"It wouldn't have been nice to ask this of you when you were surrounded by so many people just now.""Sure. It's just an autographed picture. I'll have to comply when it's the request of our class representative." Winter took out a piece of paper from her bag and looked at Mindy a little apologetically. "I don't have any pictures of me right now. You'll have to make do with just my autograph. I'll make sure to give an autographed picture the next time!"Winter signed her autograph and looked at Mindy. "Mindy, I need to see Annie and Suzy about something…" "Sure, go ahead!"Winter narrowed her eyes and left with her chest puffed up.Mindy glanced at the autograph Winter gave her without much care and stuffed it into a back. There was an unknown look in her eye.Annie quickly grabbed Winter's hand when Winter came over. "What did Mindy want with you?""What else could it be? She just wanted my autograph," Winter replied nonchalantly. She quickly looked around and her gaze fell on
"Noelle!" Yevgen called out to her. "Do you mind giving me your number? We're old friends, after all. It'd be nice to keep in contact."Her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry. Can this wait until I'm back?"Noelle was feeling extremely dizzy, and she left quickly before Yevgen could reply. He watched as she walked farther away, but his eyes refused to leave her."I wonder what's this called. A dead end?"Yevgen's eyes narrowed as he turned to look into Annie's taunting eyes. It only upset him. "This is none of your business!"Annie sneered, "Yes, this is none of my business. Do you think I'm still the same Annie from before?"Yevgen frowned. He did not want to stay there with Annie and he walked past her to leave. Annie stared at his back while laughing and saying, "Don't you want to know what happened to Noelle the last few years?"Annie looked gleeful as she smiled mysteriously.…Noelle finally found the bathroom after turning several corners. She went into a stall to relieve hersel
Something grabbed Noelle's feet in the dark, and she fell sitting to the ground. Her phone flew out of her hand.Noelle could not see a thing, and she knocked into the sink when she fell. The pain from her waist almost made her cry. She groped around the floor with both her hands and tried to stand, but there was a piercing pain in her foot. Noelle sat falling heavily to the floor."Help! Is anyone out there?"Noelle finally managed to get up to crawl out after much effort. However, she was crestfallen when she realized the bathroom door was locked. She could not open it no matter how hard she tried. Fear overcame her.Her breathing became erratic. Noelle was riddled with fear in such dark conditions. It reminded her of being accidentally locked inside a wardrobe when she was in the Shaw residence. She had screamed for help all of her might, but no one came to save her. She thought she was dying, and if Eli had not searched everywhere for her, she might have suffocated inside the w
Charles pressed his lips together, a dark look crossing his face as he glanced at Peter. "Mind your words, Peter!"Peter raised an eyebrow and gave Charles's shoulder a reassuring pat. "Relax. Nobody's brave enough to make trouble here," he said, then looked over at Sean, who had not said a word. "Why are you just standing there?"Sean, who usually was smiling, looked serious. "Looks like someone's pushing Charles too far!" he said, hinting at something. However, Charles just gave Sean a quick look. "You're staying right here.""Hey!" Sean complained. "Why should I?""Because you're a doctor. It's your job to save lives," Charles said, then he grabbed his coat and left.Sean tried to follow, but Peter blocked him. Peter smiled slyly, his hand resting on Sean's shoulder. "He's off to find his lady. This isn't your rodeo.""You don't get it. Charles is usually so calm, but he gets all worked up around this lady. You might not have seen her, but I have a few times. She's really pret
"It's me! The door's stuck. Can you open it?" Noelle whispered, scared to make a sound that might scare the snake. However, the snake was quick and bit Noelle's leg as soon as she spoke."Ouch!" Noelle screamed, falling to the floor."Noelle? Noelle! What happened?" Yevgen yanked at the door handle. "Noelle, talk to me!""A snake! There's a snake in here!" Noelle's voice was weak, her head spinning.Hearing that, Yevgen did not hesitate. "Noelle, move back. I'll kick the door down!" With a few strong kicks, he broke the door open. "Noelle, are you hurt?"Yevgen saw Noelle on the floor, pale, with a snake close by, flicking its tongue.He quickly grabbed the snake, slammed it against the sink, and threw it aside. Then, he rushed to pick Noelle up from the bathroom floor."Noelle, are you okay?""I..." Noelle's head felt like it was spinning. Yevgen noticed a cut on her calf. "That snake is venomous. Noelle, stay strong! I'll get the venom out!""No, please don't!" Noelle shook
Rowena stood like a fierce guardian in front of Noelle, not letting anyone take her friend away. Lareal raised an eyebrow, his gaze landing on Rowena. He quickly recognized her. He adjusted his glasses and offered a charming smile. "She's your friend, isn't she? She looks hurt. We really should get her to a hospital, or I can't promise she'll be okay." "You..." Rowena looked at Noelle, worry etched on her face, and bit her lip. "Fine, but I'm coming too. We don't even know you guys!"Lareal quirked an eyebrow. "Sure, that can be arranged." He looked at Rowena and Teresa. "You two can follow this young lady to the doctor, okay?"With that, he gave a secret signal to the men in black. They quickly and expertly lifted Noelle and carried her away. Rowena and Teresa shared a quick glance, scooped up Noelle's dropped bag, and hurried after them.Yevgen did not want to be left out and tried to follow, but Lareal's big, tough guys blocked his way. Yevgen was frustrated and upset. "Move as
"Oh, you're Mrs. Sabian!" Lareal smiled, but then said firmly, "I'm sorry, but even if Mr. Sabian was here himself, he wouldn't be able to leave either!"Yessica's heart sank as she realized how serious things were. She looked around for Noelle but could not find her. "Sir, we only came to have fun at the party. We don't even know what went wrong. Making a big deal out of this isn't good for anyone, and there are so many of us here.""Take her away!" Lareal interrupted Yessica, his smile gone. "Mrs. Sabian, you might not know The Majestic Lounge's rules. Anyone who makes trouble here won’t see tomorrow’s sun."Lareal's piercing gaze swept over everyone as she spoke with chilling calm, "And it's not just you. No one is leaving The Majestic Lounge until I say so!""Ahh! How could this happen?""Yeah, how can they do this?""It's all Noelle's fault for going to the bathroom when she didn't need to. She must have ticked someone off!""Talk about bad luck, ending up in a situation li
"Who could have done this to Noelle? And what's the deal with the owner of The Majestic Lounge? This isn’t looking good for her!" Teresa was beside herself with worry.Rowena felt the same way. She was just about to get up and open the door when it swung open from the outside.The man who stepped in brought a chill to the room. It was as if a storm cloud had passed overhead. Rowena gasped. "Charles?"Charles squinted and did not bother with pleasantries. He strode over to Noelle, lifted her gently, and asked, "Noelle?"Noelle was feeling terrible, her mind foggy. Through the haze, she saw Charles's stern, handsome face looking down at her, his eyes filled with tense worry. She reached out to smooth away his frown, but he caught her hand. "Noelle? Does it hurt?"She nodded. "Charles, is it really you? Did you come for me?""Yes!" Charles nodded, kissed her hand softly, and reassured her, "I'm here now. You're going to be fine."His voice was soothing. After making sure Noelle was
Janet lost her mind again, this time without any resistance. Early the next morning, a piercing scream shattered the quiet dawn before the sun had even risen. It came from Janet's room.Since Jace's room was also on the third floor, he was the first to arrive while the rest of the Bakers were still deep in sleep.The woman who had appeared composed and elegant just yesterday now looked completely deranged. Janet shrieked hysterically as her face twisted with madness. It was more terrifying than any of her previous episodes.Jace was surprised by the methods of the young man who had claimed to be a doctor. He had not expected that just a few needles would be enough to push Janet over the edge.He did not approach her. He simply stood there, watching with cold detachment.Soon, the servants arrived, and Milo followed shortly after. It was not long before nearly all the Bakers had gathered. Seeing Janet's crazed state, they did not seem particularly shocked, but their frustration was
Liliana never expected to run into Sean when she visited the babies. She nearly turned on her heel and left, but Sean was not about to let her walk away that easily.The moment he spotted her, Sean reached out and clasped her wrist. "Liliana!"Liliana froze, her eyes darting to Sean's hand on her arm. "Let go!" she demanded through clenched teeth.Sean's hand tensed, and he looked a bit embarrassed. "I... Did you come to see the babies too?" He was at a loss for words and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.Liliana's face went white, but she held back her feelings. "What? I'm not allowed to visit?""No, that's not it, Liliana. You know I didn't mean that. I just..." He wanted to talk to her.Liliana seemed distant as if she were a thousand miles away. Sean struggled to find the right words. “Charles mentioned that you know Saxon?”Hearing that, Liliana turned back around, her icy gaze fixed on Sean. A faint, indifferent smile adorned her lips. "Why do you care?""Lil
"Ms. Holt, Mr. Hoffman and Mrs. Hoffman are at the hospital," a servant informed them."The hospital? What happened?" Linda stood up quickly, but Saxon's piercing gaze made her sit back down. "They're having babies," Saxon said simply and started his meal.Linda was about to say something, but she noticed Saxon did not seem to care. So, she kept quiet.She wondered if something had gone wrong with Noelle's delivery. Remembering what was in that package before, Linda's eyes grew distant. Someone was still trying to hurt Noelle.Linda chewed thoughtfully on a pie as she stared at Saxon. "Did you save Noelle?" she asked.Saxon just gave her a quick look and stayed quiet. Linda figured Noelle was okay then and started to eat her meal with relief.Sean was not feeling so calm. He rushed to the hospital as soon as his plane landed. After learning about Noelle, he visited her first. She had not woken up yet, but Charles assured him that the poison was gone and the babies were born safe
Sean and Linda made it back to Brookville in no time. Linda had just gotten back when Saxon swooped in and picked her up. She had no clue Saxon was there, she had been shouting without a care and did not even know Noelle had already had twins. After saying goodbye to Sean, she rushed straight to Phoenix Tree Residence. However, the first person she ran into was not Noelle or Charles, but her big brother Saxon.Before Linda could even think of running, Saxon had grabbed her by the back of her collar. "Ow, my dear brother, why did you... You're here!”That's what Linda meant to say, but when she looked into Saxon's eyes, which were completely unfeeling and emotionless, she quickly changed her tune, "You have no idea, I've been waiting for you for ages, I thought you didn't want me anymore!""Waiting for me?"Saxon's voice was really nice, like a sweet melody, and most people would be charmed by it, but to Linda, it felt like a spooky echo."Exactly!" Linda nodded like her head was
Sean made a face but finally sat down beside her, even taking a few peanuts from Linda's hand, "What do you have in there, a treasure trove?""It’s none of your business, just get on with the story!""Jace's dad, who is also Charles' uncle, was once deeply in love with Janet's mom when they were both young. However, Janet's mom had a mental illness that ran in her family. After she started dating Jace's dad, she visited the Baker family. No one expected her illness to act up and for her to hurt someone in the family. After that, the Bakers wouldn't let the couple be together. Milo, Jace's dad, ended up marrying Jace's mom and they had Jace. Janet's real mom married another man, but it was a bad situation. She was treated poorly, and one day, she accidentally killed her husband and then took her own life, leaving Janet all alone. That's when Milo brought Janet back to live with the Bakers."Linda's mouth fell open. "Is this like one of those rich family soap operas?" She was young, a
Sean made a tsk, tsk sound. "I don't care about your drama, I'm just here to pass on a message!""And her?" Jace looked at Janet. "What did you guys do to her?""Oh, she's just sick, right? I'm a doctor," Linda said with a carefree tone, even flashing a smile at Jace.However, Linda seemed to have forgotten how scary her face looked earlier, especially to Jace. Even someone as brave as Jace could not help but feel a chill.Jace stepped back without thinking. "Can we talk about this calmly?"Linda made a face. "Am I not being calm?" However, she batted her eyelashes, trying to look adorable. "I'm really a doctor. If you don't believe me, just ask Sean!"Sean's mouth twitched into a forced smile. "Well, if that's all, we'll be on our way!"Sean knew that if there was anyone in the Baker family they still kind of respected, it had to be Jace.Therefore, when Sean had just entered and faced off with Jace, he did it with such boldness because he knew that otherwise, the whole Baker
The medicine was clear and tasteless, and it would disappear after a while. Linda wanted Janet to fall into a deep sleep fast. In no time, she noticed Janet's eyebrows twitch, and then she was out like a light."You're so mean, poking so many holes in people. Well, let's see how you like it," Linda said.She hopped onto the bed, grabbed some silver instruments from her bag, and with quick, sure moves, she stuck them into Janet's body. Janet, fast asleep, did not feel a thing.Linda had always been fascinated by special treatments, even though her family did not want to teach her. She had learned it all on her own, sometimes even practicing with Saxon. Saxon himself said Linda was better at it than he was. In fact, Linda's talent was way better than Saxon's.However, Linda was not done. She felt like she had not had enough fun. She took out another bottle from her bag and popped a pill into Janet's mouth. "This pill? I made it from a virus I got from those dead rats of yours. It mig
"Don't worry, these small fries are no match for me," Linda boasted with confidence. "Even if I can't beat them physically, one poke with my instrument and they'll be begging for mercy!"Sean smirked when he heard that. "Alright, I've already scoped the place out. The first floor is where the servants bunk, so let's not stir them up. The second floor is Milo's and the Baker family head's pad. Janet and Jace are on the third floor — remember, Janet is our mark, so don't mess up the rooms."Sean pointed at the floor plan he had managed to get his hands on.Linda shot Sean an impatient look. "Okay. I'm not a kid, you know!"After stashing their gear, Sean gestured to the side. "You take the southeast approach, and I'll start from this end."With that, they set off on their mission.The guards might have had some fight in them, but to Sean and Linda, they were a walk in the park to deal with, especially in the dead of night when guards were sleepy and dropped their guard. Seizing the
Liliana bit her lip, "Brother, I...""Don't rush to give me an answer. Think about it. It's late, so you should head back."Liliana nodded, "Okay, I'll go then." She got up, hesitated for a moment, and added, "Brother, your wife is going to be okay!"Charles gave a small smile, "I know." He had always known.Once Liliana was gone, Charles sat down next to Noelle, watching her sleep peacefully. He gently touched her skin.While she had been sick, he might have looked composed and calm, but nobody knew the pain he felt better than he did. He knew he could not let himself worry, especially not in front of Noelle.Yesterday, when he walked into the bedroom and saw Noelle sleeping so deeply, he fought hard to keep his feelings in check. He did not want to lose his composure.Today, all of the poison was finally out of her system, and he felt like he had gotten back something very special that he had lost. He gently stroked Noelle's face and said, "I've waited so long for you. No more