Realizing that Charlotte was about to run into the villa, the fireman stopped her.“The structure of a building becomes extremely fragile after a huge fire. It could collapse at any minute. For your safety, you’d better… Hey! Wait! Hey!”Charlotte dashed into the courtyard.First, she ran to the spot where Bryson had gotten stabbed. Bryson's Maserati was still there, but there was only a metal frame left to remind of its former glory. She looked around but could not find Bryson's body.She wanted to search inside.She had just taken one step in when a tall, mountain-like figure stood in front of her. Her forehead collided firmly with the man’s strong muscles.“Wake up, the fireman has made this very clear. This villa could collapse at any minute. You’d just be walking into your own grave if you went inside.” Zachary’s voice was like a frosty wind, yet it carried his unique charm, which no woman could possibly resist. For one fleeting moment, she was taken aback.She then regaine
Charlotte was overcome with emotion, and her lips trembled.“Zachary, what are you doing back here…”“Put this on.”He draped a trench coat over her body.His black trench coat was immaculate and had an enchanting scent as if it held a warmth that could melt an entire mountain of ice.“Regardless of how sad you are, you must take care of your health. Don’t catch a cold.”The man’s cool, magnetic voice held hints of warmth that one would have to listen closely to detect.He walked away before Charlotte could return to her senses.As expected, two police cars arrived at the scene soon after.Once the investigative team had carefully searched the villa, one policeman spoke to Charlotte in a reverent tone. “Miss Simmons, I’m very sorry, but we could not find the body you’ve mentioned.”Charlotte pointed at the main building, now burned away by the fire, with a trembling finger. “The flames were raging when I arrived. Bryson… Could the fire have turned him to ashes?”“No!” The po
Charlotte immediately sat up in bed. Her voice shook from emotion. “I knew Bryson was still alive. When did he ask you to contact me? Where is he? Is he with you?”“Well… Sigh!”Mr. Gold sighed sorrowfully.“Ms. Simmons, Mr. Harper has entrusted me with giving you something very important. Please come to Platinum Coast. We’ll talk more when we meet.”Charlotte hurried down from the bed.She saw Zachary soon as she pushed her bedroom door open.It wasn’t because Zachary’s perfectly handsome face was far too attractive. It was because he wasn’t standing in front of the French windows for his morning read today, as he usually would. Instead, he was standing firmly outside her bedroom, like a large rock.As soon as Charlotte pushed the door open, he cleverly concealed the hints of concern in his eyes, hiding them without a trace, and indifferently said, “You’re up early. Are you going out?”Charlotte hung her head, too afraid to look him in the eye. “Yes, hehe… What are you doing o
“Zachary, I know you’re angry. But shouldn’t you vent your frustrations on whoever made you angry? Why are you making me your punching bag?” “Pfft…”Lucas, who had been enjoying the show from the couch, spat out the sip of coffee he had just taken.‘Mrs. Connor! You’re being completely irresponsible by talking to Second Master in that manner! You and Bryson are the ones who’ve pissed him off. Of course, Second Master can’t bring himself to throw a tantrum at you and Bryson, who’s supposed to be his punching bag, as he is now gone forever. So he’s been holding everything in to the point of abnormality. Do you expect him to hang himself, commit suicide, and meet Bryson in death to release his frustrations?’The most shocking part of all to Lucas was that Zachary, who never tolerated being angered, actually swallowed with all his might. His voice became even more amiable than before.“I think you’ve misunderstood me.”Crash!Lucas dropped the coffee cup in his hands onto the groun
At Platinum Coast...The villa was once Charlotte and Bryson’s newly-wed home.Mr. God dutifully welcomed Charlotte as soon as he saw her car driving into the courtyard. “Ms. Simmons, I’ve prepared the item entrusted to me by Mr. Harper. You may collect it in the living room.”Charlotte immediately asked, “You haven’t answered me. Where’s Bryson?”“I have not seen Mr. Harper since he left the house yesterday afternoon. This is also why I’ve called you here.”Mr. Gold pointed at the white marble table in the living room on the ground floor. The white gold box on the table shone dazzlingly underneath the sunlight. “Mr. Harper trusts me explicitly. A few months ago, he told me that should I ever fail to contact him in 16 hours, I should call you and give this box to you.”Charlotte was already in front of the box and staring fixedly at it. “What’s inside the box?”“Mr. Harper never mentioned that. I’m just a butler. It is inappropriate for me to ask such questions. All I can tell
Charlotte keyed in the passcode. The coded lock opened at once.She found a large stack of contracts inside, with an iPad on top of it all and a piece of paper on the iPad.Charlotte recognized the elegant and smooth handwriting on the paper—it was Bryson’s.Lucas, who was standing on Charlotte’s right, watched as Charlotte picked up the piece of paper. He couldn’t help reading it aloud. “Carlie, I’ve recorded a video and stored it in this iPad. Watch it, and you’ll understand.”Charlotte’s fingers trembled.She carefully lifted the iPad out of the box. The iPad was not password protected.Bryson had arranged everything in advance. The video played immediately as soon as she unlocked the iPad.“Carlie, you’re a bright, dazzling girl, like the sun. I hoped that we could talk about happy things whenever I saw you. I never wanted to say anything hurtful that would spoil your mood again. However, there are some things that cannot be avoided. For example, by the time you see this vid
It turned out that Charlotte’s finger touched an unknown spot on the screen, and the video started playing again.Charlotte stared fixedly at Bryson’s face and wanted to replay the video, but a huge hand suddenly grabbed the iPad and snatched it abruptly.Charlotte looked at Zachary, who had snatched the tablet from her with a bewildered look. “What are you doing?”“Helping you to put it away.” Zachary, who looked as handsome as a deity, concealed all the emotions. What was left on the surface was only indifference.“Lucas, why are you standing over there looking all stupefied? Aren’t you going to help Mrs. Connor with her stuff?” While talking, Zachary turned off the iPad and threw it into the box.“Yeah! Roger that! Roger that!” The nimble-footed Lucas immediately picked up the box and ran out of the door in a blink of an eye.Charlotte stood in front of the empty white marble table in a daze and was unable to return to her senses for a while.She did not see the hint of wicke
Seeing Charlotte, Tiffany took the initiative to stop her entanglement with the guard and took a step backward. “Charlotte Simmons, I just heard that you rushed to Bryce’s house early in the morning. Thus, I came here in a hurry, wanting to stop your conspiracy.”“Is it so?” Charlotte scoffed. “Do tell me, what’s the conspiracy that I have in mind now?”“You killed Bryce! You must have some wicked motives up your sleeves since you came to his house. Maybe you want to occupy all his valuable collections, or perhaps you wish to seize his property... I’m the person that Bryce loved the most when he was still alive, so I’ll help him stop you no matter what!”Tiffany, who was outside the iron gate, was gaunt, and the dark circles under her eye sockets were terrifying.She had been crying all night. She hated the fact that she had killed Bryson with her own hand, and she hated Charlotte even more.‘If Bryce didn’t block the stab for Charlotte, she would’ve been the one who died... If Ch
As expected, a video had been sent to Charlotte’s inbox.Charlotte opened it and found a video of her recent sexual encounter with Zachary in the car. She screamed and blushed furiously.Before long, she received a message from Rufus.“This exciting clip of you with Zachary is your remuneration. I will keep it safe and save it for my future enjoyment. Our debt has been repaid. You’re welcome!”Charlotte’s expression stiffened.A few minutes later, she received another message.“I won’t let anyone see this. Don’t worry.”Charlotte questioned herself.She had no idea how Rufus had managed to get this video. He was in a different city. However, she let go of the question soon enough, as Rufus had already sent the information to her inbox.The next day, at a high-class hotel in Rothesay.A black Masserati was parked outside the hotel entrance. As two bodyguards escorted a pot-bellied, middle-aged man out of the hotel, the driver hurriedly opened the Masserati’s door and said in a
“Lory…” A clear and melodious voice called out.A fair hand held her by the wrist as a car stopped nearby.“Zachary is openly making love to another woman in front of you. He’s obviously just trying to hurt you. You know this, so why are you still standing here, watching foolishly?”Lorraine shook her head feebly. It took her a while before she calmed down and replied shakily, “You’re wrong, Jez. Zachary isn’t doing it with her to hurt me. I’m nothing to him now. Carlie is the only thing that matters to him. He would never use tools to hurt me. He’s doing this because he’s so in love with Carlie that he’s lost control!”“Uh…” Jezebel turned awkwardly toward Charlotte’s car, shook her head, and said, “Lory, since you know you mean nothing to Zachary, why are you still torturing yourself? Forget him, and I’ll take you anywhere you like. Isn’t that much better?”“No!” Lorraine grimaced. Her eyes flashed hatefully.“It’s all Charlotte’s fault that Zach and I have ended up this way. I
The corners of Charlotte’s lips twitched. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”“Why?” Zachary kept his eyes on her.There was no doubt about it. Not only did his wife have an extremely exquisite face, but her figure was also graceful and well-proportioned, better than a supermodel’s.The subtle display of fair flesh underneath her skirt seemed to exude a seductive fragrance. Her waist, which was the width of an A4 size paper, was slender. He felt an urge to hold her in his arms. She crossed her slender and well-proportioned legs naturally, creating a dark silhouette…‘D*mn it!’Zachary realized that the longer his gaze lingered on Charlotte’s body, the brighter the flames of passion burned within him, even though he had always abstained.“Based on Rothesay tradition, a man and a woman can only be considered husband and wife after holding a proper wedding ceremony. I know we’ve registered, but people will talk if we live together without having a ceremony,” Charlotte replied calmly
Charlotte remained sitting calmly in the car. She knew that this time, Zachary was determined to strangle Lorraine to death.Of course, she didn’t want Zachary to do it… But not because she didn’t want Lorraine to die. It was because Lorraine had Jezebel’s support. If Zachary killed her, Jezebel would do everything to avenge Lorraine.It wasn’t worth it for Zachary to plunge into mutual destruction with Lorraine. She didn’t deserve him.Charlotte knew very well that since Lorraine, who was a natural schemer, had the nerve to seek her out alone, it meant that she would have been prepared to run into Zachary and would ensure that Zachary would be too afraid to kill her.Thus, even though Zachary was strangling Lorraine, Charlotte did not exit the car to stop him.The car door opened and closed.Charlotte felt a bone-chilling aura throughout the entire car as soon as Zachary entered the co-driver’s seat.Zachary didn’t speak. Instead, he stared at her.Despite her intimate relatio
“What have you done?” Zachary’s voice was as cold as a frosty wind.“I’ve hired a few assassins. The assassins and I have had an agreement. If anything happens to me, they will do everything in their power to kill Charlotte and her two kids!”Charlotte’s entire body went cold as soon as she heard this.“Hehehe… Sorry, Zach, I misspoke. I shouldn’t have said ‘her two kids’. They’re yours and Charlotte’s kids, aren’t they?”Lorraine supported herself as she rose to her feet.In the past, no matter what happened, she would always do her best to maintain a good impression in front of Zachary, to show him the best parts of her.Now, she knew that his impression of her was gone with the wind. She cackled freely like a maniac. “Hahahaha… Look at that nervous look on your face, Zach. You’ve always been fearless, but she’s the only one who’s ever been able to make you lose your sh*t, isn’t she?”Zachary eyed Lorraine icily, his gaze as sharp as cold knives. Lorraine, whose heart was no
Lorraine forgot about the pain due to the intense panic she felt and stared at Zachary in disbelief. “Zachary, what do you mean by these scary remarks? I’m pregnant, yet you kicked me, disregarding mine and the child’s well-being. Could you be... Are you thinking of... Are you thinking of killing me?”“A wicked woman like you deserves more than just death.” Zachary’s cold voice slapped Lorraine in the face.Lorraine’s lips trembled, but she could not utter another word, as if her throat was being severely strangled by an invisible hand.Cough! A large mouthful of blood was spat out of her mouth, dyeing her white dress red.Although she did not feel pain or fear, her heart was glacial.She also knew that she deserved more than just death!‘But... wicked woman?‘I didn’t expect to be labeled as a “wicked woman” in Zachary’s heart someday!’As he was glaring at this pitiful woman, there was not even a hint of sympathy in Zachary’s eyes, and his voice still sounded frigid and merci
Lucas called not long after Charlotte put down her cell phone. “Milady, I just received a call from my ex-girlfriend, who I dumped last month, and she said that she just found out that she’s pregnant and she suspects that the baby might be my child... Ahem!“Therefore, I have to go to the hospital to get a paternity test with her as soon as possible. I don’t have time to drive Naomi back to your house, so you can either pick her up yourself or just let Naomi stay at the Second Master’s house.”Charlotte decided to pick Naomi up.As soon as she drove out of the yard gate, a crimson Ferrari dashed toward her head-on. She immediately turned the steering wheel sharply, avoiding a direct clash with the car.Braking harshly, the Ferrari hit the tree and killed its engine.Charlotte also stepped on the brake.The Ferrari’s door was pushed open abruptly, and Lorraine walked in front of Charlotte’s car angrily. She then pointed at Charlotte with her trembling right hand. “Charlotte Simmon
“Don’t forget who I am. There’s nothing that I can’t find out as long as I want to know... Aaaah—“Baby, you‘re hurting me. Don’t be too greedy... Oh, slow down, I’m on the phone. Oh. Ow—” The man’s voice was interrupted by a series of his own cries, and a woman’s moans were coming from the background at the same time.Charlotte vaguely pictured a rather explicit scene, blushed, and cleared her throat. “Um... I can call you later if it’s inconvenient for you to speak now.”“There’s no need. It’s convenient. Very convenient... Good girls, wait for me on the bed. I’ll get angry otherwise, understand?”“Hmph, are we less significant than your phone calls? Hmph!”“Don’t keep us waiting!”The sound of footsteps faded away.The man squinted his rare violet eyes and said languidly, “My little Simmons Princess, I’ve long heard people say that you’re still alive, and I really want to take a look at you with my own eyes, but I’ve sworn to never take another step into Rothesay. You should
Zachary looked at Charlotte through the window as a surge of pride swelled inside of him. “She’s my wife right now, so she’s your niece-in-law. You shouldn’t call her ‘that woman’ anymore.”The corner of the man’s lips curled up a little when he heard what Zachary had said. However, he soon reverted to his serious expression and continued. “Zach, even if she’s your wife now, I have to warn you. You have to think twice before you act. My great-grandfather, who’s also your great-grandfather, was framed and died in prison for offending someone from the royal family. Your great-great-grandmother wrote a letter with her own blood and came up with a family rule. The Connors are only allowed to do business. They are not allowed to deal with people from the government. Do you really want to break the family rule for her?”“Yes,” Zachary replied, his deep brown eyes filled with murderous intent. “I owe her a wedding, and I don’t want them to interfere with my wedding.”The man opened his mou