Beatrice gripped her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white."What on earth happened?"Cedric was also on edge. Judging by his wife's expression, he knew something was seriously wrong. To make matters worse, not knowing exactly what had happened left him even more uneasy."Let's go! We need to pack up and head to Central Hospital right now." Beatrice hastily packed up her things.Cedric followed behind, asking, "Why are we going to the hospital? Who had an accident?""It's Melody! She had an accident on set. Oh, my poor child!"Cedric immediately packed up his things when he heard that.The two of them quickly had the driver take them to the hospital where Melody was being treated. When they arrived at the emergency room entrance, they saw Shaun and the producer waiting for them."Why are all of you standing here like doormen?" Beatrice's anger was at its peak due to how worried she was for Melody.Shaun stepped forward to explain, "I'm very sorry. There was an accide
Shaun and the producer went to the hospital together with the ambulance, leaving the remaining crew members worried at the set."I know Miss Melody can't swim, but we've rehearsed the scene so many times, so she should be able to hold out for at least thirty seconds, right?"One of the safety personnel felt guilty, afraid that he would be blamed for the incident."I'm not sure, but there's something strange about the whole thing... Melody didn't immediately resurface after the thirty seconds was up. I thought it'd be fine for another one or two seconds since she would've surely called for help if she felt uncomfortable. That's why I didn't rush over at first."I didn't want to interrupt the filming, and then get lectured by Mister Shaun… But who'd have thought that something like this would happen."Tracy hid her chuckle.She was truly a genius. Only she was in the water with Melody at that time, thus she was sure that the rest of the crew members would not be able to find any ev
As Melody was taken away by an ambulance, onlookers who witnessed the scene posted about the incident, beating the paparazzi to it.[Guys, is this the film crew involved with the bullying allegations last time? When I was getting ready to go to work, I saw another person being taken away in an ambulance. Did something happen again?]A stone had stirred up a thousand ripples. With so many people witnessing the ambulance, it could not possibly be fake. Shaun's film crew was really experiencing one unfortunate event after another.Later, a gossip reporter with connections found out through various channels that the person taken to the hospital was Melody.[Something happened to Melody again? I knew it! I knew just by looking at her face that she isn't the type to bully others…]Regardless of the reason Melody was taken to the hospital, she managed to clear her name from the scandal involving bullying another actress in the same crew.[Is Shaun having a run of bad luck? Why does his
A heavy, oppressive shadow fell over Shaun."Have you forgotten what I told you before I left? Is this how you take care of Melody for me?" questioned Lucas from a position of superiority.Shaun lowered his head, feeling immense pressure. Indeed, Lucas instructed him to take good care of Melody with an emphasis on her safety before going abroad. Any issues that arose were to be dealt with upon Lucas' return.However, Shaun himself had not expected the string of incidents that occurred the moment Lucas boarded the plane. He found himself overwhelmed, wanting to protect Melody but unable to prevent these unexpected events."Mister Lucas, I apologize sincerely. But she did rehearse many times before shooting the underwater scene, and… She insisted on doing it…""You know she can be quite stubborn sometimes. She'll never use a stunt double if she thinks she can handle the scene herself. You should've ordered her to use a stunt double! Don't you know she can't swim?"Shaun fell silent
Melody fell into a deep sleep again after she was transferred to a regular ward. She looked pale, and she did not wake up for a long time.The elderly Beatrice and Cedric felt even more distressed seeing Melody lying peacefully in the hospital bed."Our dear granddaughter-in-law has suffered so much. How did she end up in such a situation? She has always been diligent in her acting career. Why does it look like everything is out to get here?"Beatrice genuinely cared for Melody and treated her like her own granddaughter. Witnessing the scene before was even more distressing for her, and she grew tearful.Cedric hugged her, patted her shoulder gently, and wiped away her tears. "There, there. There's no need to be so sad. We're getting older, and our bodies can't handle too much."Hearing that, Lucas also stood up to comfort Beatrice. "Grandma, you and Grandpa go home and rest. I'll stay here with Melody."Beatrice and Cedric could not stay in the hospital for long since the place
Melody was very skinny, but at least she was always vibrant and healthy. Every time Lucas called her name, she would respond crisply while leisurely going about her activities.At this moment, no matter how he called her, she would not open her eyes. His heart ached to see his once-vibrant wife lying there motionlessly on the hospital bed."Don't worry. I'll be here whenever you wake up," he said with a sigh.…Shaun and the producer returned to the film set, exhausted. When the two of them left the crew earlier, the set lost its central figure, and everyone felt at a loss. They eventually started tidying up under Tracy's persuasion."At least when Mister Shaun comes back, we won't be scrambling around because of these props, right?"The producer finally had a chance to smoke. He took a deep drag and loudly exclaimed, "Jordan, gather all the crew. We need to discuss something."Tracy suppressed her triumphant expression and walked over to Shaun and the producer anxiously.Shaun
Shaun nodded. "That's right. Not all of you are suspects, but due to the recent events, we have no choice but to treat everyone as such. I ask for everyone's cooperation with the investigation.""Why? That's not fair! Melody was the one who insisted on not using a stunt double even though she couldn't swim! Isn't that asking for trouble on her own? Why should we be treated as suspects for the consequences she chose for herself?"All the crew members were furious at Shaun's announcement. They were not in the best of moods either. They had been working hard all day, then their work was interrupted by the accident. To make matters worse, they were being treated as suspects!How could the high, mighty Shaun understand the terrible mood they were experiencing?Suddenly, Tracy stepped forward. "Let's all calm down. If you all don't mind, I'd like to share my thoughts."Despite standing at 1.65 meters tall, Tracy's delicate facial features and deliberately gentle expression made her seem
"What I want to say is that none of us should be responsible for Miss Melody's accident.""What are you saying?"Not only was Shaun shocked by her words, but even the producer dropped the cigarette from his hand."What?"Tracy did not think there was anything wrong with her logic. "Think about it. Who insisted on not using a stunt double? Didn't you, Mister Shaun, try to talk her into using a stunt double before the shoot? Didn't the safety personnel advise her as well? Miss Melody might say it's for the sake of the movie effect, but we all know she did it out of her own ego."Although it's heartbreaking that Miss Melody had such an accident, it was her choice to dedicate herself to art. None of us should be responsible for someone else's choices, right?"If Miss Melody had listened to Mister Shaun's advice in the first place, she'd still be here with us instead of lying in the hospital. Although using a stunt double wouldn't be as effective as her doing the scene herself, our cr
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