Sherlyn said, "My sister's name is—"Francine suddenly caught a whiff of the excessive perfume on Sherlyn's person and retched. When one of the maids saw that, she pushed Sherlyn out of the way and said, "Move aside! Our young miss doesn't have the time to talk to you right now!""Miss, are you okay?"Francine had retched to the point of collapse, and she required the help of the maids before going in.Sherlyn was incredibly annoyed that she was pushed aside before even getting her questions answered. Unfortunately, she did not dare to mess with whoever lived there.The Holdens' driver lowered the window and gave her a word of advice. "Just leave. You shouldn't be poking your nose around a place like this."Sherlyn turned to him and asked, "Are you the driver of this family? Could you tell me who's staying here?"The driver replied cautiously, "I can't disclose that information to you, but I heard that the family just recently recruited a new group of maids. Your sister might be
Corinne's face turned purple.By then, Pamela caught her breath and anxiously bleated, "Jeremy... Let go of her..."Jeremy immediately released his grip and tossed Corinne to one side before going over and asking, "How are you feeling, Grandma?"Pamela waved her hand weakly. "It's okay... Earlier, I…I got a prune pit stuck in my throat, but Corinne saved me using the Heimlich maneuver. See that pit on the ground? I just spat it out..."Jeremy froze slightly and glanced down at the little prune pit on the ground. Then, he looked towards Corinne, frowning slightly.Corinne got up from the ground and rubbed her arm which was sore after she had been mercilessly thrown onto the ground by Jeremy. She then went up to Pamela and explained, "I baked those pastries for myself this morning, Ma'am. I tend to leave prunes unpitted because I prefer the subtle bitterness that appears when I bake them. It's not very suitable for old people though, so I sincerely apologize for that."She bowed
Corinne's eyes widened, and she stared in bewilderment when she realized that Jeremy was doing one-handed pushups. He had covered her mouth with one hand after pulling the blanket over their bodies, leaving only their heads exposed.They stared blankly at each other as his face seemed to rise and fall within inches of hers. Anyone who saw them would assume that they were in the midst of a passionate session.Corinne felt a little uncomfortable and pushed his hand away after finally having enough of his suggestive actions. "Mister, you..."When Jeremy lowered himself during a round of push-ups, he leaned into her ear and whispered a warning, "Didn't you say you were going to do a proper job of fulfilling your task? You need to cooperate with me on this as well, so stop moving around!"Corinne stared blankly at him for a moment before keenly noticing movements at the door of the room.Pamela had pushed the door slightly ajar and was observing in secret.'I get it now!' As soon as C
"Boss? Aren't we going in?" Aaron asked.Corinne was rooted to the ground as she watched Jeremy get out of the car and walk into Peakrise Auction House. With a frown, she said, "I saw someone I'd rather not see. Let's wait a while before going in."Aaron looked in the direction of Corinne's gaze. "That seems to be Jeremy from the Holdens. Do you know him?"Corinne looked disgusted. "Not really."...The auction hall was divided into upper and lower floors. The first floor was for ordinary buyers, while the second floor was for VIP buyers who did not wish to show their identity. They were granted excellent privacy and were identifiable by their room numbers.Jeremy was in room one, while Corinne was in room seven.After several unremarkable artifacts were auctioned off, a set of bronze pieces from this auction were carried to the display stand. Once the auctioneer gave a brief lecture on the background and value of the artifacts, bidding commenced at 1.5 million dollars."Two mi
Corinne tilted her head as she looked at Aaron, who immediately understood her hint due to years of tacit understanding with her.After clearing his throat, he raised his hand to adjust the Bluetooth earpiece he wore out of habit on his left ear, and walked past Jeremy and Corinne in as calm a manner as possible.He even made a point to lower his voice a little and pretend as if he was speaking to someone over the phone."Sorry, Boss. Things got a little awkward earlier. That Holden guy overheard me when I was ranting about him earlier. Well, yeah! He's the one who outbid us on your favorite painting! Sure. we'll just forget about it and let him have it! 'Geese in Late Autumn' isn't Nellie Nymphaea's only painting. There are plenty of other ones we can get in the future!"Aaron was already quite far away when he ended his sentence.Corinne stared wide-eyed at Jeremy and cocked her eyebrow innocently. "I think that guy is bad-mouthing you, mister."Jeremy’s eyes fell on Corinne. H
The girl in the wedding dress was Jeremy's niece, and she needed a bridesmaid on the day of the wedding, which was where Corinne came into the picture.Corinne could not help but complain, "Are you that uncultured? Bridesmaids are supposed to be unmarried. Plus, she's your niece, and I'm your newlywed wife. How can an elder become a bridesmaid for the younger generation?"Jeremy frowned. 'Did she just call me uncultured?'The girl in the wedding dress was pleasantly surprised. "Oh! So, you're my aunt!"Corinne was definitely not used to being called an aunt.The girl held Corinne's hand enthusiastically and introduced herself with a smile. "Hello, Aunt Corinne! My name is Annie Levine, and Jeremy's my maternal uncle! My bridesmaids got stuck in the traffic jam, so I'm not really concerned with the rules right now because I need a last-minute substitute for her."Corinne nodded. "I see.""Let's go then! I'll bring you in so you can get changed into the bridesmaid dress!" Annie dr
"You need to entertain our guests, Juan! I can handle the bridesmaids just fine, so don't worry too much about it!" Annie pushed Juan out of the dressing room in a coquettish manner.She then turned and beamed at Corinne, who had changed into her bridesmaid dress. "You're so pretty, Aunt Corinne! Now I get why my uncle decided not to be celibate anymore and get married!"Corinne's lips twitched as she smiled dryly. "I'm your bridesmaid today, so don't call me Aunt Corinne. Just 'Corinne' will do."Annie nodded. "Alright then, Corinne! How did you and my uncle get to know each other?"'How did I get to know your uncle, you ask? I have five words for you: I wish it never happened!'Corinne's brow furrowed a little. "We can talk about that another time. It's your big day today! We should be talking about how you and your soon-to-be husband met!"Annie was more than happy to talk about her love story with Juan. Women usually filtered out all the bad stuff about their boyfriends, so a
"Sl*t!" Zoey cursed angrily with an envious look on her face.Corinne was not prepared to argue with Zoey at someone else's wedding, so she turned and went to the bathroom. By the time she came out, she inadvertently saw a man and a woman chatting at the end of the corridor. Before long, they both sneaked into the storage room together.If her eyes did not deceive her, then the man was none other than Annie's groom, Juan. On the other hand, the woman was Zoey, who was wearing a bridesmaid dress the same color as her own.What could a groom possibly be doing with a bridesmaid on a wedding day?-Inside the storage room."You're heartless, Juan! How could you get married behind my back!""Why are you here, Zoey?""I'm one of the bridesmaids! I didn't think the groom would be you! No wonder you haven't been answering my calls recently!""Zoey, I've got thirty thousand inside this card. Let's just treat it as a fee for our breakup! Once you're done with your bridesmaid duties, mak
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