At that moment, Xante's secretary knocked on the door."Come in," said Xante after snapping out of her trance.The secretary came in and presented a file. "Miss Xante, these are the documents you've asked for.""Thanks. You can put it there," said Xante with a nod.The secretary did as she was told. "One more thing, Miss Xante… Mister Sunny has come to visit you again. Should I let him in?"Xante pinched the bridge of her nose. "Might as well."She knew Sunny would stay outside her office until she let him in, and that would leave a bad impression on Xante's staff."As you wish, Miss Xante," said the secretary before going out.A minute later, Sunny swaggered into Xante's office and sat on the chair in front of her desk. "Xante, it's nearly lunchtime. Where shall we eat later?"Xante looked at him expressionlessly. "I didn't agree to have lunch with you.""Well, you're going with me whether you like it or not."Xante raised her eyebrow threateningly. "Are you ordering me?"
Xante drove Sunny to a very famous fine-dining restaurant. She thought she should at least bring him to eat something good since he went through a lot of trouble to sneak out of his house.In the end, they bumped into somebody they knew in the restaurant.Jeremy was dining at the restaurant with a very sexily dressed woman. They were eating and chatting as though no one else was in the world.Xante narrowed her eyes with disgust.'Well, they certainly look cozy, yet he still wouldn't give up his search for the boss. I don't get it. Why does he still insist on looking for her? Why doesn't he just spend the rest of his life with his exotic wife? It's all his fault that the boss has to stay in hiding!' thought Xante.She did not plan to greet Jeremy as they were not very close to begin with. Most of the interactions they had were always work-related.However, she forgot one little thing, and that was Sunny.As soon as Sunny saw Jeremy, he waved to him and said, "Jeremy, fancy seein
Sunny, on the other hand, did not think too much of it and said, "Xante, let's just join them. The more the merrier after all."After thinking about it, Xante walked over to their table with a mission to get to know Sophia better. "Well, don't mind if we do, then."Sophia tilted her head and smiled at her. "A friend of Jeremy is a friend of mine too. Please, go ahead."Xante pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses and scoffed internally. She knew Sophia's breezy attitude was all an act since every word of hers was meant to let others know just how close she was with Jeremy. As to whether Sophia was doing it on purpose or accidentally… Well, that depended on who was the recipient of her message.Xante sat beside Sophia while Sunny took the seat beside Jeremy. There was an awkward silence once everyone was settled.Jeremy continued to cut his steak with an apathetic expression. It was as if he was not interested in what was going on in his surroundings at all. In fact, he would give only
'Heh! Sophia is something else, too! She knew I'm the boss' friend, yet she dared to tell me Mister Jeremy doesn't really talk about the boss much lately. She's obviously declaring doing this to let me know Mister Jeremy is hers alone,' thought Xante.Xante went on to speculate that Sophia was hoping she would tell Corinne of their conversation today so she would know to back off. 'Haha! These two manipulative b*stard and b*tch are meant for each other.'"What makes you think I'll tell you when Mister Jeremy obviously doesn't want to tell you? Miss Sophia, I'm honored that you'll ask us to join you for lunch, but please bear in mind we're not really close enough to talk about a lot of things," said Xante.Instead of being offended, Sophia smiled at her. "Miss Xante, I was just curious. Why are you being so defensive? Could it be that you know where Miss Corinne is hiding now?"Jeremy suddenly snapped his head up to look at Xante when he heard that.Xante almost lost her cool. 'Thi
Xante's eyes darkened, but she then smirked. "So what if she did?"Sophia, with her chin resting in her hand, fluttered her eyelashes at Xante. "What did she complain about? Let's see if what she said is true. My guess is that I'll probably agree with her about most things."Xante scoffed. "Miss Sophia, I really don't think we're close enough to have this kind of girl talk."Sophia shrugged. She looked disappointed, but she did not ask any more questions.Surprisingly, Jeremy did. "What did she say about me?"Xante was a little taken aback. She turned toward Jeremy, her gold-rimmed glasses glinting, and smiled. "Why should you care what she said about you?""Just what the hell did she say about me?" repeated Jeremy impatiently.Xante chuckled coldly. "She didn't say anything. I was just joking with Miss Sophia, so just forget about it."Jeremy's face darkened with anger.Xante continued eating her steak to avoid looking at Jeremy's gaze.Sunny could feel the tension in the ai
Xante met countless wives of rich men, and many of them were powerless to stop their husbands from having affairs with other women. Most of them looked the other way, but few were as unbothered about it as Sophia.As Xante kept quiet, Sophia reminded kindly, "Be realistic. It's tiring to live in a fantasy world.""Be realistic about what?" Xante did not understand what Sophia meant.Sophia smiled and said, "I'm talking about Sunny. He's a young boy who's just come of age. I bet he made plenty of promises to you. Don't take them too seriously. Men are fickle; their feelings come and go. Once they lose interest, they'll act as if you don't even exist!"Xante was startled for a moment. She did not need to be reminded of such things as she was aware of that. Sunny pestered her incessantly because she was his first love. It was a refreshing new feeling for him, so feelings of love and whatnot were rather out of the question.She was not an 18-year-old girl, so she knew better than to t
Sunny felt a sudden wave of affection. "Are you teasing me?"Although he had been fantasizing a lot after having his first taste of a woman, he still respected Xante's boundaries and did not force her if she did not want to do it. Truth be told, they only ever did it once. He later pestered Xante repeatedly, but Xante never allowed him to go further.Xante hooked his shirt collar with one finger. "No. Sit still and buckle up. I'm bringing you back to my place."Sunny gulped. Like a child who was eager to get his reward, he fastened his seat belt and put on his best behavior. Xante could not resist smiling when she saw that. An innocent puppy like him was much cuter than those unpredictable old hounds out there!Life was short, so there was no reason not to enjoy oneself to the fullest. Even a cute puppy would grow up and find someone better for it.Back at the restaurant, Jeremy leaned against a stairwell wall while smoking a cigarette pensively.Sophia quickly found him. She ope
Moon was very well-known in the architecture industry. However, she did not have a single public photo like Jeremy. Everyone knew her only by her name.There were rumors that she never revealed herself because she was young and beautiful. Since the reporters would not be able to photograph Jeremy, they could at least have a scoop if they were able to take a photograph of her!The reporters waited excitedly for Moon to take the stage, only to be disappointed when she was not the rumored beautiful young woman they expected. She was a slightly obese woman who wore shabby clothes, a hat, and a mask. None of the reporters were as keen as they were anymore.Corinne wore a thick layer of clothes. She straightened her waist and walked onto the stage, trying to look like she was just obese instead of pregnant. She had been nervous before coming, worried Jeremy would be around. However, Jason managed to get some inside information that Jeremy might not be attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony
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