Liliana was Charles' half-sister, born out of wedlock. The reason she was never accepted into the Hoffmans was largely due to Clarisse's doing.Back then, Clarisse drugged Mateo and a young university student in order to force him into a divorce, leading the two to get into a relationship.That student gave birth to Liliana, but Clarisse's marriage with Mateo did not end. Instead, the young woman was suppressed by the Bakers.Though the most innocent of all, Liliana was sentenced to a fate of never being acknowledged—forever excluded from the Hoffman family tree.She became a person whose existence would never be recognized.Sean clenched his fists. His tone was filled with resentment, causing Charles to frown. "If you're angry, don't take it out on me," Charles said calmly.Sean suddenly laughed. "Why would I be angry? Oh, by the way, aren't you coming to check on them? They're both injured. Planning to stir up some trouble?""It's not the right time yet," Charles replied sof
Milo felt a headache coming on. He had originally intended to use this opportunity to force Charles into submission, but it turned out that Charles was far more difficult to deal with than he had anticipated.In fact, Charles had not even made a move yet and the Bakers were already in disarray."Enough! I gathered you here to discuss a solution, but all you do is bicker!" Maverick Baker, the head of the Bakers and Milo's father, said impatiently.He was glaring at both Milo and Harper."Fine, it seems none of you can come up with anything useful. You can all leave now. Milo, stay behind!"After the others had left, Maverick slammed his cane hard on the floor in frustration. "Look at what you've done! I told you from the start not to involve Janet in this. There are plenty of ways to build good relations with the Hoffmans, and the Bakers have no shortage of eligible women. Why insist on her?""Dad!" Milo frowned, clearly displeased. "This isn't Janet's fault. She—""It's not her
Milo took the earliest flight to Brookville, but even then, he was still a step behind Charles. Since the hospital was a private one, it was not easy for Milo to see Janet. He considered calling the police, but doing so would only anger Charles.Once the police were involved, there would be no way to keep things under wraps. Milo had no choice but to seek out Charles directly, but Charles refused to meet him. Left with no other options, Milo tried to reach out to Clarisse.However, Clarisse was practically under house arrest by the Hoffmans. Although she was treated well with good food and accommodations at the hospital, her movements were restricted.She could not make any outgoing phone calls. After several unsuccessful attempts to meet her, Milo decided to go straight to the Hoffman residence.At the Hoffman residence, only Maxwell and Henry were present. Milo had come with the intention of seeing Mateo, his brother-in-law, knowing that Mateo still had feelings for Clarisse.
"Charles, your uncle has practically turned my hospital upside down. Aren't you going to do something about it?" Sean asked. He was currently giving himself a break, which was unusual. It was because he did not want to be stuck at the hospital, being used as a target.Milo had been unable to see Janet for two days and caused several disturbances at the hospital. However, due to his status and reputation, his actions were somewhat restrained, so he achieved very little.Sean found Milo's handling of the situation quite amusing. "What exactly is your uncle after? Technically, you're closer to him than Janet is."Charles glanced at Sean. "You seem to have a lot of free time. What are you doing at my house during the holidays?"Sean could not help but roll his eyes. "I've heard of people burning bridges, but you're the fastest at it. You wouldn't have gotten away with this if it weren't for me!" Sean scoffed lightly. "By the way, how much of a dose did you give her? I calculated it,
"Charles, come on. You're no fun! Since your wife is out and won't be home for a while, why don't we go out and hang around?" Sean said eagerly, rubbing his hands together. "Steven is still in Brookville, and it's been a while since the three of us got together."Charles raised his head slightly, surprised. "Steven is still in Brookville?""Yeah, didn't you know?" Sean chuckled. "Out of all of us, you and Steven have always been the closest. I find it hard to believe you didn't know he was still here."Sean shook his head with a smirk. "Seems like someone's gotten so wrapped up in love, he's forgotten about his friends."Charles shot Sean a look. "I figured he would've gone back to Cascade City by now."After all, the Naylor family was based in Cascade City. Having grown up there as the adopted son of Naylors' patriarch, Gared Naylor, Steven rarely stayed away for long.It had been a few months since Steven returned to the country, so the fact that he had not yet gone back to C
The gathering was arranged by Sean, and both Peter and Steven showed up. As usual, Steven brought along Eloise, the so-called little firecracker.However, despite Sean's nickname for her, none of them had ever seen her act that way. Every time she was around, Eloise was quiet and composed, almost like a perfect lady from a well-bred family.Her demeanor made the nickname seem entirely out of place.Since Eloise was the only woman present, while the four men played cards, she sat quietly to the side without moving—like a statue. If they had not known beforehand that she was there with Steven, they might have forgotten about her presence altogether."I thought you'd be heading back for New Year's," Charles said, placing a card on the table. His gaze shifted to Steven before he added, "How did that matter with Aunt Nancy go?"Steven's eyes flickered briefly, and he met Charles' gaze from across the table. With a sharp look, he held a card between his fingers, as if pondering some
Charles' sharp eyes swept over Sean. "Looks like you're itching for a fight after a few quiet days. He then extended his hand toward Peter. "Hand over the money."Peter, however, pressed his lips together. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Charles, are you targeting me today?"Nearly every round had been won by Charles, but every time, it was Peter who had been the greatest loser. Charles smirked. "There's no stopping luck when it strikes. Can't help it if you're all single."This remark immediately sparked discontent among the group, especially Sean, who could hardly bear it anymore.Normally, he and Charles were the closest and spent the most time together, so he was accustomed to being on the receiving end of Charles' teasing. However, even with Noelle absent, Charles was still this smug.Charles chuckled. "You brought this on yourselves. You wanted to play."Steven did not seem to mind. At over 30, he had never had much interest in women, let alone love. It was so
Although Charles knew Tania, they rarely interacted. Occasionally, he would help her, but beyond that, there was nothing much between them.It was only later, when problems arose between Tania and Peter, that Charles got involved. He never expected Tania to leave. It had already been three years.Charles had sent people to look for her, but it seemed as though every trace of Tania had truly been erased. In the last couple of years, Nancy's health had worsened, and aside from Peter, Charles himself had been quietly searching for Tania.Steven's sharp eyes glimmered with thought. "If it wasn't you, then who?" There were only a handful of people capable of helping Tania disappear like that and even fewer with the kind of resources to pull it off."I don't know. But it seems it wasn't anyone from the Hoffmans. Aside from his sister, who else does Peter have issues with?"Steven's question sparked Charles' interest. It was hard for him to believe that someone as prominent as Tania co
Yves scrunched his brow. "Go ahead. Ask it.""Who are you, really? Are you Yves or Jacob?"Yves' gaze was sharp as it fell on Kelly. "Everyone who once knew me is gone.""Then tell me. I'm going to be gone soon, too!" Kelly said with a faint smile. "It doesn't really matter if I go now or later. I'd rather you be the one to do it than some nasty virus."Yves' frown deepened. "Kelly, please don't make me do this."His hand was a fist, and anyone who knew Yves could tell he was trying really hard to keep calm.However, Kelly kept smiling at him, not even pausing. There was laughter in her eyes but also a hint of sadness. She stared right at Yves and took a step closer.Her hands lifted, shaky, but she did not stop.Yves watched her closely, and when Kelly reached out, he quickly grabbed her hand. "Once we're done here, I'll let you know."Kelly shook her head. "After I find out, you'll end it, and your secret will be safe with me. But if you don't let me see, you know I'll try t
He stood up and gave Kelly a chilly look. "You think you can just walk out of here? That's not going to happen. Instead of dreaming about escape, you should be thinking about where you'd like to go with me once I've taken care of everything here."Yves reached for the door to leave, but Kelly's voice stopped him.She got up from the bed and stepped down, her bare feet touching the cold floor. She stood a few steps behind Yves, her eyes intensely focused on him. "If I agreed to go with you, would you leave all this behind and take me and Seth away?"Kelly's hands were balled into fists as she spoke. She did not even understand why she was asking that. She stared at Yves's back. He did not turn around and just stood there with his back to her.Kelly could not see his face, but she could read the real reaction in the way he held himself.His hand was still on the doorknob, not letting go. When he heard what Kelly said, he froze, as if her question caught him off guard.Kelly kept he
"Enough! I know that! You don't have to remind me!" Kelly shouted, her voice filled with frustration. "Yves, you don't need to keep bringing up my painful past. Yes, I once loved Charles, but that's all behind me. I have nothing to do with Charles now, and he's my sister's husband. Please stop making such guesses about other people."Kelly's eyes filled with tears as she stared at Yves. "I don't want to see you. Leave now!"She had thought her words were too mean and would make Yves mad. She expected him to storm out, but he did not move. Confused, Kelly noticed his dark eyes were then bright.Yves smiled. Kelly's yelling had somehow made him feel calm. His eyes were warm and kind, so different from the distant look he usually had.Kelly did not get it, but she was glad he was not mad.Yves let go of her and brought over a plate and spoon. "You must be hungry! You haven't eaten since you woke up. Let me feed you!"Kelly turned her head away, but Yves' eyes grew hard. "Eat," he sa
Kelly bit her lip, wondering about Simon's place in the York family. It looked like he and Jacob were not on good terms. If Simon could help her...She suddenly remembered Simon saying something about seeing her again before he knocked her out, didn't he?The door creaked open again, and Yves stepped in, this time holding a tray with utensils. As he set the table, a delicious smell wafted through the room, making Kelly's stomach growl at just the right moment.Feeling her cheeks warm, Kelly quickly turned away.Yves's face was as stern as ever, but if she looked really close, she could catch a tiny smile in his eyes. It was faint, but it was definitely there.He helped Kelly sit up and untied the ropes from her wrists. As soon as she was free, Kelly scooted away from Yves and perched on the edge of the bed.Yves's eyes flickered for a moment, but then he scoffed, "Kelly, you're a smart girl. You know that if I set my mind to something, I can make it happen, right?"Kelly scowled
"I can see it perfectly!" Kelly said, her eyes wide and serious. "You don't have to keep telling me. I'm not the same Kelly I was four years ago. I won't get upset by what you say. Yves, let me tell you one more time, if you want to deal with your problems with the Hoffman family and Charles the right way, I won't get in your way. But if you try to use my sister, I'll never let you off the hook!"Kelly's eyes lost their sparkle for a moment, and as she looked down, she bit Yves' hand hard.Yves' eyes turned steely, but he took the bite without flinching. Kelly did not realize how strong her bite was until she tasted something metallic and sweet. She looked up and saw Yves' eyes, hard and sharp like carved jade, dangerous enough to take down anyone.Kelly shuddered. Looking down, she saw Yves' hand was stained red, but he stared at her as if he did not feel a thing. "I won't let the Hoffman family off the hook, and I definitely won't let you go. So you can forget about trying to esca
"Are you Yves or Jacob?"Kelly's words made the air grow tense. Yves stared at her so intensely that her heart started to race. She tried to speak, but Yves's chilling look silenced her.Yves held her gaze. When she tried to run, he caught her hand and held her tight. "Who told you? Huh?"His voice was dark and frightening, making Kelly feel scared. This was not the man she knew.She wanted to run away, but Yves was not about to let her."Simon?"Kelly shook her head. "Let me go!""Is that Simon?" Yves stared at Kelly with icy eyes. "I can't believe you know someone from the York family!"Kelly heard that and shook her head like crazy. "No, I don't know any Simon. I really don't!""You don't know him? Then who just walked in, huh?" No one but Simon could get here, and nobody in the York family could find this place except Simon.Simon usually did not bother with such things, so Yves was puzzled why Simon would get involved. "He came for you, so why didn't you leave with him?"
As Kelly slipped into unconsciousness, she heard Simon's promise. "Next time, I'll take you with me!"Simon had barely finished speaking when a shadowy figure appeared, moving with lightning speed. Simon parried a few blows, but the attacker, wearing a silver mask, was relentless. With a frown, Simon dropped Kelly to the ground. The masked man caught her just in time, cradling her gently.When the man looked up again, Simon was gone. Beneath the mask, his face was dark and foreboding. He gazed down at the unconscious Kelly, holding her close and pressing her head to his chest as if she were a precious treasure. It was as if holding her was the only way to confirm she was really there.Kelly thought she had been dreaming, a really long dream where she tried to run away, but Yves was always right behind her, making it so she could not get away. When she got too tired to run, Yves held her close, his kiss icy on her lips, his eyes sharp. He touched her cheek softly, but his words were
Simon was the surprised one now. His sly eyes took in Kelly, clearly amazed to find someone who bore such a striking resemblance to Noelle.He examined Kelly's face as if trying to figure something out. "You two look alike, but you have such different energies. Your personalities don't seem to match either. And..." His eyes dropped to Kelly's belly. "You're not expecting."Kelly was taken aback at first, but then she faced Simon with a question of her own. "Who are you? How do you know Noelle?"Simon chuckled. "I should ask you the same. Who might you be, and what brings you to this villa?"Kelly did not sense any harm from the stranger, but she did not care for the way Simon spoke. "I asked you first."Simon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How intriguing!"Kelly was getting annoyed. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" She glanced outside and noticed a servant lying unconscious on the ground. "Did you do that?”Simon's eyebrow quirked up. "Yes!"Once Simon released her,
Kelly woke up and was surprised to see how late it was. She felt a little annoyed and said, "I'm going to change my clothes. You go down first, okay?"Once the servant had left, Kelly hurried to the bathroom to freshen up and get dressed. Then, she headed downstairs.Walking slowly, Kelly felt a sharp pain with each step, which made her wince. She glanced at the servant beside her, but he just kept looking forward, not noticing her discomfort. "Madam, your meal is ready," he said."Don't call me 'Madam’!" Kelly snapped. "Call me Ms. Anderson. I have nothing to do with your 'Sir’!"The servant gave her a strange look and repeated, "Madam, please."Kelly took a deep breath, trying to calm her anger. She knew arguing was pointless. The servant would not listen, so she let it go.After dinner, Kelly felt uneasy. She had not seen Yves for hours, and he did not show up at night either. That made her feel worried, though she could not quite pinpoint why.The night passed without any