"I know what he did yesterday was wrong, but I still want to make it clear that he'd never harm me." Melody lowered her head with a clear look of distress on her face."Are you still uneasy about what happened yesterday? If you want, I can help you clarify things to him again," Nathan offered.Melody shook her head. "It's okay. I've already explained it to his grandparents.""His grandparents?" Beatrice and Cedric used to be a formidable couple in the business world when they were young. Nothing was capable of shaking them, and their names still echoed within the business world.It should come as no surprise that Melody felt so disheartened. Even if the old couple were willing to believe her, it did not seem to be the case with Lucas. He got angry as soon as he saw Nathan with Melody, and it seemed that he did not trust her much—if at all.Nathan glanced at the surroundings to ensure no one was eavesdropping and proceeded to ask her softly, "Tell me the truth, Melody. Is it genuin
"I'm just surprised that you'd have the time to come over. Aren't you super busy?" Melody maintained a meters' distance while conversing with Sherman."I just so happened to have a bit of free time, so I passed by a bubble tea shop and bought a few cups for you. This is your favorite, isn't it?" Sherman asked.Melody felt a little awkward and was unsure whether she should accept the gesture."It is, but you don't have to go through all that trouble," Melody answered.Sherman then remarked, "You're standing a little too far away that I can't hear what you're saying. Come a little closer so I can hear you."Melody approached him awkwardly, and their distance had reached to about a shoe's length away. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so far away, but..." She hesitated to mention that she wanted to avoid suspicion. The recent buzz about her and the actor had made her cautious not to add more fuel to the speculative fires.Sherman, being of a younger generation, was likely aware of that
Sherman thought to himself, 'Lucas must've gone to Molomia to reconnect with that girl from his past. He still cares for her even after all these years.' He sighed when he saw that even Lucas' wife, Melody, had no idea if Lucas went abroad for personal or professional matters."He's traveling to meet an old friend.""It's Thalia, isn't it? You know who she is, and you know the reason behind Lucas' journey too. Am I right?"Melody's voice was soft, as if devoid of strength. It was almost as if she could collapse if she spoke any louder."So you know about her too? I had my suspicions that Thalia played a role in his decision, but you don't need to worry about it. Their connection is rooted in friendship. If they had any feelings for each other, they would've acted on it long ago."However, the weight of Sherman's reassurances seemed insufficient to comfort Melody. The disappointment etched across her features was clear. She realized that there were women who could summon a man to t
"Okay. Since you care about it so much, I'll let you know how much later. You can transfer the amount to that number when you're ready," said Sherman.Melody felt her whole body relax after she heard that. "Okay! Thanks for dropping by."Sherman smiled, resisting the urge to run his fingers through her hair.Tracy's scenes were scheduled for that afternoon. Everyone thought that filming would be delayed due to her injury, but unexpectedly, she hobbled into the set on crutches.Shaun was somewhat surprised to see her. "Tracy, you should be resting at home? I thought we agreed to reschedule your scenes?"Tracy just smiled faintly. Her assistant, who was supporting her, wore a disapproving expression on her face."It's just a minor injury. There's no need to reschedule because of me. Plus, I wouldn't have come back to the set if I didn't feel better already," said Tracy with a smile.Even with bandages wrapped around her foot, she showed no signs of distress.Melody stood silently
Melody nodded. "Don't worry. Now that Stella has been detained by the police, she won't pose a threat to you anymore. It's more important that you take good care of your injured foot."Tracy smiled. "Thank you, Miss Melody, for your concern. I look forward to working together in the upcoming scenes."Melody was not the overly cautious type of person, and Tracy felt confident she could turn Melody into her 'good friend'. That would give her a way to establish a good relationship with Lucas, and it would be easy for her to get roles in future projects.The prospects of getting any script she desired seemed within reach.Melody still had not realized that the instant she lowered her head, Tracy had made up her mind to use Melody.Melody never thought of herself as anything special among the cast, but occasionally when Lucas came to pick her up after work, everyone else would lower their heads, afraid to look at them.It dawned on her that, for this group of people, Lucas was someone
Still, the heart wanted what it wanted. Athena could not remain indifferent to Dieter the moment when the flame of love ignited in her heart."Hailey, you're not me. You don't understand. I really like him... I haven't forgotten what we talked about, that we'd leave this small fishing village and explore the outside world. But he is also a part of the world I've come to know."Hailey, who had also put herself first, could not fathom what Athena, who was completely immersed in love, was thinking about."Ugh. It'd be better if you just straight up admit you've forgotten about our dreams. All for that nonsense love. You've already abandoned me, your best friend! Don't come crying to me when you're all miserable after getting dumped by him!" said Hailey angrily, and she walked away.In reality, Tracy could not walk away so easily. She inevitably stumbled in front of the camera. Her injured foot still had not fully healed, preventing her from putting full weight on it.Melody quickly s
"I… I know there have been rumors lately, saying that I'm becoming more popular than you, but these are things we as actresses can't control. There's no need to vent your frustration on me," Tracy said, wiping away a tear, looking quite pitiful.Coupled with her injury, many people were sympathetic to her flight."Oh, Miss Tracy. Please don't cry. Let me help you up first," Melody reached out to help her up, but Tracy pushed her hand away."Thank you, but I just want to make things clear with you, Miss Melody. So that you won't come to resent me or hate me…" Tracy said, trying to justify herself.Melody finally realized what was happening. 'This woman isn't as nice as she makes herself out to be! She's exactly like Stella!'Once again, due to her lack of vigilance, Melody found herself at the center of a storm.Melody quickly reacted, raising her defenses like a hedgehog. She took a couple of steps back, crossed her arms, and silently observed Tracy's performance."I don't resen
Melody rarely minced her words. Plus, she was already in a bad mood to begin with. Tracy kept on pushing her buttons, and Melody was at her wits' end.Out of consideration for everyone, Melody tolerated Tracy, only for the situation to worsen. It was not her fault, so why should she continue to give in?Shaun looked frustrated as well. He had advised Tracy not to push herself too hard, but she refused to listen to him."Alright, both of you, that's enough," said Shaun.Tracy looked aggrieved. "Mister Shaun, do you also think it's my fault like Melody does? I wouldn't have fallen to the ground if she hadn't let go. I'm healing, but it's worsened all over again. I got hurt two times because of her! Am I not even allowed to complain a little?"Tracy lowered her head and blinked a few times. Soon, tears started streaming down her face.Shaun became even more frustrated. What started as a small matter turned into a situation where Tracy made it seem like the entire cast and crew were
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