Meanwhile, in a hospital in Ashvale, Angelica lay restless in her hospital bed. She hadn't seen Yardley in a few days.Yardley hadn't shown up at the hospital since Willow had come and left with him that day.Then, Angelica had caught wind of Willow slitting her wrist and attempting suicide for Yardley.Angelica called him several times, but no one answered. After mulling it over, she called Yannis.Yannis was in the middle of a meeting when he received the call."Ms. Martinez," he answered the call as he thought of Yardley's instructions."Mr. Lynch, where's Yards? Why can't I reach him? Is he at the company?" she asked.Yannis answered solemnly, "Mr. Hughes went to Yrendale to help out with disaster relief.""What? He went to Yrendale?" Angelica exclaimed.The first thing that came to her mind was that Celia was also in Yrendale."Yes." Yannis nodded."There was a major earthquake in Yrendale, Ms. Martinez. Our company is committed to charity work. Mr. Hughes went to help
"... Do you understand? We'll bring the person here when the time comes. All you have to do is keep an eye on them. You'll get your fair share once the deal is successful!"Angelica had stood behind her father and watched as a burly man ruthlessly had jabbed at her father's shoulder.Her father had nodded and been all smiles as he held the green bills in his hand.Her stepmother had stood beside him, her eyes crinkled with laughter, a far cry from her usual sharp and mean expression."I understand, Theo. You can count on me! I promise I won't get in the way of your business!"Angelica's eyes had been fixed on her father's hand as she tilted her head.Would she be able to live a good life once she had money?Her stepmother and father had been overjoyed that evening. Her stepmother had even prepared two meat dishes that day, and she hadn't given Angelica a hard time while she was eating.The next morning, her father had kept urging them to eat quickly so they could leave for busi
"You're kidnapping us. This is illegal! Let us go now! Otherwise, my grandfather will bring the police to arrest all of you!"Yardley had unconsciously straightened his posture and tried his best not to look at the dog.To his surprise, the men had cackled after hearing his words. Yardley was just a kid in their eyes, so whatever he said had, of course, been a joke to them."Do you know where you are, kiddo? Who are you attempting to frighten with your baby face? "Let me tell you—nothing's going to change even if your grandfather comes! I expect the both of you to behave yourselves, or else …"Theo's smile had abruptly faded, and he had threatened them in a low voice. Even the scar on his face had twitched because of the movement of his mouth.The little girl had appeared terrified as she had gripped Yardley's clothes tightly and hidden behind him, revealing only half of her face.The wolfhound had been panting heavily, and it had suddenly barked fiercely.Yardley had quivered
Angelica had run out as well. She'd had to see that boy!Fortunately, Tom and his men had been too busy searching with their flashlights to notice Angelica trailing behind.When Angelica had reached the cliff, she had seen the little girl standing there. The boy had been nowhere in sight.Tom had put a hand on his bald head exasperatedly and spat on the ground. "Damn it! Things weren't supposed to turn out this way. Gah! Don't let this kiddo escape. Take her back!"After he had said that, several men had encircled the little girl and closed in on her. They'd had their eyes fixed on the little girl, eager to capture her.The girl had been frightened and kept shaking her head. She had retreated further until she had nearly reached the cliff's edge. Then, she had suddenly lost her footing and fell off the cliff. "Ah!"Angelica had heard her tragic scream echo throughout the night sky.In the present, Angelica snapped back from her thoughts and frowned.The little girl from bac
Nicole had been holding Henry's hand. Thus, when his fingers moved, she instantly woke up.As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Henry stirring and waking up. The tension that had been gripping her heart these past few days finally eased.She hugged Henry, feeling both excited and relieved. Her eyes reddened, and tears fell uncontrollably."Henry, you're awake! You're finally awake! This is great ... You have no idea how worried I was!"Henry furrowed his brows. He felt intense pain throughout his body, especially in his right leg. What had happened to him?After a while, his memories gradually returned. He recalled that he had been teaching in the classroom when a powerful earthquake had suddenly struck.He had led his students to evacuate the classroom, but he hadn't managed to escape in time. He had been trapped under the rubble of the collapsing building.At that time, he had thought he wouldn't survive. With his remaining consciousness, he had called Nicole.Why was Nico
Celia pushed Norman out of the hospital."Don't worry, Nicole. Henry might be in a bad mood because of his injury. Once Uncle Fletcher arrives and treats his leg, you two can have a good talk," Celia comforted.Nicole's eyes were red as she nodded and said, "Okay.""I'll call Uncle Fletcher and ask when he'll be arriving." Celia took out her phone and dialed Joaquin's number."Hello? Uncle Fletcher, when will you reach Ashvale?" she inquired.Joaquin said something over the phone. Celia then continued, "Yes, Nicole, and I just got back. Please call me when you arrive. I'll come and pick you up."At that moment, Joaquin had just placed an additional piece of clothing in his suitcase. "I've already bought my plane ticket. I'll arrive in Ashvale tomorrow afternoon to treat his leg. Please send me the hospital's address in advance.""Okay, Uncle Fletcher," Celia replied. She hung up the phone and relaxed visibly.Nicole looked at her with a worried expression. "How did it go?""
"One moment." Parker walked to his desk, picked up several files, and handed them to Celia. He fixed his gaze on her and said, "These are the actors and the director I've chosen. Do have a look and let me know if you find anyone unsuitable."Celia took the files and began flipping through them, page by page.The director Parker had selected was experienced in making art films. He had a great command of cinematic language and the nuances of directing actors. So there was nothing to worry about in that aspect. But the same couldn't be said for the choice of the female lead.Celia pointed at the picture in the file and looked up at Parker. She said, "I've seen most of Jodie Durnstone's previous works. She has mostly starred in period dramas. She excels in emotional scenes, but her overall image doesn't quite match the female lead's character."In my opinion, it might be better to cast Morgan Larson instead. She has a calm air about her, which makes her malleable as an actress.
A day had passed. Yet, there was still no news of Henry.Celia couldn't bear to see Nicole all worn out. She asked Nicole to go home and rest after assuring her that she would think of a way to find Henry.That afternoon, Joaquin's flight landed in Ashvale.Celia spotted him in the crowd and waved enthusiastically. "Uncle Fletcher!"She hurried over to him and took his luggage from him.Joaquin smiled and said, "How's Nicole's boyfriend doing? Let's go to the hospital now."Celia fell silent for a moment and shook her head. "He and Nicole broke up. He left the hospital yesterday, and neither of us know where he went. "Until now, we still haven't been able to find him. Please rest at the hotel for a few days first, Uncle Fletcher."Joaquin furrowed his brow and replied, "Alright."Suddenly, Celia thought of Elise. She tentatively asked, "By the way, Uncle Fletcher … I have a question to ask you."When Joaquin turned his attention to her, Celia inquired cautiously, "I would
In fact, Yardley didn't tell anyone. … Meanwhile, Morgan stumbled upon a surprising find. She discovered two healthy, month-old babies at the orphanage. "Director, is it true that no one wants such young babies?" Morgan felt a bit emotional. How could people be so heartless as to abandon their own babies? The director of the orphanage let out a deep sigh. "You don't know the whole story. Our janitor found these babies at the orphanage's entrance. Someone left them there and disappeared. "We've been taking care of them for about half a month now, and their condition has improved significantly." Looking at the adorable babies, Morgan couldn't shake the feeling that they belonged to Celia. "I'm here on behalf of Yardley Hughes else to adopt these children, but..." Morgan expressed her concerns. Morgan anticipated the orphanage director's refusal. To her surprise, he actually agreed. "The opportunity for these two babies to have some good days is preferable to nothing.
"Let's go, Celia. We shouldn't disturb the twins' rest," said Yardley as he supported Celia and got ready to leave. Celia waved her hand and stood in front of the incubator. Even with the glass barrier, she could still discern the condition of her children. She reached out to touch them, as if her touch could make them feel her presence. She resolved to take her children home safely. Celia lingered for a while before finally leaving the hospital. Once they were home, Celia locked herself in her room, disregarding any attempts anyone made to talk to her. Yardley headed to the company to attend to some matters, while the housekeepers remained at home. Meanwhile, Morgan couldn't shake her concern for Celia, so she came to visit her. Upon entering, she heard the housekeepers upstairs calling out, "Mrs. Hughes, are you feeling better? Come out and have some soup!" However, there was no response from inside. "What's going on?" Morgan asked. The housekeepers promptly briefed
Sophie had failed to get Celia's forgiveness. So, she had no choice but to pin all her hopes on Morgan.She took all the supplements to Morgan's apartment. Richard was staying there with her.Ever since the incident with Celia, Sophie's relationship with Richard had become very strained. They barely talked to one another.Sophie knocked on the door for a long time, but no one came out.She could only wait outside. After two hours, she finally saw Morgan and Richard. They came into view, laughing and holding each other's hands.This scene pained Sophie deeply."What are you doing here?" Morgan's cheerful expression faltered the moment she saw Sophie.Sophie could only put on a smile and say, "I brought all these for you. I was wrong to come between your relationship with my son."Richard glanced at the items on the ground. He could tell from a glance that they were meant for postpartum care and immediately understood why Sophie was there."Mom, you should be honest. You got the
Otto didn't back down and insisted on his right to see his grandchildren. However, Yardley paid him no mind. He shook his head and said, "Celia needs rest. Please come back another day."The next second, he instructed the housekeepers to close the door and left Otto standing outside. Otto stomped his walking cane on the ground in frustration but had no choice but to leave.As Yardley made his way back inside the villa, he thought of another troubling matter.Although they had brought their children home, the twins had been weak because they had been born prematurely. They had appointed a family doctor to treat the twins but hadn't seen much improvement in their health. Yardley sanitized himself before he went into the nursery. He felt pained when he heard the twins' weak breaths."Mr. Hughes." The family doctor spoke up with a frown, indicating that the situation was far from ideal."The baby girl has been slowly recovering, but the boy remains very weak. I don't think the n
"Don't worry. She's fine. She's just a bit weak at the moment."Remembering Yardley's words outside the ward, the doctor felt a wave of nervousness. He could tell that Yardley and Celia weren't ordinary people judging by their attire. They were certainly not ones to be trifled with."Did you say that we had twins?" Yardley turned to ask the nurse after learning that Celia was alright."Yes, sir." The nurse chuckled inwardly. She found that, despite Yardley's intimidating appearance, he was a very devoted husband.Soon, Celia was moved out of the operating room and into a VIP ward.Yardley gently wiped the sweat from Celia's face again. He took in her pale complexion; it was a sign of how much she had suffered."How's Celia?"Sounds of hurried footsteps came from outside. Ashley and the others had come over. Yardley turned and signaled them to leave.Celia had just given birth, so she needed a quiet environment to rest. Having too many visitors might affect her recovery.Ever
"How could you hit me because of her? I'm the mother of your child!" Sophie shrieked.She had never suffered such humiliation. She had been showered with love from a young age and wasn't accustomed to such harsh treatment. So, she became agitated and emotional."Isn't it all because of you that things turned out this way? Would such a thing have happened to our company? Would Richard suddenly want to break all ties with us? It's all because of your reckless behavior!" Chester vented years of suppressed grievances and dissatisfaction as if it would make him feel better.Celia watched as Chester and Sophie argued fiercely. She stepped forward to stop them, especially since there were many people outside watching the spectacle."Stop fighting. This isn't the time or the place for arguments!"Sophie went at Chester and started hitting him. Celia tried to break up their fight, but Sophie pushed her. Celia took a few steps back at that. She didn't attempt to intervene anymore."It's
"Mrs. Black, we'd intended to negotiate amicably with you and achieve a satisfactory outcome for both parties. "The decision to move out was mine, and I asked Celia to come over and help me out. If you're unwilling to be decent and compromise, then let's end things between our families here."Morgan felt relieved after expressing her thoughts. It was like a significant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "What do you mean?" Richard panicked. Just when their relationship had slightly improved, the situation took a turn for the worse again."We're breaking up for good!"Morgan left after saying that. Jessica and Darby left with her, leaving the Blacks behind."This is all your doing! Look what you've done! How many times have I told you not to be so assertive and bossy? Why don't you ever consider my feelings?" Richard punched the couch angrily, his heart filled with bitterness.Sophie hadn't wanted things to turn out this way either, but she had been too angry and spoke
"It's fine. You two can go if you have something else to attend to," Jessica said.Soon, Celia arrived at the Blacks' residence with Jessica and Darby.Sophie opened the door and was surprised to see Celia standing at the doorstep with Jessica and Darby. She couldn't understand what Celia was up to.Once they were inside, Celia didn't beat around the bush and stated her purpose directly. "I think you might be having some misunderstandings about Morgan."Sophie smiled without saying anything."Don't you think you're interfering too much in Morgan's personal life?" Celia questioned.Upon hearing this, Sophie realized why they were there. Having discussed the issue with Chester, Sophie had finally agreed not to interfere in Richard's and Morgan's lives.So, she didn't object to Celia's words. She even agreed with Celia, much to the latter's surprise.Under normal circumstances, Sophie would have argued with her. Why was she being so agreeable this time?"How about you sign a writ
After saying that, Celia hung up.On the other end, Quinn felt very displeased. After all, it was her party, and she had personally called Celia to invite her. Quinn felt that Celia had snubbed her by refusing to attend.Quinn thought about it for a moment. If Celia didn't come, Yardley probably wouldn't either. If both of them didn't show up, it would be embarrassing for Quinn.So, she decided to go and find Celia.…Morgan was taking refuge at Celia's place, so she answered the door when Quinn came over."I'm here to see Celia."Celia had instructed Morgan to turn away anyone she didn't recognize, no matter who it was. Hence, Morgan said, "Celia isn't seeing anyone today. Please come back another time."To Morgan's surprise, her words ignited the anger that Quinn had been suppressing in her heart. The two quickly started arguing.Celia listened to their argument from her room. She regretted asking Morgan to handle Quinn. She had expected that Quinn would come looking for her