Jason reached out and flicked Corinne's forehead. "What do you think? It's my selfish desire for you, of course. If I can get you and your child out of the country, I still stand a chance of being with you! That chance is gone if the Holdens find you! Are you that dull, or are you just pretending to be dull?"Corinne touched her slightly sore forehead. "Hehe! Then my advice to you is to just give up! I know you've helped me a lot in the past six months, but I can give you anything except for my feelings."Jason sighed in self-pity. "Why are you so nervous, silly? I'm not going to force you!"He was using 'silly' as if it was a form of endearment.Corinne felt a little awkward and glared at him. "Have you had enough rest? You should make your way back soon if that's the case. The street lights aren't bright here in the suburbs. It's unsafe for you to drive alone! You should head back as soon as you can."Jason's charming face leaned close to her, and he snorted flirtingly. "Hmph. W
Corinne had serious doubts over whether everything that happened was just an illusion.The pain from her pinch told her she was neither dreaming nor hallucinating.Everything was real. Jeremy came, but he left without saying anything. It was unlike him not to get angry after finding her.Rather than bring her away, he knocked on the door and looked at her before leaving.She could not understand what was going on.Corinne came back to her senses as Jason's cell phone was ringing. In her daze, she answered the call.Jason's gentle voice spoke from the other end. "I left my phone there by accident. Keep it safe for the moment, and I'll send someone over to get it from you tomorrow." He had called his cell phone from his car."Okay," Corinne replied emotionlessly and ended the call.Her mind was a mess. She had never had such chaotic thoughts before. 'Why did Jeremy even come here? I had to be thankful that Jeremy didn't get angry or do anything to me. I should be grateful that
Corinne was worried sick. "Are you going to tell me what you're doing or not?"Sunny snatched away the phone before Xante could say anything. "She's not free to talk right now. You can talk to me to discuss anything with her or call her back two hours later."Corinne was speechless. 'Ugh. It's that brat, Sunny! Just what the heck are they doing?'"Sunny, stop! Can't you wait until I've finished talking on the phone?! Ah! Get lost!" whined Xante coquettishly in the background.Corinne started blushing and quickly hung up the phone.'Sh*t!' Corinne could feel a headache coming, so she massaged her temples. Then, she laid in her bed and covered her head with the blanket.…Meanwhile, Sunny had Xante pinned to the bed. Her gentle, beautiful face was red as a tomato. She was shy not about what they were doing, but because she was embarrassed that Corinne found out.'That was so embarrassing!' she thought.She did not expect Corinne to call. After all, why would she when Corinne had
"I know," said Xante with a sigh. "I didn't expect things to turn out this way either, but he wouldn't listen to me… Boss, I know he's your step-brother. But don't worry, I'll never hurt him. I won't contact him anymore once he gets sick of me."Corinne pinched the bridge of her nose. This was even more headache-inducing than she thought."Are you stupid, Xante? You're the one I'm worried about, not him! He's young and comes from a rich family, so he'll never lack any woman in the future. I'm not worried about him getting hurt! I'm worried about you getting hurt!"Xante smiled. "Oh, you're worrying for nothing, then. Do I really strike you as someone who'd take Mister Sunny seriously? I'll probably get tired of him before he does.""I really hope that's the case for your sake," replied Corinne with a bitter smile.Everyone would think they had everything under control whenever they started a new relationship, and that they would not be the ones getting hurt. However, it was always
Xante poked Sunny with a straight face. "A kid like you shouldn't involve himself in the affairs of adults. I'm going to shower now, and I'll send you home after that. We wouldn't want your brother to give you beat your *ss for going home late now, do we?"Being called a kid irked Sunny, and he pressed down on Xante with his whole body. "Who are you calling a kid? Did you forget the adult business we were doing just now? How can you say I'm a kid when I just had s*x with you?"Xante felt a tingling sensation crawling up her body, but she pretended to glare at him angrily. "I'm not going to play with you tomorrow if you don't listen to me."Sunny's tone immediately softened. "Can you please tell me who you're going to pick up tomorrow? Is it a man or a woman? I know you need to interact with other men because of your job, but I really don't like it. If it's a man, I'm going with you!""It's a woman! I'm picking up Corinne tomorrow!" said Xante finally.Sunny's face instantly lit up
Corinne nodded. "Yeah, I'm going back to the city to give birth. I left your phone in the drawer. I've already switched it off, so you can see if you have any missed calls. Thank you for everything."After that, she started making her way out with Xante and Aaron.Jason could not accept her leaving just like that. He looked so confused and lost."Did something happen last night? Why would you suddenly want to leave?" he asked after he blocked her path."Jeremy knows about this place. He came last night, so you're going to be in a lot of trouble if I continue to stay there. It's best if I just go back home," said Corinne with resignation.'Jeremy came last night?' thought Jason with shock. He looked deeply into her eyes. "Corinne, do you really think I'd care about getting into trouble? I wouldn't have helped you in the first place if I'm worried about crossing Jeremy.""I know you don't care, but there's no point for me to hide out here since he already found out where I am. Plus
After thinking it over, Annie nodded and said, "Okay, sure. Thanks, Corinne!"She still had the employee ID card with her, so she could go in and out of the company as she pleased. This was possible because she did not formally tender her resignation since she just decided not to come to work for a day.The reason she did not go upstairs to wait for Marcus was because she did not want to risk running into Aaron. However, she did not care about all that anymore since Corinne was back.Thus, so followed Corinne into the elevator. She was so focused on Corinne that she did not realize Aaron was standing beside her too. It was only when she smelled his signature perfume did she noticed his presence. However, it would seem like she was still hung up on him if she tried to change her place then.'Oh well, this elevator ride isn't going to take long anyway,' she told herself."Corinne, where have you been for the past six months?" she asked curiously.Corinne ignored her question again.
'Hmph! Does he think he can treat his employee like this just because he's the vice president of the company? It's not like he's the only vice president in the world. I should ask Marcus to quit and go work for Uncle Jeremy!' thought Annie.Aaron must have guessed what she was thinking of because his smile deepened. "Annie, please step into my office for a moment."Annie was a little taken aback. 'This is weird. Did I hear wrong? Why would he ask me to go into his office?'Annie never once turned behind to look at him as she did not want to see him. Without even needing to think twice, she rejected his invitation. "Mister Aaron, I don't work for you anymore. I don't think it's appropriate for me to go into your office.""Have you forgotten you haven't gone through the formal resignation procedures? So technically, you're still an employee here. Now would you step into my office?" he asked sternly."No! I won't. I told you I've quit!"Aaron walked around her so that they would fac
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