Melody was being shaken by her collar, but she calmly replied, "Look at yourself. You're acting like a madwoman. Where did the well-bred Miss Wendy Sander go? No matter how much you push us, he'll only love me. That reality must be driving you even crazier."Melody hit the nail on the head with what mattered most to Wendy. Wendy felt it was unfair. Why would Lucas be attracted to Melody, who had nothing? What did he see in her? She had thought that kicking her out of the family would ruin her life and finally give her relief from years of resentment. She never imagined that Melody would meet Lucas and that Lucas would actually fall in love with her!"Don't tell me you think I'm jealous of you, do you? Why would I be jealous of you? Your own mom doesn't even love you! You're no different than an orphan since both your mom and dad don't love you! Do you really think Lucas loves you? He's only after your looks. Once he sees your battered face, he'll naturally run away from you. Do you t
Lucas did not believe Wendy was foolish enough not to have meticulously planned the whole thing before taking any action against Melody. She must have a specific purpose in mind by sending him those photos of Melody.[I don't want anything. I just want you to see what your beloved woman looks like right now. Do you still love her now that she looks like crap?]Lucas pondered over the question, unsure of what kind of response Wendy was expecting.Wendy sat beside Melody holding her phone. She even purposely propped her against the wall so she could see Lucas' response the moment they received it."Just wait. Let's see if this man really loves you more than he loves your face," said Wendy.She looked invested as if she were conducting a special experiment."What benefit do you gain from doing this? Don't I deserve my own happily ever after at all?" Melody asked lightly, occasionally taking a few breaths as if her wounds were very painful."Of course not!" answered Wendy without sk
"If I were you, I'd stay far away from Lucas. That crazy b*tch Thalia had no qualms about killing her sister, so what's to say she won't do it to you? Don't think that just because she's now distanced herself from Lucas and stopped being his friend, she's not scheming behind the scenes."Melody coughed a few times before asking, "Is she involved in my kidnapping as well? Did you and Thalia join forces to plot against me? That must be it. Otherwise, how could you come up with such meticulous planning all by yourself?"Wendy theatrically covered her mouth. "Oops, I guess you got me. But so what? It's not like there's anything you can do about it. Yes, I've joined forces with that ruthless woman. Even though we don't know each other that well, we do have a common enemy—you!"Melody, you've stolen my life and Thalia's man. There's no woman in this world more disgusting than you. We both want you to go to hell. I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget for crossing me!""You d
"Send him another message. He definitely wouldn't reply like this. He loves me, I'm sure of it! He wouldn't reply like that! Are you lying to me?" Melody frowned and glared at Wendy.Unable to tolerate getting such a look, Wendy slapped Melody, knocking her onto the bed."It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not; it doesn't change the fact that Lucas was the one who sent the message. That's how fragile his love for you is. It certainly didn't take much to ruin it. One look at your ugly, swollen face and he's gone! Oh, how I pity you. You know what? Seeing how heartbroken you are, I'll ask him again."Wendy sent another message to Lucas, [Your woman is in my hands now. I heard you're a sentimental man, Mister Lucas, so although her face is not as pretty as before, surely you wouldn't mind spending a few million to save her, right?]Lucas had been waiting for Wendy's message. As soon as he saw it, he picked up his phone and quickly composed a response. However, just as he was
"I've already apologized for anything that I might've done wrong to you. If it's money you want, I can give that to you too!""Didn't I tell you before? I don't care about those things. What I want most is to ruin your reputation. Your career will collapse just like mine did after I post these lewd photos and videos of you online. I want to know if your fans will still love you when they see you in such a disgraceful state. Will they still believe in you? They always say you're the most innocent one. I envy you. Now, I'm going to make them see how disgusting you truly are."Dougie interjected, "Miss Wendy, could you blur my face when you post it online? My image wouldn't fare well if it's out there. I have a wife and kids at home..."His words made Wendy feel even more disgusted. "You have a wife and kids? Why didn't you tell me in advance?""You didn't ask. Besides, so what if I have a wife and kids? That just means I have a lot of experience when it comes to 'doing it'. Haha."M
Dougie's eyes darted around, and indeed, Melody's offer was very tempting to him. He would undoubtedly nod without hesitation if he could gain endless wealth and glory by letting her go.However, as Wendy pointed out, how would Melody fulfill her promises to Dougie if Lucas did not love her anymore?"If you don't believe me, you can take a look at the message Lucas just sent to me," Wendy said with a smirk. "I had to wait quite a while for him to reply to me. Hahaha! See for yourself."There was only one message in Wendy's inbox. It seemed as if Lucas truly did not love Melody anymore. Without her pretty face, she was of no more value to him."Oh dear. I've always said these kinds of men are unreliable. You even went public for him without hesitation to your fans. It's really not worth it. Men from such backgrounds are all notorious for playing around!"Oh, you really made a mistake this time. Why not just find an ordinary man? Why would you ever think a rich, powerful, and handso
"Why can't you forgive me just once since I'm also a victim?" said Melody."Huh! You're no victim. It was clearly you who seduced Lucas until he couldn't see straight. It's all because of your looks that he fell for you. Well, now that your face is ruined, it's only natural for him to leave you! Do you really think that highly of yourself? I've said it before that you don't deserve real love. Moreover, these are your mistakes. What does it have to do with me? Why should I forgive you? You need to know just how horrible life is. It's all retribution coming for you."Melody's voice trembled as she spoke, "Can't you just let me go? Aren't you afraid you won't be able to hold your head up high in the future?"Wendy burst into laughter. "What a joke! Do you think I care about those things anymore? I've put so much effort into bringing you here today, and I've long prepared to perish with you. Let me tell you something, if I'm going down, then you're going down with me! Why? Because I hat
Dougie's expression froze for a moment before he explained, "Of course I've thought about it. I'm here today precisely because of them. Miss Wendy said that she'll pay me ten thousand dollars if I complete my task and give her the photos and video."He gestured with his fingers. "Do you know how long my family and I can live well with that amount? Of course you wouldn't. After all, big stars like you can just drop ten thousand dollars on a single piece of clothing. But it doesn't matter. Once I get this done, I'll get that money, and I believe my wife will be very happy when I bring back the money."Dougie reached for the rope on Melody's body, intending to pull her over. However, Melody—using all of her strength—kicked him hard in the stomach as he approached. Even so, the force of her kick was significantly diminished due to her being tied up."Hey, don't make this worse for yourself! I'm only being nice to you because you're my favorite actress. Did you really think I won't hit y
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