"No!" Lucas' heart broke at seeing Corinne so mad and sad. "Corinne, he's not the Jeremy you knew before. He doesn't remember who you are at all. I was worried you couldn't take it…"'He doesn't remember me at all? Did he have a memory loss? Hah! How convenient of an excuse,' thought Corinne, displeased by the explanation.Sneering, she said, "The fact that you hid this information from me meant that you were working with him. I'll never believe you again."Corinne then turned to leave. She would unearth the truth by asking Jeremy himself about everything that happened.Lucas pulled her back and wrapped her up in a tight embrace."Corinne, you need to calm down first. Please…" he said while stroking her hair.Corinne's shoulders gradually relaxed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath."Why? Why is he with Sophia?" she asked.Seeing that Corinne had finally calmed down, Lucas decided to tell her the truth."Jeremy isn't with Sophia; she has him under her control. He doesn
Sunny's heart really went out for Corinne. He knew she had been desperately searching for Jeremy for the past three years while looking after her kids.'She finally found him, yet he's lost his memory and is living with another woman… Anyone would have a breakdown if the same thing happened to them. No wonder Lucas didn't want anyone to know he came to the hotel. He's probably worried Corinne will go into shock when she finds out about this…and I happen to ruin it all. Sh*t. He's definitely going to beat me up for this…' thought Sunny.He got into the car after Lucas and Corinne, and they made their way to the kindergarten together.Among the three kids they were picking up, there was one called Joey, who was adopted by Jeremy and Anya. However, Corinne took up the task of raising him after Anya was sent away and Jeremy went missing.Sunny knew Corinne always treated Joey like her own child. That alone was not something many women could do. Thus, it was a pity that a nice girl like
"Corinne, we're here," said Sunny when they arrived at the kindergarten.Corinne snapped out of her thoughts."Okay. You guys wait in the car while I go pick them up," she said. She then got out of the car and walked toward the entrance.Sunny could not help but think she looked so lost and small as he watched her make her way to the entrance."Lucas, don't you think Corinne…doesn't look too well?" he asked worriedly."You have the cheek to ask?" Lucas was also staring worriedly at Corinne's back. "If you hadn't called her over, she wouldn't have found out about Jeremy and Sophia!"Sunny knew he was to blame, too. He dropped his head in shame and sighed.After a while, Corinne led the three kids out of the kindergarten.Lucas and Sunny got out of the car one after another."Uncle Lucas!" cried Joey and Christine happily when they saw him. They then ran toward him with their arms wide open.Lucas squatted and welcomed them with open arms as they threw themselves at him.Only
Sunny pouted for a moment before he smiled."Okay, Lucas. Don't worry, I'm not going to be a bad influence on them."Corinne watched absently-mindedly as the kids talked to Sunny and Lucas. After some time, she said, "Mister Lucas, let's have lunch nearby here. I'll get my driver to pick us up after that so you and Mister Sunny can go home without having to drop us home."Lucas looked worriedly at her, but he feared that she would get more upset if he said anything, so he nodded. "Okay. Sure.""Let's go! Uncle Sunny's gonna take you all to eat something yummy!" said Sunny while picking up Christine.Lucas picked up Joey while 'Bryan' continued to hold Corinne's hand as they walked toward the restaurant a block away from the restaurant.…Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Sophia wheeled Jeremy back to their suite after they got some fresh air in the garden.While swiping her keycard, she could not help but glance at the suite opposite theirs."Zachary, what do you want to have for
After Sophia came back from buying the ketchup, she discovered 'Benjamin' was alone in the living room, playing with his toy."Benjamin, where's Daddy?" she asked.'Benjamin' looked up, glanced at her indifferently, and scoffed. He did not answer her. Instead, he shouted toward the bedroom. "Daddy! Ketchup Lady is back!"'What did he call me?' thought Sophia angrily. However, she was more concerned that Jeremy left 'Benjamin' in the living room to play alone. 'He always makes sure to keep an eye on the kid, so why isn't watching over him now?'She quickly put down the ketchup and hurried to the bedroom. As soon as she opened the door, she saw him snapping shut his laptop."Zachary, what were you doing? How could you leave Benjamin alone outside? Didn't you always tell me that a kid his age shouldn't be left alone?" she asked.Jeremy turned his wheelchair around slowly."You do know that he always stays put whenever you give him his favorite cartoon toy to play with, right? Plus,
"Alright, I really appreciate your hard work," said Zachary emotionlessly. He then wheeled himself to the living room to look for 'Benjamin'.Sophia was used to him being unfeeling to her, so she was especially happy to hear him say that. She glanced toward the living room before picking up the ketchup and going to the kitchen.The presidential suite boasted of an open-plan kitchen, so she could see them from where she was cooking.She did not feel something was amiss when she saw Jeremy teaching 'Benjamin' how to play puzzle blocks until she vaguely heard the little boy saying, "Thanks, Mister!"'Mister? Why would that boy call his own father Mister?' Sophia watched suspiciously as Jeremy passed 'Benjamin' a completed puzzle block.That gesture alone made her realize something was not right. She bought that puzzle block for Benjamin back in Molomia, and it took the little boy no time at all to learn how to make things out of it. Why, then, would he need Jeremy's help all of a sud
It was already dark by the time Corinne and the kids got home.She had planned to take the kids home after eating at the restaurant, but Sunny insisted on taking them to the indoor playground to play for a while.Naturally, the three kids were eager to go, and she did not have the heart to say no to them when she saw their big puppy eyes looking at her.Once they arrived at the indoor playground, Corinne called Francine to tell her that they would be home later than usual.Francine immediately sensed something was not right from Corinne's tone alone. "Corinne, are you okay? Why do you sound so tired? Are you not feeling well?""It's nothing. I'm fine. Remember to tell Grandma that we'll be home late, or she's going to worry again.""Okay…"Corinne pinched the bridge of her nose after she hung up the phone. She was physically alright, but her mental state was failing. That was why she sounded a little off on the phone.However, she felt better after watching her three kids playi
However, Corinne did not have the luxury of time to figure out why 'Bryan' was acting that way. She shook her head and said, "He's fine. He's just feeling a little shy, perhaps."'Shy? That kid has been thick-skinned ever since he was little, so why would he suddenly become shy?' thought Xante.Xante was even more confused than ever as she looked at 'Bryan'. For some reason, he looked different somehow."What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" asked Corinne with a raised eyebrow."Well, I promised to come yesterday, but something happened and I ended up not coming. Boss, I called you twice before I came, but you didn't pick up my calls. I thought I'd come anyway," said Xante helplessly.Corinne took out her phone and saw there were indeed two missed calls from Xante.'I must be out of it to not have heard my phone ringing,' she thought."Sorry. I took the kids to the indoor playground and it was noisy there, so I must not have heard it. Anyway, help me
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