Sherlyn gave Corinne a look. Just as she was about to scold Corinne again, the ringing of her phone stopped her.It was a video call from their father, Marvin.Sherlyn rolled her eyes and waved the phone at Corinne haughtily, showing off. "Look at this. Daddy is calling me! I bet you hardly receive any calls from him at all. It just shows he never cares about you!"Corinne smiled nonchalantly. "If you're not going to pick up, your daddy dearest is going to hang up."Sherlyn snorted. She answered the call and put it on speaker mode, intending for Corinne to hear their conversation.Marvin and Lilliana were on the other side of the call. Both of them looked at their favorite celebrity daughter happily. "Sherlyn, how's work today?" asked Marvin, concerned. "Have you eaten?"Sherlyn pouted and cutely replied, "No, not yet, Daddy. I'm so busy with work that I don't have the time to eat."Marvin frowned. "That's not good. No matter how busy you are, you have to eat. You need to take c
During the shooting for the magazine cover in the afternoon, Sherlyn started her act.She made many requests with Corinne. Either she asked Corinne to buy something for her or asked her to fetch her stuff. She repeated this countless times to torment Corinne.However, Corinne had long expected this from Sherlyn. She was not surprised at all and calmly acted. She had fast legs and treated Sherlyn's torment as a way to train her body.In fact, the pay was not the reason for her to agree to be Sherlyn's assistant. She wanted to see how Sherlyn and Lilliana managed to switch up the situation.According to her understanding and assumption, she believed Sherlyn and Lilliana had done something pretty dirty to achieve their purpose. It would be easier to investigate if she could remain with Sherlyn all the time.The sky had darkened by the time shooting was wrapped up. Corinne did not have the intention to get in Sherlyn's car and was going to hail a cab to head back to the Holdens' estat
After Corinne changed into her prepared attire, Sherlyn nearly burst out laughing.The dress she prepared for Corinne was an ugly-looking floral dress, and it looked as though it came straight out of a shop in the countryside.She blamed Corinne for having a pretty face and was anguished that her bare face looked so clean, pure, and perfect even with no makeup on. If she did not ruin Corinne's look, she was afraid Corinne would steal her spotlight, not to mention catch any rich people's attention.It was what happened with Mister Feldman at his office. He could not take his eyes off Corinne at all!Sherlyn hated Corinne's face ever since they were kids, and having seen Corinne dressed up like a country bumpkin comforted her a little.She complimented sarcastically, "Not bad! I picked this for you. You're going to wear this and go to the party with me!"Corinne looked at herself in the mirror and said, "Thanks. It's quite pretty."The makeup artist had a hard time suppressing her
Suddenly, Sherlyn saw someone she knew among the guests. Her eyes widened as she said, "Corinne, go find a place and stay there. I'm going to talk to a friend. Remember—don't touch anything. You can't afford to pay if you broke it!"Corinne nodded and said faintly, "Yes, I understand."After that, Sherlyn took a glass of red wine and sashayed toward an elegant middle-aged man. She greeted and raised her glass with him. The middle-aged man was happy to see her there. His eyes looked passionate as they chatted in good spirits.Back where Corinne was standing, she took a glass of juice from the buffet table and took a sip to hydrate her throat. Narrowing her eyes, she monitored every movement Sherlyn made.'It's weird that Sherlyn knows someone from here, and they look very close to each other. Something's going on between them. She must've gotten the invitation card to attend this party here from that middle-aged man, too. The middle-aged man must be the reason why Sherlyn could whit
Caught off-guard by the voice, the wealthy girls turned to look back, and their haughty expressions immediately simmered down."Oh, it's Mister Sunny!""Mister Sunny, you're here!""Hi, Mister Sunny!"Corinne looked over, too.The person they were calling was Sunny, who went to the art gallery with Francine to catch her having a nonexistent affair. He was wearing a white tuxedo looking like a young noble with his handsome face and slim tall frame.He came over and frowned in disgust. "Why are you girls shouting? It's so noisy!"One of the rich girls stepped forward and pointed at Corinne. "Mister Sunny, we didn't do it on purpose. This girl here wore an ugly outfit and snuck in here to get a free meal. We were just asking her to leave.""That's right. The Riveras' manor is a high-class place. How could we allow such a person to come in here and degrade it?""Mister Sunny, you're here just in time. Ask the security to kick her out!"Sunny lifted his chin and looked at them con
Corinne then answered Sunny, albeit trying to be playfully proud, "I'm not telling you."Sunny shot her an angry stare. "Hmph! Fine. I don't have the time to waste on you, either. I'm going to teach you a lesson sooner or later!"He quickly walked away as if he had something urgent on his plate.Corinne looked around to search for Sherlyn but could not find her. Sherlyn and the middle-aged man had gone somewhere she could not see. She tried searching for them but came out empty-handed.Instead, she saw a few boys around Sunny's age chasing after Sunny."I see Sunny! He's running to that side!""After him!""Stop running away like a coward, Sunny Rivera! Be a man!"Sunny rushed outside, but the boys managed to catch up to him and trapped him in the hallway."Are you not a man, Sunny Rivera? Are you going to deny that you lost?"Without a chance to escape, Sunny stood his ground vehemently, shooting them a stare. "I did not!""Then admit that you lost the competition to us and
"Where the hell did she come from? Oh my god! She's so ugly that it hurts my eyes!""Scram, you ugly girl! Stop butting in!""Go! Beat it!"Corinne, with her phone in hand as she recorded them, walked toward them and said, "I've recorded everything you did, and you guys have committed a crime. Once I pass this video to the police and file for a lawsuit, you guys'll be sentenced to a light sentence, and there will be a record in your file even if you guys are still juveniles."You guys are from rich and reputable families. I don't think I need to mention how much this is going to affect your education, career, and future once you get a record in your file, right?"Yash and his friends looked dismayed and anxious. Obviously, Corinne struck a sensitive spot. Thus, they looked at each other warily, hesitating."You b*tch! It's none of your business! Get her phone!" Yash reprimanded.He refused to be threatened by a woman who came out of nowhere. Most importantly, the woman looked th
Yash adjusted his necktie and rejected Corinne's proposal. "Psh! We won. Why should we compete again? I don't have the time."Corinne did not panic either. She calmly took out her phone to play the video she took minutes ago."I recorded you guys where you guys ganged up to hit Sunny. If you don't agree to compete one more time, I'll report this to the police. I'd like to see if your parents would support you to obtain ownership of Lunar Century Manor, or if they'd beg us to close the case because they don't want you boys to have a bad record.""You…" Yash did not have a choice.He already tried once, and they could not defeat her. Heck, they could not even get close to her!"Fine! Let's compete one more time! You won't beat us in the game anyway!"Corinne stayed calm. "Since there's no gaming room here, let's play a mobile game. What about 'Guardian of the King'?""Sure!" Yash smiled confidently after hearing Corinne pick the game. "First thing first, I agree to compete, but I
Sherman could not help but feel fearful when he recalled the incident.Rita gently smoothed his furrowed brow. "I knew you'd come to rescue me, just like all the times you did. I love you, Sherman."Previously, Rita confessed her love to him when she was groggy. At this moment, however, she was clearly awake, even sporting a faint smile on her face as she confessed.Sherman immediately blushed. "I love you, too."Rita did not stay long in the hospital; she quickly returned to the Parr family's mansion. Just as Sherman's grandparents had said, Rita did not have any major injuries, so there was no need for her to stay in the hospital that long. In fact, she might even recover faster emotionally under the care at home.Not once did Sherman bring up Rita's job, but she surprisingly resigned from New Capital Times on her own accord. It would be difficult for her to investigate cases with her current condition; not to mention Sherman had handed over the evidence to the police. The polic
"Sherman, I like you. I love you," Rita finally confessed.Sherman, deeply pained, pulled Rita into his arms. "This is all my fault. I should've looked for you quicker. I've never blamed you. All I want is to see you smile. It's enough for me as long as you're willing to let me stay by your side."You don't have to confess to me. I know it's hard for you to do that because of your family. I've seen the way they've treated you, and…"The bodyguards who had barged in with Sherman felt a bit awkward to see their company president in tears. However, the priority was to get Rita to the hospital for a check-up. Being tied up for hours could cause circulation issues, and it could be dangerous if her limbs did not regain feelings soon.In the end, they got the bravest among them to convince Sherman to let them take Rita to the hospital. Instead of letting them do it, Sherman wiped away his tears and, with ease, lifted Rita as if she was as light as a feather.Fortunately, after the hospit
With that, Karen left without looking back. She was carrying Vince's baby in her womb, so how could she pin all her hopes on Sadie? Since Sadie was obviously unruly, she would have to rely on her son.'Sadie can spend the rest of her life with Esmond since she likes him so much. God knows it had been exhausting enough to raise her. Plus, it's only fair for Esmond to take care of her since I've done my part taking care of her until now,' thought Karen.Meanwhile, the only consolation for Sherman was that Esmond did not try to put up a fight. It seemed that he still cared about his daughter Sadie.Sherman led his men to a dilapidated house. Esmond had been cautious enough to choose a rundown house situated at the end of a village.When Sherman barged in, he found Rita lying on the floor while Esmond's men ignored her. Esmond's men had followed his orders, and since he did not instruct them to do anything to Rita, they left her well alone.Before the men could react, they were surrou
Karen cried and silently knelt by Sadie's side without trying to defend herself. Sadie, on the other hand, feebly tried to explain herself. Alas. Vince refused to listen.There had been many occasions before when he had chosen to believe Karen and Sadie, but at this moment, he realized he had been terribly wrong to do that.Rita used to be so kind, understanding, and well-behaved. However, ever since Karen and Sadie moved in, Vince felt like his daughter had become manipulative, always trying to compete for attention, and stirring up jealousy in front of him.Unfortunately, it took Rita's disappearance to make Vince realize that Rita was not trying to compete for attention. All Rita wanted from him was to treat her the same as Sadie.Vince used to think that Rita should give in to Sadie more since Sadie was younger, too."Why don't you go live with your biological father since you prefer him so much? I never want to see you show your face around here anymore! As for your mother, s
Sadie was so anxious that she wanted to jump out. "Mom, don't tell me you fell for it! Why did you call Esmond? Now they all know where Rita is. You've ruined everything, again! What were you thinking?"Karen could not care less. She cried and slapped Sadie. "You nearly scared me to death! What would I do if something happened to you? I didn't raise you just to watch you die. I told you not to meet up with Esmond, so why did you secretly meet up with him? How can you ask him to get rid of Rita?"Are you out of your mind? All I want is for us to live out the rest of our lives peacefully, so why didn't you listen to me?!"Sadie was furious. Karen had stopped trying to get rid of Rita ever since she got pregnant, so how could Sadie not be angry? Rita was like a thorn in her side, and Sadie would never be happy unless Rita was dead."Don't you know I like Sherman? How could you ask me to do nothing when Rita has stolen him from me?! I was the one who liked him first. It's either Rita g
Karen wanted so badly to slap Esmond through the phone.'What good are his pompous words now? We wouldn't be in this mess now if he hadn't hit me back then! What's more, he's saying he's doing this for Sadie. But has he ever thought of what would happen to me and Sadie if he got rid of Rita? Rita's the heiress of the Russell family. Not to mention, she's married to Sherman, so that makes her owner of Parr Group too! What makes Esmond think he can get rid of Rita so easily?'Karen's breath was ragged as she said, "If you don't believe me, just listen to your daughter's screams. I can't save her now; you will literally decide her fate! Plus, I'm pregnant with Vince's baby, so even if I lose Sadie, I still have a kid—which is more than what I can say about you!"Sherman could not help but be impressed by Karen a little. Even in this dire situation, she did not forget to express her heartfelt feelings to Vince, letting him know that she was always on his side. It was certainly not an ea
"Sherman raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a minor injury, maybe just a finger. There shouldn't be any major issues. A sprained joint takes only a hundred days to heal, and it might take her even less time to heal if you take very good care of her while she's recuperating."Karen's heart ached upon hearing that. She lunged toward Sherman, wanting to hit him, but the bodyguards stopped her before she could get close.Vince, still worried, held Karen tightly beside him. "Calm down. I'm sure Sadie will come out unharmed if Rita's kidnapping has nothing to do with her. But if it does, then you should know very well that…"Vince's voice dropped an octave. He could not believe his daughter's disappearance had anything to do with his stepdaughter. However, he was not utterly naive.He continued, "How could a girl like her take Rita away? Even the car window was smashed. Others must've been involved. Does her biological father have anything to do with it?"Sherman nodded
"Yes, it's true I met up with my biological father, but it was just a one-time thing. I don't want to go back to him at all! Otherwise, I would've done it ages ago. Dad, I'm really grateful to you for taking me in and looking after me all these years. That's why I feel like you're my real father, even more real than those who share the same blood."How could you unjustly accuse me and Mom like that? Sherman is the one spouting nonsense here. He's trying to push all the blame onto us. Dad, you have to wake up and see the truth!"Karen nodded along, but her heart was racing. 'When did Sadie meet Esmond? How did Sherman know when I don't even know? Seems like Sadie does have something to do with Rita's kidnapping. I have to settle things and get Sherman out of here.'Karen never had the thought of rekindling her relationship with Esmond. The only thing she wanted then was to peacefully give birth to her son. Everything in the Russell family would eventually go to her son, and she would
Sherman detested people pointing their fingers at him when they spoke. He stood up slowly, towering over Vince instantly."You claim to be Rita's father, yet if I were you, I'd choose to shut up and stand aside. I can't believe you're scolding me for threatening Sadie when she's not even your real daughter!"Look at her guilty expression; it's clear she's involved. If you don't believe me, use your brain a little. No wonder Russell Group is declining under your leadership. It's only a matter of time before the company goes completely bankrupt!"Sherman showed no mercy, causing Vince to retreat with every word. Vince clutched his chest, struggling for breath.Karen, despite her weakness, stepped forward to support him. "How could you speak to your father-in-law like this? What has Sadie done to offend you? She has nothing but admiration for you. Plus, she's just a child. How could you treat her like this?"She went on and on, but Sherman stood his ground. Meanwhile, the burly bodyg