Only a fool would cut off his escape route.Roland immediately nodded. "Alright! You want to buy me off, huh? Then my price is fifteen million dollars in cash! Also, get me a sports car, and arrange for me to leave the country immediately."Monica rolled her eyes internally. 'This guy is the epitome of greed! Fifteen million in cash? Can he even carry that much? Huh! Tell me you're poor without telling me you're poor.'"I'll give you a maximum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars in cash. The rest will be transferred to your account. Otherwise, with so much cash, you won't be able to take it with you," countered Lucas.After thinking about it, Roland found Lucas' reasoning making sense, so he nodded."Fine. Now both of you slowly come towards me. I need to ensure I can leave this place!"As both sides were slowly exchanging positions, they could not have anticipated that Shaun and the producer would suddenly appear at that moment."Roland? How could it be you?"Both of them we
"It's not too late to turn back now. Your mother is still waiting for you to go back home," Shaun continued to persuade.However, Roland's mind was fixed on the cash Lucas promised him and the escape route he had arranged. He had no intention of turning back."Save it. There's no turning back for me now. Maybe I'll be a better person in the next life."He then charged toward Shaun and the others with the knife held high.Lucas quickly ran toward him, and before Roland could react, he had already forced him to step back repeatedly.In the process, Roland unintentionally loosened his grip on Penny's hand."You—"Monica quickly ran over to catch Penny, while Shaun and the producer wasted no time rushing over to help Lucas.Roland thought that Lucas was all bite and no bark, but before he could throw a punch, Lucas had already attacked his side. After a few punches, Roland was forced to retreat repeatedly, leaving him with no room for counterattacks."Ugh—"Infuriated and ashamed
"I'll try to do it as quietly as possible."Since it was for a medical examination, Lucas had no objections. With a frown, he brought Patty to Melody's bedside just as she was rubbing her eyes awake."Oh, you're awake, Miss Melody. Just as well. I happen to need to draw your blood. Both you and your husband can go back to sleep after that."Melody nodded embarrassedly and dared not make eye contact with Lucas, who was standing by her bed. She had been secretly gazing at his sleeping face for more than half an hour.Lucas stared intently at Patty's hand as she drew blood from Melody. The moment Melody's brow furrowed, he could not help but say, "Can't you be more gentle?"Melody was a little taken aback. She exchanged a glance with Patty. The truth was, Patty was already being gentle. It was just that there would inevitably be some discomfort when the needle entered the vein.Seeing Lucas looking worried and his face darkening, Melody had to explain, "I'm fine. It's not that painf
Shaun sighed as he sat across from Roland, who was being watched by others. "At this point, do you regret it?"Roland chuckled bitterly. He then lowered his head and grabbed his hair, unwilling to meet Shaun's gaze. "What's the point of talking about regrets now? Whether I regret it or not, it doesn't change anything."His indifference infuriated the producer, who stood up abruptly. "So this is how your attitude is going to be? Do you still think you're being noble by sacrificing for love?"Roland raised his head despondently; his eyes were bloodshot."We've already come to this point, what else can I do? Tell me!"Lucas did not care about the relationships between these people. He was getting really impatient with their talks."Who's the mastermind? Perhaps your charges could be lightened if you tell us."His icy voice almost made Roland shiver."I advise you not to play tricks with me. Even if you don't say it, I have plenty of ways to find out about the woman you're trying t
Only a rope could make Melody have such illusions.They searched everywhere, turned everything upside down, but found nothing.This made Shaun unable to resist asking Roland, "Did you help her dispose of the murder weapon?"The despondent Roland felt lifted. He glanced at the dressing room where he and Tracy had briefly stayed and chuckled foolishly."You guys are overestimating me. Handling a murder weapon is such a critical matter. How could she possibly trust me with it?"Tracy was the extremely cautious type who only trusted herself.Just when they were thinking what they could do next, Tracy unexpectedly appeared at the door of the room wearing a coat.Her eyes visibly lit up when she saw Lucas. However, her smile faded when she saw everyone else looking at her with an unfriendly expression."What's going on, Mister Shaun? It's not appropriate to show up with a bunch of people in a young actress's dressing room so late at night, is it?"Tracy appeared quite intimidating w
"Shut up!" shouted Lucas, startling Tracy, who nearly dropped something from her pocket."Who do you think you are? You're not even worthy to mention her name," Lucas continued.Lucas's words hit Tracy right where it hurt the most. She believed she had the looks and acting skills, and Melody was only luckier.Tracy could not fathom why she would be considered less deserving. In her opinion, she was more deserving to have millions of fans than Melody."How am I unworthy? What else can Melody do apart from creating scandals every now and then? She's the one truly unworthy!"Tracy clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.Lucas discreetly glanced at her pocket, which seemed to be bulging suspiciously. What they were looking for might be in her pocket."How dare someone like you speak about Melody like that?""What do you mean by someone like me? How am I unworthy? You understand nothing. If it weren't for your family backing her up, who in this industry would even bother with her!
Tracy never expected to be caught on such a calm evening when everything seemed perfect. Everything was going smoothly, and she even managed to deal with Roland, only to find herself bound alongside him.Even then, she still had not fully grasped the situation."Huh! Bet you never thought you would've gotten caught, huh?" mocked Roland.Tracy turned to glare at him resentfully. "Was it you? Did you tell them what I did? You despicable man!"It was only then that she noticed Roland was in the dressing room as well. After all, she had been trying to seduce Lucas, completely overlooking the existence of the painfully ordinary Roland.Roland especially noticed the shy expression on Tracy's face as she looked at Lucas. That was the way a woman should appear in front of someone she was attracted to.Unfortunately, Roland had never seen this side of her. She would have completely overlooked his presence if he had not spoken up. It was a painful realization for him.His unrequited love,
Eventually, Roland was nothing more than a convenient tool for Tracy.Lucas packed them up and sent them to the police station. The police officers who had dealt with them before were shocked. How could a film crew repeatedly encounter such incidents?This time, they even attempted to take someone's life.Listening to Tracy's motives and methods was enough to send shivers down one's spine. It was hard to imagine she could be so ruthless toward fellow actresses all for her selfish desires.Even in front of the police officers, she showed no remorse.Seeing her attitude, the officer in charge of the interrogation knew this would be a tough battle. On the other hand, Roland—who seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown—seemed easier to handle.Lucas sat outside, waiting for the outcome. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He might have never been at ease regarding Melody's safety if they had not captured Tracy."Miss Tracy, why did you suddenly go to your dressing roo
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