Corinne quickly readied herself as the purple-haired girl tried to attack them again. Her instincts kicked in, and she spread her arms to protect the blind elderly man behind her and was prepared to kick the girl again.All of a sudden, a group of men dressed in black appeared, surrounding Corinne and the blind elderly man. Two of the men quickly captured the crazy girl.Startled, the purple-haired influencer struggled while shouting at the top of her lungs, "Who are you people? Why are you capturing me?! Let me go!"The leader of the men shot the girl a cold glare before he turned to head toward his men. Respectfully, he bowed to the blind elderly man and said worriedly, "Sir, we finally found you. Are you alright? Why did you come out alone? The young master sent us out looking for you. He's worried sick."The blind elderly man snorted. "He has me locked up in the house every day. I just want to take a walk outside."The man felt helpless. "He's doing it for your good, especiall
The man looked up at Corinne, who stood beside his grandfather.She had a calm and indifferent expression on her face, a huge contrast when one compared her expression with the shocked expressions on the onlookers' faces. It seemed like she was in her own world.As a matter of fact, she did not look remotely shocked when she saw the man's outstanding appearance.Truth be told, Corinne thought of leaving when she knew the elderly man's family arrived, but she could not find a way out due to the men in black still surrounding them.The man nodded politely at Corinne. "Hello."Corinne nodded back. "Hello."She was no exception from the other girls when it came to judging a man's appearance. It was normal that she, too, thought the man in front of him looked very handsome, but at the same time, he looked dangerous.She had a feeling that despite his smile, the man was not genuinely happy or of any sort. In contrast to his handsome and friendly face, she felt like the man could turn
Just as Aaron's car drove off, another black car arrived and parked where Aaron did.Sunny got off in a hurry and quickly ran toward the handsome man in a grayish formal suit. "Lucas, is everything alright?" he asked tentatively. "Did you find Grandpa?"As it turned out, the man was Sunny's brother, Lucas.The man had just coaxed his grandfather into the car to go home. He glanced at Sunny when he heard his disappointing brother panting. He did not answer his question and instead asked, "Where did you come from?"Sunny would typically act haughtily like other rich kids, but he was a different person when he was with Lucas. He was well-behaved and lowered his head as if the mice had seen a cat."Lucas, I…came from Century Lunar Manor…"Lucas' expression hardened. "The term is starting soon, and you still have the time to play around? You're repeating for the third time this time. Are you refusing to let other people take away your 'school hunk' title?"Sunny was embarrassed and f
Sky Mirror Residence was situated near Yonder River. There was only one unit per floor, and it was one of the most expensive places to stay in the city center.On the 28th floor…Upon entering the unit, Corinne plopped onto the couch as if she was a jellyfish. She was so tired that she wanted to stay there and not move.At that moment, a fluffy cream-colored—a paste color of yellow—cat jumped up at her. It nuzzled Corinne with its head, demanding cuddles.That was when Corinne was willing to sit up and cuddle the cat.The cat's name was Mia. Aaron took it in and raised it when he found it in the countryside. The cat was already eight years old.Mia was a plump cat, and at first glance, people might think Mia had been living the high life since it was a kitten. As a matter of fact, Mia was there when all Corinne, Xante, and Aaron had were leftover meals. It stayed in a humid, tiny basement with them before.Many years later, Mia finally got to live in such a comfortable place and
It appeared that Corinne was not in her best state.Aaron realized he had misspoken and had irked Corinne, so he quickly went over and apologized. "Boss, I'm sorry. I won't do it again…"Actually, Corinne was just a little frustrated and did not mean to lash out at Aaron. Inevitably, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, that's enough. Stop acting cute. Have you tracked down any of Nellie's paintings in the market recently?"Aaron got serious and replied, "No. Most of the paintings in the market are by artists from foreign countries. I haven't seen any paintings from local artists recently."Corinne narrowed her eyes and looked solemn. "Alright. Continue to monitor the market for me.""Yes, ma'am!"Ever since she knew she was not Marvin's biological daughter, she was more eager to find more clues about her mother.She wanted to know who she was.Who was her father? Why did he leave her and her mother?Why did her mother leave her in the hospital and never came back for her? Why did her
Xante hurried over to take the glass of milk from Corinne and placed it back on the coffee table. She then drew out a piece of tissue and passed it to her before she helped soothe her back.After a while, Corinne finally stopped coughing. "Xante, you're right. I'm in a bad mood today."Xante nodded and asked, "Okay. Why?"When this topic was brought up, it seemed like fire was burning in Corinne's eyes."Because Jeremy was ridiculous. I was having a good day, and he suddenly had me witness them seeing each other again after a long time. Regardless of what really went on, I'm still his legally married wife. That was very disrespectful."Xante's lips stretched into a thin line. "That…really is too much."Corinne frowned unhappily. "I know he wants me to know his beloved woman is back, or maybe he's thinking of reminding me to watch myself and avoid causing the apple of his eye any misunderstanding, but he could've used actual words to do that. It was totally unnecessary to let me l
Xante shrugged nonchalantly. Her obsession was not important, and she did not want Corinne to worry about her.She continued with the previous topic. "Oh! Aaron is good-looking too. He's nearly 6 feet, has broad shoulders, and a thin waist with eight-pack abs. Do you think he's sexy?"Corinne was dumbstruck.Of course not!Aaron was a charming guy that could mesmerize many girls, but to her, he was the same guy he was when he was a kid. A silly guy.Xante continued to massage Corinne's shoulders. "That's the difference. You don't think every handsome man is sexy unless you have feelings for him."'What is Xante saying? Is she saying I have feelings for Jeremy?' Corinne thought.She furrowed her eyebrows in disgust. "That's because Aaron is too feminine, and he's not my cup of tea!"Xante nodded. "Yeah, you're right. He's not my cup of tea either!"Just then, the door opened.Aaron walked in leisurely. "Did you two make me go out to buy supper just so you can talk smack about
Anya was slightly shorter than Corinne. Her skin looked so fair that it looked like she was sick or suffered from malnutrition. She had shaped her eyebrows exquisitely to accentuate her gentleness. There was a rouge mole between her brows, too.She had a beautiful pair of slightly droopy eyes, making her look like a carefree fawn innocent to the dangers of the world.She was very pretty but not the aggressive, invasive type of beauty. On the contrary, people would automatically think of protecting her.However, she was wearing a nightgown and opened the door barefooted… It seemed like she must have spent the night here yesterday.As Corinne was aware of that, she curled her lips ironically.Luckily, she was smart enough to stay outside last night, or it would have been embarrassing. That being said, how shameful can Jeremy be? Could he at least be kind enough to stay outside with his old love?Did he not know he was already married?Even though their marriage was built upon a mu
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