"But there isn't—""Let's go," Aaron cut Annie off and stood up before going over to hold her hand."Where are we going?" Annie was lifted from her seat.Aaron smiled and said, "To your home!""What?!" Annie's eyes widened. She then thought to herself, 'Doesn't he feel an ounce of shame?'Back at the Holdens, Corinne contacted a certain secret number and used advanced encryption methods to send a text.[She doesn't suspect me of knowing what I know. I can cooperate with you during this time, but in the meantime, you must take good care of my son. I'm trusting you, so don't let me down again!]A reply came several minutes later. [He's my son too, so you can rest assured I'll take care of him. Please extend the same courtesy to me for Benjamin.]After replying to this message, Zachary deleted the conversation history from his phone and glanced at the computer screen. Inside a secret inbox, he received an email from a rehabilitation doctor with detailed instructions and various ot
"Yeah. He's tired after playing all afternoon," replied Zachary.Sophia had strong reason to suspect that the boy was Bryan—whom Corinne raised—and not Benjamin. Perhaps he felt compelled to play all day and not come home as he felt that it was too strict at home. The boy might be innocent and immature, but he could still be a potential source of trouble. After all, there was always a possibility that he might say the wrong thing to Zachary.She needed to figure out a way to resolve the situation, and fast. The two children under Corinne's care were an issue that had to be addressed as well. Sophia could not accept the existence of children that Jeremy had with another woman.After pondering for a while, Sophia asked, "Would you consider having another child to keep Benjamin company?"Fathering Jeremy's child would make it much easier for her to get rid of Corinne's child.Zachary froze for a moment as his expression sank. "What do you mean by that? Why would you even suggest that
Sophia was overjoyed to hear that. "Yay! It'll go smoothly if you're here, Dad! We can then return to Molomia together, and I can finally start preparing for my wedding to Zachary!""That's my girl!" Adam replied. "I'll be there soon!"Sophia then ended the call, confident that her father's intervention would put an end to any further complications. She was certain that no one would dare to back out of a potential deal again if her father handled everything.The door to the master bedroom had been closed softly. Zachary—who was Jeremy—turned the wheelchair around and saw that Bryan had woken up. The boy had been watching him from behind."What were you secretly looking at earlier?" Bryan asked curiously.Zachary placed a finger to his lips and whispered, "You must always call me 'Daddy' from now on, even if there's no one else in the room."Bryan blinked and asked, "I can call you that now? I thought you didn't like me calling you that."Zachary narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why
'Gentle?' Zachary fell silent. He recalled that little girl's hand on his neck that day, and it seemed as though she wanted to strangle him to death. Perhaps gentle was the right word to describe that incident, because at least she did not strangle him to death.When the door handle turned, Zachary immediately became alert and returned to his usual calm demeanor.When Sophia entered the room, she immediately saw 'Benjamin' talking to Zachary. She had a slightly gloomy look in her eyes, but she nevertheless greeted them with a smile. "Benjamin! You're awake! What are you two chatting about?"Zachary replied, "Nothing much. He told me he was hungry."Sophia did not suspect a thing and said with a smile, "I was just about to ask what the both of you want for dinner. Our refrigerator is running empty, so I thought of getting some groceries."In a rare gesture of gentleness, Zachary looked at her and said, "Don't trouble yourself. You've had a busy day today, so we can just have some r
Sophia smiled superficially. "You won't even let Mommy hug you? Mommy can't help but feel like you've changed. You're not Mommy's Benjamin anymore."Bryan would only feel guilty toward the people he liked. Thus, the only emotion he felt toward Sophia was disgust.'She obviously knows I'm not Benjamin, so she's trying to make me slip up by acting all nice. What a hypocrite,' thought Bryan.Bryan remained calm and said arrogantly, "I'm a big boy now! What's so weird about me not wanting to be hugged by a woman? Hmph!"Sophia came closer and looked at him fiercely. "Are you really Benjamin? You do know Santa doesn't bring little boys who lie to their parents presents, right?"Benjamin already hated Sophia in the first place, and her threat just served to make him hate her even more. In fact, he thought she looked like an evil witch."Can't you even tell whether the kid you gave birth to is your own kid? I can't help but think you didn't even really give birth to me!" shouted Bryan.
Lucas nodded. "That's right. I've already asked my friend to set up a meeting. I'm going to fly over to Molomia to meet her soon, so I've come to ask you whether you'd like to join me.""Yes! Of course I'd like to join!" said Corinne without hesitation. However, she suddenly remembered something, and…Lucas could tell what Corinne was worrying about. He patted her head and said, "You're worried about the kids, right?"Corinne sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it'll be a hassle to bring them with me, but I'm going to worry nonstop about them if I don't. And now…"She suddenly stopped talking, and Lucas knew why.She was afraid she would lose Jeremy again if she flew away to Molomia."You should stay if you have so many concerns. I'll go there first. Who knows? The art teacher might not be our mother."Lucas patted her head lightly again.Corinne looked up at him. There was no doubt that she wanted to go. No matter what the outcome was, she would still like to meet the art teache
That evening, Corinne went to fetch the kids from the kindergarten as usual.While waiting for the automatic gate to open, a man holding cartoon balloons walked past their car.Christine's eyes immediately lit up when she saw the cartoon balloons."Mommy, can I get a pink balloon?" she asked.Corinne looked up from her phone, and a hint of doubt flashed across her face when she saw the balloon seller outside her window.However, she still agreed to Christine's request. "Sure. You three can each choose one.""Thank you, Mommy!" said the three kids in unison.After that, they all got out of the car to choose the balloon they liked. Even though they were just outside the mansion, Corinne made sure she kept her eyes on the kids.While the kids were choosing their balloons, she looked the balloon seller up and down. The balloon seller was a man around the age of 40, and she did not find anything odd about him.He smiled kindly at the kids and asked them what balloon they wanted.V
Corinne felt like her nerve had been struck when she heard what Francine said. She narrowed her eyes at the balloon seller again.The balloon seller was out of sight by then, but she could still see the balloons flying high above the mansion walls."Corinne, I gotta run. Bye," said Francine in a hurry.Corinne snapped out of her trance. "Are you going out on a date with Chester?" she asked with a smile.Francine turned bright red. She was too shy to admit it, so she stammered, "I… I'm just going out for dinner… Bye!"Francine sped away in her high heels.Corinne chuckled and turned to go back to the mansion with the kids.Suddenly, Christine grabbed her hand and asked cutely, "Mommy, is Aunt Francine going out on a date?"Corinne looked down at her and laughed. "Yes, your Aunt Francine is going out on a date. You'll probably have a new uncle soon.""I know who my new uncle is going to be! It's the man that had a picnic with us at the park that day, isn't it?""Yes, you adorab
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