After leaving the detention center, Alanna seemed lost in thought.Although Tucker hadn't revealed much, she couldn't shake off her suspicions about Edmund."Do you think it could be Edmund?" Hades remained silent."The key question now is, if it's Edmund, why would he harm your mother?"Alanna lowered her gaze.Hades was right. She wondered why.Since learning that Tara was being targeted, she had thought of countless possibilities. Who could be behind the threats, and why would anyone want to harm such a fragile woman?But she still had no answers.Hades felt a pang of heartache."We'll find out eventually. Don't worry, if it's him, he'll show his true colors sooner or later."Alanna looked out the window and responded in a hum.Hades looked at her and gently caressed her cheek."Ally, don't feel sad. It hurts me."Alanna brushed his hand away. "Stop touching me all the time."Hades' mouth twitched."I've already asked Margaret to make preparations for the New Year.
Justin entered the room just in time to hear Alanna's questionHe paused briefly before taking a deep breath and walking up to her."Ms. Jacinto."Alanna turned around and saw Justin coming in with a stack of forms.Her lips twitched. But before she could speak, Justin beat her to it."Ms. Jacinto, what brings you here?" His demeanor was natural, showing no signs of evasion.Alanna pursed her lips and smiled slightly. "I'm here accompanying Chelsey for her shot."With that, she glanced back at the little girl."Is this your daughter?"Justin nodded, his eyes filled with affection as he looked at the girl."Yes, she's my daughter."Alanna's fingers twitched. "May I hold her?"Almost instinctively, the nanny holding the girl took a step back.Alanna's hands froze. She said, "Sorry."Justin's brow furrowed instantly.He glanced at the nanny before explaining softly to Alanna."Aashika was born prematurely and has a very weak immune system. We always disinfect before holdin
Chelsey didn't know how to comfort Alanna."Ally, you need to move on."Alanna nodded without saying much. There was nothing else she could do.While the doctor examined Chelsey's wound and prescribed her medication, a commotion arose outside.Michel and the dog's owner had followed them to the clinic."Chelsey!"As soon as Michel entered the clinic, he called out.Chelsey gave him a sidelong glance. "What are you doing here?"Michel chuckled. "I came to check on you after hearing you got bitten."Chelsey scoffed. "What for? I got bitten by a dog, not you."Michel clicked his tongue. "Even if we were to bite each other, you would be the one who bit me."Chelsey aimed a kick at him. But before she could reach him, someone shouted, "Michel!"Chelsey immediately retracted her foot and glared at Michel. "Get out of the way. Stop being an eyesore."Michel chuckled. "Chelsey, are you reluctant to kick me?"Without hesitation, Chelsey aimed another kick at him. This time, she hi
Alanna was surprised. She then looked up at the man before her.She had a guarded expression.The man chuckled and handed her another business card. "I'm Mason Lowe and a classmate of Grayson's. I've heard a bit about you from him. I happened to have a business meeting recently that required translation. Would you be interested in taking up the job?"Alanna remained wary."Mr. Lowe, since you're Grayson's classmate, it would be more convenient to talk to him. I have something to attend to today, so I'll take my leave."With that, she pulled Chelsey and headed out. After their figures disappeared, Mason chuckled."She's quite guarded."He muttered to himself before lighting a cigarette. Just then, his phone rang. A woman's voice came from the other end."Didn't I ask you to approach Alanna? Why haven't you made any progress after such a long time?"Mason took a drag of his cigarette."Do you think it's easy to get close to Alanna? She's always surrounded by bodyguards. I o
He casually picked it up and glanced at it, his eyes filled with displeasure. "Who is this pretty boy?"Alanna looked at the snow outside."Can't you tell? A handsome guy."Hades frowned. "Is he more handsome than me?"Alanna couldn't be bothered to answer him.Hades lowered his eyes and held her waist. "Ms. Jacinto, are you feeling needy?"Alanna furrowed her brows. "Hades, can you be serious?"But Hades shamelessly replied, "If you have any needs, just give me a call. I'll be at your service anytime and anywhere."Alanna glared at him. "Hades, have some dignity."Hades chuckled. "Ms. Jacinto, are you doubting my abilities?"Alanna kicked his leg without hesitation.Hades laughed. "Feeling better now?"Alanna paused before nodding slightly. "Thank you.""Silly girl. Why are you thanking me?" Alanna smiled and got back to her work. She glanced at the man on the other side, who was busy replying to emails on his phone."If you're busy, you don't have to come over here on
"Someone's pregnant on this floor!""How did you know?""I saw the pregnancy test in the toilet!"Alanna Jacinto had just stepped into the office building when she heard these words. She stopped in her tracks and lifted her eyes to look at the two interns who had been talking just now.As soon as the interns saw her looking at them, their expressions immediately dropped as they dipped their heads and resumed their work.Alanna then recollected herself and entered her office.Her phone wouldn't stop ringing with notifications. She tapped on the notification bar and realized that someone had spread the news into their office group chat.If there was one thing this office didn't lack, it was the sheer volume of gossip every day.Alanna stared as more and more people joined in the discussion in the group chat. She could hear her head throbbing.She'd been too careless. She should have wrapped the test in paper towels before throwing it away in the trash.If Hades Florentine learn
Alanna's back went stiff when she heard that. She turned around and asked as naturally as she could, "If I were to answer 'yes,' what would you do?"Hades' eyes turned dim, and his stare turned icy cold. It was a vast difference from how hot and passionate he'd been just less than 30 minutes ago."What else would I do? Schedule an abortion for you at once."Alanna's face slowly turned pale. She clasped her hands tightly as Hades stared at her with an increasingly chilling look."Alanna. Don't forget the rules of our game."Alanna stiffened at once.That was right. Everything between them was just a game to him.After all, she was a nobody and didn't deserve to be with him. She was born in a regular household, while Hades was the first son of the eldest son in the Florentine family. He was the true heir to all of his family's wealth and social status.Her relationship with him started as a mere coincidence.Three years ago, her mother, Tara Thornton, had been involved in an a
There was sexual tension in the air. The D-lister kept on leaning excessively toward Hades.Alanna spared Hades a glance before shifting her gaze elsewhere. Meanwhile, when Hades saw Alanna entering the room, his brows only lifted very slightly. But he didn't move otherwise.On the other hand, it was his younger brother, Yves Florentine, whose eyes lit up as soon as he saw Alanna.He turned around to eye Hades for a bit. Then, he looked at Alanna with a smirk on his face."Ms. Jacinto, here for a drink?""I couldn't say no to Mr. Abbott's invitation."Alanna didn't force her way to the center of the room where everyone else was. Instead, she chose a quieter corner and sat down."Why are you sitting so far away? Come sit closer to us," Yves said, already prepared for some drama.Even if nobody else knew about Hades' relationship with Alanna, Yves did. That D-lister next to Hades never piqued Hades' attention from the start. But as soon as Alanna appeared, the celebrity was as