy puppy. Robert stood by the side and watched with a cane in his hand. After he confirmed Jessica didn't have any unusual reaction, he felt relieved and smiled at Angeline. "Come! We'll talk inside!" Angeline carried Yasmine and followed behind Jessica. Once they were seated in the living room, Angeline handed the sandalwood box in her hands to Jessica. "I got a gift for you. It's a charm bracelet from Fawnword Church. It helps in keeping you safe. I hope you like it!" Jessica's bright eyes sparkled in surprise. She accepted the gift with both hands. "Thank you!" "Why don't you put it on," Robert said with a smile. Jessica opened the box and took out the bracelet. She happily wore it on her wrist, where hideous scars were slightly visible. Yasmine clapped her hands. "That's so pret
Before they arrived home, Angeline received a call from Sean telling her Jessica had woken up. "She's currently mentally unstable. Probably because she was triggered earlier," Sean said. "She hid herself in a corner, not allowing anyone to go close to her, and she kept saying 'Don't hit me!'" Tears filled Angeline's eyes. Emmerson Village had left a scar in Jessica's memory. "Mommy," Yasmine said while snuggling into Angeline's embrace. "Was Beautiful Ms. Lawson bit by a snake before? Why was she so afraid of a rope?" Jessica was afraid of a rope because it was her nightmare. Since the day she was kidnapped into Emmerson Village, she had been tied with a rope even when she was giving birth. Angeline hugged the kids tightly. "Everyone has a thing they fear. The same goes for Beautiful Ms. Lawson. So, Xavier and Yasmine should protect her in the future, okay?" "Don't worry, Mommy. I'll do my best to protect Beautiful Ms. Lawson!" Yasmine reassured. Once they had reached
"I'm sorry, Mr. Fletcher. Our founder has just returned to Krontos. That's why Mr. Reilly had to cancel his appointment abruptly." Wesley smiled while taking off his suit and sat beside Ned. "The founder of Vitality Biotech Group?" Ned passed the glass of wine to Wesley. "Are they here for our collaboration?" Wesley shook his head. "I don't know. Mr. Reilly didn't say anything, but I guess so!""I wonder if I have the pleasure to have a meal with the founder of Vitality Biotech Group," Ned asked with a smile. "I'll talk to Mr. Reilly about this!" Wesley replied. "But Mr. Reilly mentioned before the founder is obsessed with laboratory work. Mr. Reilly and Mr. Burns of the Yurope Division usually manage the company matters. I'm unsure if the founder would agree to meet with you." Ned looked surprised. "Based on what you said, haven't you met the founder before?" Wesley nodded. "Of course not! A small fry like me will never get the chance to meet them! I believe only Mr. Reill
With one hand on the steering wheel, Ned pulled his necktie to calm himself before calling Trevor, the head of the legal department of Fletcher Corporation. "Mr. Marshall, Vitality Biotech Group's formula was accidentally leaked from us. Please look through the contract and see if there's any way we can deal with it." Ned threw his phone to the side after hanging up the phone. He then stepped on the accelerator and rushed toward Ingrid's apartment in Krontos. Ned's phone call gathered everyone in the legal department, where they worked overnight to study the contract for any countermeasures. The whole legal department was panicking. The contract stated if the collaboration with Vitality Biotech Group was successful, they would involve Fletcher Corporation in their next cancer treatment development project. The legal department was happy for Fletcher Corporation because of this. They thought it was finally time for Fletcher Corporation to rise. No one would've thought Tommy ha
"Please, Ned," Ingrid cried. "I'm sorry! I promise I'll find a way out!""You'll find a way?" Ned said furiously. "Fletcher Corporation signed the NDA, so we have to pay 30 billion dollars of compensation!" "I'm sorry, Ned!" Ingrid held Ned's arm. "Please calm down. We'll figure out a way together, okay?" Suddenly, Ned chuckled and thought this was his karma for treating Angeline the same four years ago. Gritting his teeth, Ned stared at Tommy, who was kneeling and dared not to stand up. "I should've let you rot in jail back then!" Four years ago, when Angeline insisted on getting Tommy punished by law, he shouldn't have used her relationship with Robert and Sean to threaten her, thus saving Tommy. If Tommy had been sent to jail back then, he wouldn't have sold the formula today."Ned…" Ingrid kept crying. She tried grabbing Ned again, but he pushed her hands away. "Ned! Wait! Don't leave!" Ingrid called for Ned, but he left without looking back. As Ingrid was about to
He wondered why Angeline was with Danny Reilly, the head of Vitality Biotech Group's Lonla Division. Ned was brought back to his senses by the honk coming from behind. He turned the steering wheel, parked his car on the roadside, and headed toward Angeline and Danny. "Could you walk properly, Danny?" Angeline struggled to help Danny down the stairs. "Tell me, boss! Do you think I, Danny Reilly, look unflattering?" Danny said drunkenly. "When I was at Cantabrigiae University, many people were pursuing me! But why? Why doesn't she like me? Why wouldn't she like me?"Danny waved a finger before Angeline while hugging Angeline's neck and continued, "I have never, ever in my life messed around in my relationship in my life. I've only liked one person. Just one!"Boss, tell me! Are all talented women like you this arrogant?" "Danny, please! If you keep stumbling like this, I'm going to film your drunk look and show it to Heather!" Angeline warned. "Heather has always thought you lo
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