Goran sat down and began to introduce his new movie concept in an attempt to attract the four distinguished company presidents to invest in him.Meanwhile, Sherlyn sat meekly beside him and stared absent-mindedly at Jeremy. She became overwhelmed with emotions the more she looked at that handsome man, and that surge of emotions inevitably made her feel even more regretful.It was not too long ago that she nearly got married to Jeremy. The entourage that the Holdens sent to pick up the bride had stepped into the door of their home, but for some reason, she missed out on the opportunity and everything failed.The exorbitant dowry that the Holdens gave to her family was still kept safe in her home. She imagined how she could have been Missus Holden if she was married off to the Holdens by mistake. Then, she could rightfully sit beside Jeremy while being looked up to and envied by all women.As she fantasized about what could have been, she knocked over the cup of tea that the tea brew
"Yes, yes she is!" Sherlyn replied sweetly, her heart throbbing.'Oh, God! Mister Jeremy just talked to me! His voice is so magnetic, and it sounds so good... But it's pissing me off that he only talked to me because he wanted to ask about Corinne!'Hearing Sherlyn's affirmative response, Jeremy's expression sank. He glowered as he looked at Corinne unhappily.Zeke turned around and glanced at his good friend with intrigue. Although he did not know what was going on between the couple, he could never miss the opportunity to tease his friend's wife. A wicked smile appeared on his lips as he asked, "So, do you know how to brew tea?"Corinne shook her head without looking up.Sherlyn frowned and felt very upset that these handsome upper-class men were all paying attention to Corinne. She interrupted with a smile, "Mister Zeke, my assistant is from the countryside, and you can tell by the clothes on her body that she doesn't have any taste. She can't possibly understand something as c
"Of course not!" answered Corinne before Jeremy could. "Why would I know someone as important as Mister Jeremy? I'm not fit to know him at all!" At the same time, she withdrew her hand with all her strength.Unfortunately, she tilted the teacup by accident and spilled half the cup because she pulled her hand back too forcefully. The back of the man's hand turned red after being scalded."Gah! Corinne! What are you doing? How hard is it to serve tea?!" Sherlyn screamed, pushed Corinne away, and ran over to show concern for Jeremy's burn."Does it hurt, Mister Jeremy? I'm sorry that my assistant is such an idiot. I'll teach her a lesson later!"Jeremy withdrew his hand coldly and did not let Sherlyn touch him. He shook off the remaining tea on his hand gently, took the tissue handed over by the waiter, and wiped his hands slowly. As he did all that, his gloomy gaze was fixed on Corinne the entire time, and he did not even frown when he got scalded. He remained silent for two seconds
"It's been a while, Corinne," greeted the man.Corinne's first thought was to turn and look at Jeremy. That was when she realized that he was sipping tea leisurely without looking in her direction. Meanwhile, Sherlyn and Goran were still chatting away happily and flattering Jeremy. The two of them synchronized with each other and were practically finishing each other's sentences as if she was not within earshot of them. In truth, she could hear them very clearly from where she was.Corinne turned around and nodded earnestly at Jason but did not accept the glass of orange juice he offered. "Thanks, but I don't feel like drinking that right now."Jason smiled without feeling a hint of awkwardness and bent over gracefully to put the orange juice on the coffee table in front of Corinne. He then took his seat right beside her.When Corinne realized that Jason had sat down, she glanced sideways at him and frowned slightly. "May I ask why you're here?"Jason smiled and said, "No reason i
Jason sipped his tea pensively and remained silent for a while before asking Corinne, "Why would the dignified Missus Holden take up a job as an assistant for a celebrity? Doesn't Jeremy give you any money to spend?"Corinne played her game absent-mindedly and replied casually, "It's a hobby. Money's not the issue here."Jason's sexy face turned serious. "I asked you this out of concern, Corinne. You can always tell me if you face any problems. I might be able to help you."'Help me?' Jason seemed to enjoy striking up a conversation with her using the excuse of 'I can help you if you face any problems'.Corinne raised an eyebrow as a sly look flashed across her eyes.She quit the game, put away her phone, then raised her head and looked earnestly at Jason. As she blinked her bright beautiful eyes, she asked, "Will you really help me if I'm in trouble, Jason the Kind Samaritan? Don't just talk."'Jason the Kind Samaritan?' Jason was speechless at the unexpected long nickname. "Of
If Corinne shared a drink with another man, it would be equivalent to walking blindfolded into Jeremy's minefield. The consequences would be disastrous, so the plan could not be executed.After giving it some thought, Corinne tried to bargain with Jason. "How about another time? I'll drink as many cups with you as you want."Jason was unmoved. "No can do. It's either now or never. Time waits for no man…or woman."'D*mn him!' Corinne felt a little embarrassed and turned to look at Jeremy. He was still drinking tea while facing the other side and was not paying attention to her at all.She looked back at Jason and eventually confirmed with him. "Let me get this straight. You'll give me Nellie Nymphaea's works for free as long as I drink with you, correct?"Jason smiled and nodded without hesitation. "I'll have them sent with you immediately if you can do it."Corinne turned around and looked at the tea table again. Jeremy was still as languid as ever as he faced the other side. He
The atmosphere in the tea room returned to normal once Corinne went out, but Goran was a little unhappy because he was interrupted in the middle of his speech. He ignored what happened with that churlish assistant and turned to continue introducing his movie script to Jeremy, Zeke, and Gerald.Sherlyn dutifully leaned over to pour tea for the three presidents, and she took the opportunity to get closer when she poured a cup for Jeremy.All of a sudden, he stood up coldly and said, "Excuse me."...When Jeremy went out of the tea room and looked around, his face soured when he saw no trace of Corinne.There was a separate toilet for VIPs at the entrance of the tea room that catered to all genders, and the restroom door opened suddenly with Corinne poking her head out from inside."I'm here, Mister," she said, then ducked her head back in and left the door open for him.Jeremy narrowed his eyes, strode over, and walked into the restroom. He then closed the restroom door shut with
'Sigh. He saw me after all…'Without waiting for Corinne to give a reason to explain, the man leaned over and approached her for a while with a stern, oppressive tone. "Didn't I forbid you from drinking anything other people offer you? Did you forget what I said?"There was such a disparity in height that Corinne was forced to tilt her neck upward uncomfortably. "I didn't. I remember..."Jeremy lifted her small face forcibly again, with his fingers pinching her cheeks gently and the web between his index finger and thumb propping her chin up. He held her condescendingly and said, "And you still did it?”Corinne explained uncomfortably. "Mister, it's not what you think..."The man's face was calm as usual, but there was a bit of sullen annoyance in his expression. "How do you think I should feel when my wife is drinking with another man in front of me?"Corinne was helpless. She knew she had been wrong and could only say concisely to him, "That's because he has something I want!"
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