"You sure are a good talker, young man," Samuel said, clearly pleased. He signaled Eli with his eyes. Eli then handed Ronald an envelope."Mr. Wells, you must be very busy, so I'll handle these things," Eli continued."Thank you very much, Sir Shaw," Ronald replied. His manners were impeccable, which only increased Samuel's satisfaction.After Ronald left, Samuel leaned on his cane and said, "If Julian asks about these things later, just say that I bought these myself because I was feeling happy today.""Yes, sir!" Eli replied.Sure enough, as soon as Samuel and Eli entered the house, Jade saw Eli carrying large items into Samuel's room.She immediately knocked on Julian's study door. "Jule," she called."What's the matter?" Julian put down what he was working on and frowned at Jade's sneaky demeanor. "We're in our own house. What's with the sneaking around?"Jade glanced down the hallway before speaking. "Guess what the old man brought back just now?""What could he have brou
Winter had been busy with the wedding preparations lately. Although both sets of parents insisted on handling most of the arrangements, Winter could not help but get involved.After all, marriage was one of the most important events in a woman's life, and Winter was no exception.Recently, she had been frequently shopping with Emilia, her soon-to-be mother-in-law. The main goal was not just to buy things but also to win Emilia over.Winter noticed Xavier had been distracted, and she knew it was because he was still thinking of Noelle. Even though they were getting married, Xavier's mind often wandered to Noelle.Winter was well aware of this but could not let go. She was determined to spend her life with Xavier. She realized Xavier's weak points were his parents, Joseph and Emilia.She did not need to please Joseph, who was a straightforward man. She just needed to be proper and gain his approval.However, Emilia was different. As a homemaker, all her attention was on Xavier and
"Be a good girl and accompany me for some shopping. You were always so busy before and never had time to spend with me!" Cindy patted Annie's hand gently. Annie looked around uneasily, saying, "But my face!""To me, you've always been the most beautiful girl," Cindy reassured."But..." Annie was about to say more when she spotted a familiar figure not far away. She quickly recognized Winter and Suzy, chatting and laughing as they shopped.Annie clenched her fists, her eyes turning bloodshot as she stared at their backs. She wanted to rush over, but Cindy grabbed her just in time. "Annie, what are you trying to do? You promised your father and brother that you wouldn't associate yourself with them anymore!""I..." As she was held back by Cindy, Annie reluctantly turned to walk the other way.Annie's resentment still lingered. She touched her face. Thinking about the information Cody had given her, her hatred intensified.She had always considered Winter and Suzy her best friends
Noelle agreed, "Alright then, but I don't have much time. I have something to do later."She remembered she had plans with Rowena and Teresa, who would be arriving soon. "My friends will be here shortly.""Let's find a place to sit," Annie suggested, turning to Cindy. "Mom, I need to talk with Noelle. Why don't you head back first?"Cindy gave Noelle a complicated look, recalling how her son had warned Annie not to offend Noelle. Though she did not see anything particularly threatening about Noelle, as Annie's mother, she instinctively wanted to protect her daughter.She feared Noelle might bully her."Mom, it's okay. If you're worried, you can wait for me in the car. I'll be right there."After reassuring Cindy, Annie glanced at Noelle. "Let's go to that café over there.""Alright."Noelle was not sure what Annie wanted to discuss, but she was curious about what had happened that night. Charles had not told her much, and Rowena and Teresa had not shared all the details either.
Annie paused, silenced by Noelle's words.She had never considered this perspective before. She used to see Noelle as arrogant, seemingly caring about no one. During those times, she often saw Winter looking pitiful while Noelle appeared to treat Winter poorly.Thinking back now, it seemed like it was always Winter who approached Noelle, saying ambiguous things. Then, Noelle would seem uninterested in engaging with Winter, and Winter would end up apologizing to Noelle in a hurt manner.Annie's face was somewhat flushed. She had always viewed things from Winter's perspective, thinking that Winter was humble while Noelle did not seem to care about her at all."But you're sisters, why do you—""Why don't we get along?" Noelle interrupted, shaking her head with a smile. "I also wonder why everyone thinks we don't get along."Annie was completely stunned. "So, you and Winter don't have any issues?"Noelle shook her head. "No, we do have issues." She chuckled."Do you think Winter co
Annie looked at Noelle in surprise, not expecting Noelle to figure it out. Noelle smiled. "Since we've put our differences aside, let me tell you something else."Annie looked at Noelle. "What is it?""When we were in school, did you receive a love letter? You thought it was from Yevgen, but later, Yevgen told you it was meant for me."Annie's face showed signs of irritation. Although she had decided to make peace with Noelle, bringing up this incident was like a slap in her face.Seeing Annie's irritated expression, Noelle smirked slightly. "I never bothered to explain before, but since it has always bothered you, I should tell you."That letter was indeed written for me, but I never saw it. Yevgen later explained that he gave it to Winter to pass on to me. As for why it ended up on your desk… Well, Annie, you're smart. You must've figured it out by now."Seeing that Annie was standing there in a daze, Noelle shook her head slightly and turned to leave.Annie called out to her,
Noelle nodded heavily. "It seems something happened between her and Winter. Her attitude towards Winter has changed.""Of course, it has. You didn't see what happened last time. After you passed out and Charles took you away, he found out it was Annie and her friends."He had her taken away, and Winter didn't say a word the whole time. She just turned away and pretended not to know Annie, watching as she was taken away. But speaking of Annie's face…" Rowena said, exchanging a glance with Teresa.Teresa fell silent for a moment. The eerie quiet between the two made Noelle suspicious. "You're saying that after I passed out, Annie was taken away? And that night... Whatever happened to Annie's face was because of Charles?"Rowena looked up, pretending to be busy. "Wow! The mall is really crowded today, Isn't it, Teresa?""Yes, yes. It's the weekend, so it's bound to be crowded," Teresa quickly agreed. "So, should we keep shopping?"Noelle sighed. Seeing their blatant attempt to chang
Afterward, Charles carried Noelle into the bathroom to bathe. Once out, Noelle had no energy left to ask about Annie. She fell asleep almost immediately.With a smile in his eyes, Charles gently laid Noelle on the bed and then went to his study.Ronald had sent updates punctually, reporting that there was little activity from Kerlsberg lately. Charles rubbed his chin, instructing Ronald to pull their people back and relax their vigilance toward Kerlsberg for the time being.Finally, he added an afterthought to his instructions.When Noelle woke up the next day, she felt entirely off. Her whole body ached as if she had been disassembled, lacking any energy.The sunlight streamed in, fully waking her brain. She opened her eyes wide, thinking for a moment before getting up."Awake?"Charles' voice came from the doorway. Noelle blinked and then threw off the covers. "Why didn’t you wake me up!" She glanced at the time—it was already past eight. "Aren't you going to work today?""No
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