Rita had interjected to stop Vince from saying any more nonsense. She admired Sherman, but admiring someone of the opposite gender did not mean it should always lead to romantic feelings or marriage. The older generations tended to talk about the kind of things that always left a sour taste in her mouth. Furthermore, Sherman could see through their family's scheming behavior, and Vince's attempt to set them up would only reflect poorly on the family.Sherman maintained his characteristic faint smile throughout the conversation, yet his decision to never cooperate with the Russells again became more resolute. Vince's machinations were utterly excessive, and Sherman would have left long ago if he had not gained a better second impression of Rita as a person.The entire situation felt unbearably tedious.Once Rita managed to persuade her father to depart. She apologized to Sherman, "I'm sorry about that. By the way, didn't you mention having matters to attend to at the company? You can
A missing bangle should not be that big of a deal for the Russell family. Vince felt that Karen had lost her mind to publicly bring up the subject on such an occasion. Vince mustered a smile and said, "That won't be necessary, Gina. It's merely a bangle. There's no need for everyone to get so worked up about it."In any case, our banquet today has come to an end. It's getting late, and we really appreciate your presence with us today. We wish you all a safe journey home."He wanted nothing more than to expedite the departure of the onlookers. Otherwise, the Russells' reputation would be marred by the incident in social circles the following day.Unexpectedly, Karen burst into tears and turned to Gina. "So, you do understand how important it is to me! That bangle was a memento left by my late mother-in-law. I wouldn't have made such a big fuss if it was any old bangle. I understand that everyone here has no reason to take it, so I know it must've been misplaced somewhere. Since you'r
Tears streamed down Karen's face as she glanced at Rita. Her voice trembled with emotion as she asked, "Why would you do this, Rita? This bangle might not hold much value to you, but it's the last memento I have of my mother. I'm sorry if I have done anything wrong to you in the past, but this bangle is precious to me. You can't use that to play one of your jokes on me. Please give it back."Before Rita could firmly grasp what was happening, her grip tightened around the champagne flute. She offered a shocked smile. "What are you talking about? What bangle are you referring to? I didn't see any bangle."Sadie added fuel to the fire. "Did you do it because I offended you? If I have, then I apologize too. This bangle is very important to my mother. Return it right now. We're family, and we should resolve any differences between us through discussion, not this sick practical joke."Had it not been for the presence of so many guests, Rita would have erupted in anger. Sadie's statements
The person did not expect Gina to support Rita in such a manner and declined to take up that challenge. After all, the stock market was unpredictable, and no one could share the same level of confidence as Gina when it came to that."We've known each other for so many years, Vince. Let's leave today's events as it is. Rita would never stoop to such a level, and you should at least try to trust your daughter a little more," Gina implored.Vince knew that it was a gentle reminder from one of his first wife's closest friends. Gina only said that because she acknowledged that her best friend once loved that man.However, Karen was crying incessantly, leading Vince to wonder if the bangle truly held that much sentimental value from her late mother-in-law.Vince looked at Rita hesitantly. "Be honest, Rita. Did you do it? I promise I'll trust whatever you say."Rita stared at her father in disbelief. He said he would believe her, yet his act of posing such a question in public had amount
Sadie pretended to be magnanimous and considerate, which only disgusted Rita further."I'm only going to say it once: I didn't do it. Even if you and your mother want to falsely accuse me, I didn't do it. I don't know how you managed to retrieve this surveillance footage, but Dad, I'm telling you, I didn't do it. If you want to suspect your own daughter, then I guess nothing I say can ever change your mind," said Rita.She looked squarely at Vince, giving her father one last chance.Since Rita had said so, Vince had no choice but to brush the matter aside quickly. After all, there were so many people watching their family's drama."Alright, maybe you accidentally misplaced the bangle somewhere? Maybe it got knocked under the table accidentally? Quickly have the servants search for it. Everyone, there's no need to stay here. This is just a joke between my wife and daughter. Goodbye, now."He could not wait to send the guests away. After all, if they lingered any longer, who knew ho
All the guests were all somewhat surprised. They had not expected Rita to smile and carry on with such ease and humor after experiencing such a situation. They could not help but feel that she truly lived up to the status of being a well-bred young lady of the Russells.In contrast, Sadie was fuming in the background. 'Who does Rita think she is to steal the spotlight like this? What a shameless, despicable person! She had been accused of stealing Mom's bangle, yet she could still smile. This chick's mental resilience is remarkable.'"Rita, are you trying to get away by changing the topic? You haven't given Mom an explanation yet," said Sadie.It was no wonder the others thought Sadie was a less well-bred version of Rita.The guests could not help but wonder if they needed to stick around and wait for them to resolve the matter. Even if Rita did break Karen's bangle, so what? What did it have to do with them?They had shown enough face to the Russells by staying this long. Rita ha
"Camille, how can you say that? She has a good mother who's ambitious. Even if Sadie wasn't born a Russell, she can still rise in the world."The guests were quite audacious. After all, they were all from more powerful families than the Russells.Rita had not expected things to escalate to this extent.Camille fell silent."Alright, how long do we have to keep up this farce? Please, go home, all of you," said Rita.Vince remained silent with a grim expression while Rita attended to the remaining guests. Karen, on the other hand, was too ashamed to lift her head. Even her carefully prepared tears had dried on her face.Having shared a bed with Vince for so many years, she knew that the thing he cared about the most in the world was his reputation.When Vince first moved Karen and Sadie, he was still in his honeymoon phase, unable to think clearly. However, after years had passed, he finally came to his senses. He knew that many people in his circle sarcastically called him a 'sav
"Huh? Did I raise you just so you could talk back to me like this? And don't get me started on your job! It's not even a proper job! You're just exchanging five or six hours a day for a monthly salary of four hundred dollars! What's the point of that?"And what's even worse is the whole world now knows I let my daughter go work as an errand girl! Do you know what my friend Neal said to me the last time we had coffee? He said that no matter how busy I am with my career, I should take good care of my daughter. I shouldn't let you run around and do this kind of work. I didn't know how to respond to him. Should I have said that my daughter was eager to experience hardships?"Rita knew where her father stood in society. He would not be particularly understanding of the work of grassroots journalists like her, but she never imagined that her father would think of her like this."I'm doing the work of a journalist; it's a legitimate job. If you have nothing good to say about it, you can ju
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