Melody was livid. She was disgusted with what Wendy had said, but in the end, she still nodded at the men."Yes, I know. But rest assured I'll make good on my word. You have essentially fulfilled my two requests. I can transfer the full payment to you now, so just let her go."Wendy's ears perked up, and she asked defiantly, "Just wow much is she paying you that you'll turn on me like this? What a bunch of losers…"The blonde could not stand her anymore, so he slapped her."You can't even come up with a few hundred thousand dollars, yet you dare to mock Melody?"Wendy was frightened by the slap but managed to keep her emotions in check. She feared that she would try to escape if she did not."Melody's giving us three million dollars! She's not a miser like you! No wonder you couldn't become popular! I won't be surprised if you stay a D-list actress forever!""Huh! Who do you think you are?! What do you know? What right do you have to speak to me like that, you shameless piece of
"Alright, stop wasting time with her. It makes things easier for us since Melody said it's enough." BD tilted his head toward Melody. "Melody, have you figured out which card you want to use to pay us?"The moment had finally arrived, and Melody, pretending to be calm, had the blonde hand over her phone."I haven't used up my pay, but I forgot which card has money in it. I need to check first..."The blonde, upon hearing this, could not help but marvel in admiration. 'So this is what the life of a wealthy person is like! They have so much money that they couldn't even keep track of which of their cards have how much money inside!'"Don't worry, we still have time to swipe through them one by one. As long as we swipe enough to cover the remaining two million dollars, I guarantee you can walk out of this abandoned building unscathed today," BD said with a smile, but a hint of darkness lingered in his eyes. "However, we'll have to find another way if you can't come up with the two mil
BD and the rest of the men did not find anything suspicious about her."You fools! She doesn't have any money at all. I can't believe you guys fell for her lies! You should be stripping her now if you have any brains! You might be able to earn more if you take a few naked photos of her and sell them to gossip magazines," mocked Wendy.Melody remained unfazed. "Ignore her. Switch to the card ending in 84 and see if there's any balance in there."Melody appeared completely calm, and the blonde followed her instructions to try a different card.…Lucas arrived earlier than the police did."The helicopter landing noise is too loud. It'll attract the kidnappers' attention if we land near this abandoned building.""Mister Lucas, we're preparing to land now."They chose an open space a bit farther from the two buildings. Although it was nearly a mile away from the abandoned building, it was still the best option.Lucas grunted and lowered his ice-cold gaze. "I'm not sure how many kid
The blonde entered the password for the last card. Everyone held their breaths."Your password is incorrect."Melody appeared calm on the surface, but sweat was soaking through her clothes."Sorry, I must've remembered wrongly. I simply have too many cards. Try this password instead."The blonde still held onto hope, thinking that the card's password was entered incorrectly, not that there was no money. He might have found one million dollars quite substantial if Melody had not promised an additional two million dollars earlier.There was no way he would leave with just one million dollars when he could get three."Your bank card balance is insufficient. Please use another card for the transaction."As soon as these words appeared on the screen, the blonde lunged at Melody and slapped her.Wendy felt an immense satisfaction surge in her body and mind when that happened."Hahaha! I told you so! She doesn't have that much money, yet you didn't believe me! It's over! How does it
Lucas did not look like an ordinary person. He was tall with a commanding presence. Heck, he even dared to infiltrate the thugs' lair alone. In other words, he possessed a courage far beyond the ordinary."Yo, did you wander into the wrong place?" The guy with the buzzcut swung his knife, adopting a threatening stance against Lucas.They were all prepared for a fight, thinking that they could easily handle the intruder together.Lucas smiled coldly. "Get lost.""What did you say? You want us to get lost?" questioned the blonde angrily, but several fully armed police officers appeared from another direction!"Stay where you are! Drop your weapons, and put your hands on your head!"The thugs were used to bluffing. They had never encountered such a massive show of force before.The blonde instinctively followed the officers' commands. Frightened, the guy with the buzzcut tried to escape but was swiftly subdued by the incoming police officers. He ended up tightly bound on the ground
Melody's tears flowed ceaselessly, causing a slight stinging sensation on her swollen cheeks. Lucas reached for a tissue and gently wiped away the tears from her face."That's why I asked you not to run off on your own. You wouldn't have gotten yourself in danger if you had listened to my arrangement!" said Lucas.Melody, with tears in her eyes, met his gaze. She could not see his expression clearly, but she could sense that despite his harsh tone, he was deeply concerned for her."I... I just didn't want to trouble you." Melody's hand still clung to his clothes, unwilling to let go."How could you think it's trouble for me? You... Never mind. Now that you know how dangerous it is, I hope you can learn from this experience," said Lucas with a sigh.Melody nodded obediently.Lucas comforted her softly, "There, there. Everything's okay now. Fortunately, you managed to use the supplementary card I gave you, which alerted me that something was wrong."You've never used my card befor
A disgruntled expression appeared on her face as Wendy recalled the situation. "Those thugs have no sense of loyalty at all. They switch sides based on who pays more. Hmph! Well, now they won't even get a penny! Serves them right!"Wendy seemed oblivious to the fact that she was about to be arrested as a criminal. She continued to insult the thugs, not realizing the impending consequences."Explain what you mean by 'switching sides'?" pressed the police officer further."You see, those thugs were deceived by Melody. I told them that woman had no money, that she only knew how to deceive people, but they wouldn't believe me!" responded Wendy as if it were a joke.With just a few questions, they could discern the cunning nature within Wendy. In her eyes, Melody's suffering brought her satisfaction. That was why she was willing to hurt her, even if it meant there was a risk of her hurting herself."You have no idea about Melody's true nature. She acts all innocent, but she's more desp
"There's no one more ungrateful than Melody. Wendy has always treated her well when they were kids, and now she turns around and stabs her own family in the back?!"Ethan, unlike his earlier stance of staying out of Melody's affairs, stood up and headed to the room upon hearing Wendy was in trouble. He needed to change clothes to go bail out his precious daughter.Helen followed him silently. 'Couldn't that stubborn girl stay out of trouble? Why did she keep getting into so much trouble?'Helen frowned, feeling tired of all the trouble Melody brought into their lives. She had already been through a lot in this family, and Melody's repeated antics were just adding to her frustration.…When Melody opened her eyes, they were already near the police station."Are you up? We need to give a statement," said Lucas softly, reaching out to brush her hair from her forehead."Yeah, okay..." Melody's gaze shifted as she nodded. She knew she had to cooperate with the police investigation.
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