This was Alanna's first time meeting Jill.Jill seemed quite energetic for a woman in her 70s with gray hair. There was an intelligent sparkle in her clear eyes despite her age.Hector must have sensed Alanna's gaze, for he paused in his steps and looked in her direction.Jill did the same as well. She was stunned to see Alanna.That was until Hector called out to her."Mrs. Simmons, this is Ms. Alanna Jacinto. I think Jeff has brought her up before."Jill snapped out of her trance before flashing Alanna a smile."Alanna, I've heard all about you from Jeff. I've been meaning to meet you for quite some time now. I didn't expect our first meeting to be dragged out for so long."Jill stared at Alanna longingly. She couldn't help but feel emotional when she gazed at her. For a moment, she thought her nose was going to tingle from how emotional she was.She remembered Sandra being this beautiful back in the day.Oh, Sandra was so gorgeous and talented! Yet, tragedy still went for
Hades never cared about Alanna's tears in the past. He even thought of her as weak because of her tendency to cry.But the tears that she had shed in the past transformed into phantom pain that constantly haunted him now.Just what on earth had he done to Alanna in the past?Suddenly, Hades felt like slapping himself. He closed his eyes while rubbing the spot between his brows tiredly.Once Alanna and Winston left, Hades got into his car and drove after them.He could tell that Alanna was avoiding him. Still, he wouldn't give up on her no matter what.He wanted to be with Alanna. She was the only woman he wanted in this lifetime.The banquet was held in a hotel that belonged to one of the Ministry members.Alanna was extremely beautiful, not to mention there had been rumors about her being the successor to Winston's position flying around in the Ministry. As such, she became the center of attention as soon as she stepped into the banquet hall of the hotel.Travis was pleasan
Alanna was so familiar with the newcomer's words that she knew who he was straight away without turning to look at him.Her first instinct was to struggle out of Hades' grasp, yet he drew her back into his embrace once again."Hades Florentine?"Alanna stopped struggling when she heard Elizabeth's voice."I didn't expect someone as prestigious as you to be able to recognize me, Mrs. Silva," Hades said mockingly.Of course, Elizabeth was frustrated to hear the mockery in Hades' tone. Everyone in the upper echelons knew who he was, after all.What did he mean by that? Was he secretly mocking her for not being blue-blooded enough to know who he was?It was true that the Silvas had always kept a low profile among their wealthy peers. Their reputation paled in comparison to the Florentines'.Still, the Silva family was still an elite family at the end of the day. In other words, Elizabeth still viewed herself as superior to Hades because of her seniority in the upper echelons."Had
The moment Elizabeth finished speaking, Hades retorted with a sneer, "Kindly get things straight, Mrs. Silva, and see who's badgering who. Travis is the one who keeps running over to Jagersville, even during the holidays. How can you claim that it's Alanna who's badgering him?"If you don't want Travis to be with Alanna, then keep him in check! That's the best thing you can do! I'd be eternally grateful to you if you could get Travis to leave Alanna alone!"Elizabeth was speechless. "Why, you—""Mom!"Travis cut Elizabeth off before she could say anything else. He had rushed over just in time to hear what Hades said, and his expression turned stormy.He had only been gone for a short while. Why had Elizabeth approached Alanna?"What are you doing here, Mom?" Travis asked.Elizabeth was unusually gentle when she spoke to Travis. "I'm not doing anything, Travis. I spotted Ms. Jacinto, so I just wanted to greet her."Nevertheless, Travis knew what Elizabeth was truly like. Lately,
Alanna acted like she didn't hear Hades' question. Why was he trying to make a comparison? It was so childish of him.Moreover, Travis had never done anything to hurt her. Meanwhile, Hades was the one who initiated both the start and the end of their relationship, which hurt her.Hades had more to say, but just then, a car pulled up.As soon as Hector stepped out of the car, his eyes fell on Alanna."Mr. Archdale," Alanna greeted.Hector nodded in response before saying, "I heard what happened just now. You can't get along with everyone. Since things didn't work out despite your attempts to get along with Elizabeth, just leave it be and forget about her. Don't be concerned about it."Alanna was startled. She didn't expect Hector to console her. Smiling, she said, "Thanks for saying that, Mr. Archdale. I understand."After a pause, she continued, "However, considering my past, I don't know…"Hector laughed and assured her, "Mr. Florentine has explained everything to us. Don't wo
"Ally, you know what it's like to be in love with someone. You should understand that sometimes, you can't stop loving someone just because you want to," Travis said.Feeling caught, Alanna said, "Travis, you should give your love to someone even better."Travis looked her in the eye and said, "I've already met the best woman in the world."Alanna didn't know what to say.Hades, who was standing on the side, snorted and called out, "Why are you so determined to keep pestering her, Travis?"Travis eyed Hades and retorted, "Why don't you take a look at yourself before you make comments about other people?"His remark silenced Hades, whose expression turned grim at once.Travis turned back to Alanna and said, "Happy holidays, Ally."Once he finished speaking, he turned on his heel and walked off.Alanna frowned as she watched him leave.Hades walked up to her with a sour expression and said, "Why are you staring at him? Is his figure better than mine?""When did you become so s
Stunned, Hades soon felt a wave of pain striking his heart. He could barely breathe from the sudden pain.It was true that Alanna had given him multiple chances in the past. The times she had probed him and gauged his reactions were the opportunities she had given him.But with every probe came disappointment that kept stacking up.Bitterness surged into Hades' heart at that moment. He suddenly remembered the things Alanna had said to him back in Brunstein City.They could've restarted their relationship as long as Hades could ignore Melanie's plight forever. But in the end, he was the one forcing Alanna to drop the charges on Melanie with a contract in hand.Hades pinched the spot between his brows forcefully."So, this means all my efforts are useless no matter what I do, right?"Alanna gazed at him. Pinpricks of pain attacked her heart."Not everything can be given a second chance in life."Once upon a time, Alanna, in her lovesick stupor, had given everything she had to Ha
Alanna was enraged, to say the least.Hades got in the driver's seat. He chuckled coldly while fastening his seatbelt."So, you see me as the kind of man who's only interested in sex, huh?"Alanna fell silent at the question."Aren't you?" she shot back a moment later.Hades just harrumphed in response. "Well, I do have sex on my mind, but I'm no bastard. I'm not interested in forcing myself on you. That is… unless you're willing to go with the flow."Once again, Alanna found herself speechless.Soon, Hades' car reached Alanna's hotel foyer. Just as she was about to get out of the car, she felt Hades grabbing her hand all of a sudden."Ally, I haven't reserved any rooms of my own."Alanna was momentarily surprised at his words. "Do you need me to reserve a room for you? There should still be vacant rooms in this hotel."Hades decided to go down the shameless route. "Can you take me in for the night?"That earned a cold chuckle from Alanna. "Just how shameless are you, Hades?