Annie snapped back to her senses. She glanced at Aaron and said angrily, "Yes! That's right! I love getting the cold shoulder! Are you glad I said that? Didn't I get the cold shoulder from you last time too? Do you have to be sarcastic about it? Does seeing me like that make you happy?"Aaron froze for a moment after her tirade and laughed again. "No, no! I'm giving you all the warmth from my shoulder! I'm on your side now! Don't be angry!"Annie's face felt flush. 'What does he mean when he says he's giving me all the warmth from his shoulder? What the hell is this man talking about?'Xante put down her cutlery and got up. "I'm full. You two go ahead." She went back to her room, leaving Annie alone with Aaron, who was smiling cheekily."I'm, uh… I'm going to check on Corinne!"As soon as Annie tried to get up and leave, Aaron pulled her back and said, "Don't bother her right now. She just wants to be alone today."Annie had no choice but to sit back down. She had lost her appeti
The maid brought some soup and fed some to the dazed Jeremy. Jeremy took two sips and waved his hands, indicating he did not want any more.The maid obediently placed the soup down and excused herself right away.Pamela sat next to Jeremy and looked at him dejectedly. "Drink the soup and sober up with a bath. Getting wasted is hardly the kind of thing a grown man should be doing!"Jeremy could feel a headache coming. He leaned his head on the back of the sofa and placed one arm over his forehead to cover his eyes. He ignored what his grandmother had said to him.When Pamela saw a flickering light in his trouser pocket, she reached out to take his cell phone. It had been put on silent.The caller ID displayed an unsaved phone number, and Pamela's eyes lit up as she answered the call."Are you home yet, Jeremy?" On the other end of the line was Sophia, who asked concernedly.The glow in Pamela's eyes dimmed considerably, and she replied, "He's home, Sophia. Don't worry. Get some r
Pamela nodded and said, "It's good that Corinne is alright. Her pregnancy is almost at full term, and I'm worried she might give birth prematurely if she gets too emotional. After all, the entire process from pregnancy to childbirth is very risky. Oh, and by the way, don't tell your Grandpa about today. I don't want that old fool to have any sort of prejudice against Corinne!""I understand," said Francine.Meanwhile, at the hotel.Sophia danced alone in the room while listening to some jazz. Her attendant, Kevin, came in to deliver wine to her. When he saw how much she enjoyed her dancing, he asked curiously, "Why do you look so happy, miss?"Sophia slowed her movements down and chuckled. "Do I look happy?"Kevin nodded and uncorked the red wine. He then said, "You do! You seem to be in a particularly good mood today. Did something special happen?"Sophia stopped dancing. "That Corinne woman finally showed up today!"Kevin stopped pouring the wine. "But isn't she your rival in
Annie looked left and right to try and find Aaron, but he was nowhere to be seen. All she saw was her phone charging on the bedside table. She took it and saw that the topmost unread message was from Aaron.[I slept in the living room last night. I carried you into the room and didn't do anything else. Don't make any assumptions!]Annie's heart began beating faster. Her cheeks turned red, and she wondered to herself, 'What is he trying to do? Gosh, I'm getting all flustered by his message!'When she scrolled down, she saw more than 99 unread messages that her boyfriend Marcus had sent to her. Annie was a little embarrassed. Her feelings were all over the place the day before that she forgot to reply to Marcus's messages!When she clicked on Marcus's chat, she noticed he had sent a flurry of messages asking her location, what she was doing, and if she was asleep.The most recent message had been sent in the morning. [Why are you ignoring me, Annie? Please reply if you see my messag
Annie must have come back because she forgot something.Corinne placed her glass of milk down and got up to open the door.As soon as the door opened, Jason's charming face appeared in front of her.Corinne remained calm despite her surprise. "Why are you here?"Jason held up a thermos. "To see you, of course! Have you had breakfast? I asked someone to prepare some soup for you.""Thanks," said Corinne and invited him in.It was the first time Jason came to Corinne's place, and he began admiring the decor as soon as he entered the door. "Where's the kitchen? I'll get a bowl and pour some for you!""Have a seat. I'll get it myself." Corinne walked toward the kitchen rather than pointing him to where it was.Instead of sitting, Jason followed her into the kitchen with the thermos. The cupboard was situated under the sink, so it was a little difficult for Corinne to bend down and get the bowls.Jason walked over and helped her. "Let me do it."Corinne stepped aside and allowed h
Corinne's pregnancy made it rather difficult for her to stabilize her center of gravity when she moved backward. Jason had to stretch out his arm to make sure she did not fall.At the same time, they got physically closer. Their eyes were within inches of each other.Corinne felt that it was inappropriate and immediately wanted to get up and walk away. However, Jason held her tightly and said, "You're wrong, Corinne. You can't lump all men into the same category just because you've met one jerk. I'm different from Jeremy. I'll never..."As Jason spoke, he leaned so close to Corinne that she could feel his breath on her lips.…Annie got home and got dressed before asking the driver to drive her to Newmoon Group. When she arrived, she looked at the time and realized it was still too early for lunch. As she was about to go in and wait for Marcus, she stopped while she was going up the stairs.She knew she might run into Aaron in the company lobby if she waited for Marcus inside, so
Annie was stunned for a moment. She looked up and saw Aaron smiling at her as he took his seat just opposite her!'Is this what he meant when he said I didn't come here for nothing?'Aaron called one of the wait staff and ordered a cup of coffee for himself. He then looked at Annie with a smirk and asked, "Are you speechless because you're that happy to see me?"Annie snapped back to her senses and placed her phone down. She stared at him sullenly and said, "How did you know I'm here?"Aaron grinned. "I guess you can call this…having a telepathic connection.""What are you trying to do, Aaron?" Annie became even angrier.Aaron answered curtly, "Trying to win your heart."Annie's expression froze before her cheeks turned red. She cleared her throat awkwardly and said, "Stop making these jokes!"Aaron looked at her intently. "I'm not joking. I've been confessing my love to you since yesterday. You're the one who didn't take me seriously.""Did you just use the word 'seriously'?"
Aaron shook his head. "Nothing. I'll call the shots if you don't know what to eat. After that, we can think about what to bring back for the boss."Annie was fine with that. She nodded listlessly and said, "Fine. Whatever."Aaron glanced at her. "What's the matter? Are you so disappointed you can't have lunch with your boyfriend?"Annie rolled her eyes. "Would you cancel the company meeting so he can accompany me to lunch if I say yes?""Nope," said Aaron with a grin."Then what's the point of asking?" replied Annie with a glare."I just want to give myself the chance to have some alone time with you."Annie was speechless. She finally decided to stop being a foolish romantic, yet he was undoing all of her efforts."Ahem! I'll call Corinne to ask her what she'd like to eat."Feeling embarrassed, Annie did not know what to say, so she took out her phone to call Corinne. No one picked up."This is weird. Why didn't Corinne pick up the phone?""Maybe she didn't hear the phone r
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