Pamela looked at Corinne kindly. "It's okay, my dear. I just wanted to see you if you're doing okay. You must be tired after taking the kids to the amusement park yesterday."Corinne shook her head. "No, they were quite well-behaved. Grandma, please come in and have a seat."Pamela peeked inside, her eyes resting on the three kids peacefully asleep on the bed.She shook her head and said, "It's okay, I don't wish to disturb them. Let them sleep a little longer. Corinne, there's actually something I'd like to ask you to do on my behalf."Corinne raised an eyebrow curiously. "What is it, Grandma?""It'll be Annie's wedding in a couple of days," replied Pamela sincerely. "They've sent us the invitation, but considering your grandpa's and my own health, it's not convenient for us to attend. Could you take the trouble and bring the wedding gift on our behalf? Annie has always been Jeremy's most cherished niece. I'm sorry to trouble you, but since he's not here…"'Oh, so that's what it
After the call ended, Annie pouted and shot Aaron a glare that could melt steel. She punched him softly."This is all your fault! Why did you have to tell Corinne all that nonsense?" she scolded.Aaron pulled her closer with a teasing grin. "What did I say to make you blush like this?"Annie rolled her eyes. "You purposely said things that would make Corinne get the wrong idea. How am I supposed to face her when noon comes around?"Aaron chuckled. "Come on, we're married now. Why are you so scared of people knowing we're sleeping together? Plus, she's not someone else!"Annie struggled in his arms, angrily fending off his attempts to hold her. "Anyway, I'm warning you: No more nonsense when we see Corinne at noon, got it?"Aaron playfully put on a show of surrender. "Yes, dear, you have my word. But before that, how about a little reward?"With that, Aaron gently lifted her up. Annie's heart skipped a beat, and before she could say anything, he kissed her lips.…After a busy
After thinking for a moment, Corinne assumed Sunny should be busy taking care of his father and not likely to tag along, so she said, "Let's invite Xante. We'll all help Annie pick out a wedding dress together."Aaron smiled. "Alright, I'll call her right now!"Annie was still hugging Corinne's arm like a child. "Corinne, honestly speaking, I... I'm a bit nervous."Corinne raised an eyebrow and teased her, "What's there to be nervous about? It's not like it's your first time getting married."Annie frowned and looked up at her. "Corinne! How can you bring up what happened last time? You should know very well how traumatized I was."Corinne chuckled and gently pinched her cheek. "That's right, so don't be nervous. This time can't be worse than the last! Aaron might just be an average guy, but he's still way better than the last one! Don't worry. With me around, he won't dare mess things up."Annie felt better after hearing that.However, the same could not be said for Aaron. He s
Sunny swaggered in and brazenly sat at the head of the table.Since they were all friends of the same generation having a meal together, no one really cared about designated seats or positions, so no one paid him any attention.After everyone had taken their seats, Corinne, Annie, and Xante began to order the food while Aaron was content with being the supporting role. He was sitting cross-legged quietly on the side, waiting for any instructions they might have for him.Even after everyone had ordered their food, Sunny remained unnoticed.Sunny could not help but get annoyed. "Hey! I haven't ordered anything yet. Why did you all give the waiter back the menu?"The three girls just glanced at him, then lowered their heads again. They were busy helping Annie choose a wedding dress from the tablet she brought.This irked Sunny immensely.Seeing this, Aaron reached out and patted him, urging him to calm down. He leaned in and whispered, "Mister Sunny, chill. Based on my understandin
Sunny became a bit more obedient after Xante glared at him. Instead of following her, he sullenly sat back down on the Japanese tatami, crossing his legs."Haha! Serve you right. Miss Xante never had any plans to marry you, yet you're thinking of taking her to see wedding dresses? No wonder she's ignoring you. It would be strange if she didn't!" taunted Annie.Sunny's face darkened, and he glared at Annie. "Don't think you're safe hiding behind my sister. Just because you're there doesn't mean I won't do something to you."Annie was indeed fearless and confident as she knew Corinne would always take her side and support her. She placed her hands on her hips and continued to taunt Sunny. "Is that so? Go on, I dare you to do something!""Why, you…" Sunny was fuming. The uncertainty of Xante's feelings already weighed on him, and Annie continued to aggravate the situation.'D*mn it! If she wasn't a girl, I'd have surely done something!' thought Sunny.Thus, unable to do anything, he
Corinne smirked. "If you care about your father so much, why are you here instead of the hospital looking after him?"Sunny crossed his arms. "Well, it's lunchtime, isn't it? Lucas is looking after him right now, so I came out to have lunch with Xante. By the way, Corinne, can you come with me to the hospital to visit Dad later?""No. He's your father, not mine," replied Corinne coldly.Sunny pouted. "Corinne, you should cut him so slack at his age. Can't you find some kindness in your heart to make him happy?"Corinne laughed. "I'd rather use my kindness on strays. Why should I care about a man who has never suffered a day in his life?"Sunny was speechless.After Annie finished chewing her food, she quickly interjected, "Don't even think about tricking Corinne to go to the hospital with you. Didn't you hear she's going to the bridal shop to pick out my wedding dress with me later?"Sunny gave her a side-eye. He could not be bothered to argue with her as he was worrying about w
Annie blushed and said, "What are you doing? Miss Xante and Corinne are looking at us. Let me go now. Behave yourself!"Aaron laughed. "It's okay. They're not outsiders. Have you picked out a wedding dress? Can I see you wearing it?"Annie tried to remove his hands from her. "Stop it right now…"Xante glanced sideways at Aaron. She was used to his antics. Thus, she turned to talk to Corinne.Aaron became even more shameless. "See. Xante knows not to be a third-wheel."Annie was beyond mad. "If I had known you were going to be like this, I wouldn't have let you come!"…Corinne ignored the young couple's lovey-dovey act. Instead, she discussed with Xante about recent happenings in Adam's company. After a while, her phone rang.She took out her phone and saw the call was from an unknown number. She would not typically answer a call from an unknown number, but at that moment, she was worried Jeremy had used someone else's number to call her. Thus, she answered the call.What she
Xante grew visibly alarmed. "Adam's younger daughter wants to see you? We must tread carefully, Boss. It's best if you don't go."As alarmed as she was about the whole thing, Corinne had a strong gut feeling that Melinda and Lilin were not the same as Adam and Sophia."Don't worry. I'll be careful," she said.Xante still wanted to advise her against going, but Sunny suddenly came over with a trailing wedding dress. "Xante! Put this one on. I think you'll look good in this. You can wear it for our wedding."Xante was flabbergasted.Corinne laughed, poked Xante, and said teasingly, "Go on. Give it a try since he took the trouble of choosing it for you."Xante adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses. "Boss, stop kidding around."Corinne spread out her hands. "I'm not kidding. Sunny's got a good eye. This wedding dress really suits you!"Xante said nothing. She simply blushed with embarrassment.Sunny became even bolder after Corinne praised him. "Did you hear that, Xante? Even Corinne s
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