A clear, deep, and masculine voice seemingly rang out through the bar's loud beats and reached Corinne's ears.Corinne had just closed her eyes when she heard the person talking to her.The disturbance made her frown unhappily. When she opened her eyes, she saw a rather handsome man with a pleasant smile standing under the glow of the lights.Dressed in black trousers, a white shirt, and no tie, she wondered if he deliberately unbuttoned two of his shirt buttons just to expose a bit of his collarbone.There was a certain elegance in his uninhibitedness that culminated in a mesmerizing charm.Her silence led the man to smile a little more as he asked softly, "Are you alone?"Corinne replied lazily, "Nope."The man then responded with a graceful smile. "Do you mind if I sit here?"He might be handsome, but Corinne did not bother to show him any courtesy. "As a matter of fact, I do."The man froze for a moment as if shocked that a girl would reject him. Nevertheless, he quickly r
The second floor of Twilight hosted high-end sound-proofed private VIP rooms from the noisy bar downstairs. The two floors were practically worlds apart.Corinne's call to Annie went unanswered, and she did not know which room Annie was in.The bar's general manager saw Corinne and came forward respectfully. "Miss Corinne, are you looking for Mister Aaron?"Corinne shook her head and asked, "Did you see which room Annie Levine went to?"The manager said, "I did not. We haven't received anyone from the Levines today."Annie probably did not go through the normal registration process because she sneaked up to follow Jeremy.Corinne thought for a while and asked, "Which room is Jeremy in, then?"The manager answered truthfully, "He's in the Snow Room."The Snow Room was the largest and most luxurious VIP room in Twilight, reserved only for the most elite of guests.Just as she was about to go to the Snow Room to see if Annie was there, Sherlyn's rowdy voice came from behind. "I'm
Even though it was described as a private VIP room, the interior was more like that of an entire floor due to how spacious it was.The lights were dim, and there was a live band playing some music.Everyone was dressed to the nines, and they were all having a good time, with groups of three to five clinking glasses with each other as they chatted and laughed.Corinne glanced across the crowd in search of Annie's figure.All of a sudden, the pink-haired young woman came running toward her. "Hey there, Au—"Corinne stretched out a finger and pressed it on Annie's lips and stopped her from uttering the word 'aunt'. "Call me by name when you're outside!"Annie curled her lip. "Oh, okay! Corinne..."Corinne frowned slightly and examined Annie's body to see if there were any injuries. "What's wrong? Why'd you call me to come up and save you?"Annie hugged Corinne's arm anxiously, turned around, and pointed behind. "It's them! They bullied me!"Corinne glanced over and saw three well
The man smiled at Corinne and handed her a dice cup. "I wouldn't want you to accuse me of bullying you, so we'll play a game that's not too complicated. We'll just roll the dice, and the one with the highest score wins that round. If you win two rounds out of three, then you win the game. Sounds good?"Corinne nodded earnestly. "Okay. Thanks."Annie's eyes reddened with anxiety. "Corinne! It was my fault! You don't need to play with them! I'll drink as many bottles of beer as they want!" She then thought to herself, 'I can't let my aunt play against those three sleazebags! They'll bully her if she loses! I don't want that to happen..."Corinne patted Annie's restless hand. "Shh! Be quiet, will you? It's going to be fine."'What do you mean it's going to be fine!' Annie wanted to call her uncle over for help, but her cell phone had been snatched by one of the men earlier!Though the contest had not yet begun, they were already surrounded by a crowd of men who came in to watch the e
Annie seemed to be in a dilemma and uttered, "But..."Corinne stared at her and immediately caught on. "There's some important stuff in your phone, isn't there?"Annie nodded embarrassedly.Corinne massaged the top of her nose bridge and turned to look at the man. "What other game do you want to play?"The man looked at Corinne's confident expression. "Winning or losing doesn't matter this time. We'll spin this wheel of fortune. I'll return her phone in exchange for you playing this game once!"Corinne looked down at the device on the table and felt that it was a particularly pointless game."Fine. I'll do it."The man smirked. "The rule is that you have to press the button with your eyes closed. Whatever option you land on will be my 'punishment', and whatever option I land on will be your 'punishment'!"Corinne frowned and objected to it a little. "Why is it that we're choosing punishment for each other instead of for ourselves?"The man shook his head. "Because otherwise, i
Corinne had to pass by Jeremy to reach that man. Though she did not look at Jeremy, she could still feel his gaze.She walked over without paying attention to him, but someone stuck out his foot from nowhere and tripped her!In that split second, Corinne lost her footing and fell on Jeremy's muscular chest.The rowdy onlookers fell silent for an instant, and the atmosphere turned deathly quiet.Zeke wanted to stir things up a little, so he blew a whistle that broke the silence.Everyone started to whisper to each other."Bold of her to choose Mister Jeremy!""Isn't she aware of who he is? How dare she touch him!""She seems to have done it on purpose!""Isn't it obvious? Which woman in New Capital City wouldn't want to get close to Mister Jeremy?""I bet Mister Jeremy will shove her away. He's not the kind who'll let any random woman cop a feel of him."When Corinne looked up, her black eyelashes fluttered, and she had a helpless look of embarrassment in her eyes. "Mister...
The man forgot all about it until Annie brought that up again, and he immediately called his companion to come over and return the phone to her.After taking back her phone, Annie glared at them unhappily. "Told you that Jeremy is my uncle. Do you believe me now?""Yes, yes we do! Sorry for being so ignorant! It was our mistake!""We swear, we didn't know she was your niece, Mister Jeremy!""I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"No one would have thought that the pink-haired woman who snuck in was Jeremy's niece. They suspected her to be some random girl who was trying to get close to Jeremy.They were lucky not to have anything disastrous happen to them after their antics!The three playboys gathered in front of Annie and bowed deeply to her and Corinne to apologize. "We're sorry! Can we please implore your good grace not to hold a grudge against us?"Annie rolled her eyes at them, pointed at the door of the Snow Room, and said, "Scram. Don't ever let me see you again."The three men
Jeremy said without the slightest change in expression, "It wasn't necessary at first, but I can't let any man get close to my wife during the duration of our marriage. Walking past me to kiss another man is something that must never happen again."Corinne rolled her eyes, turned her head to look at the street view outside the car window, and snorted sarcastically. "That's rich coming from someone who didn't even lead by example. Didn't you go on a date with another woman in public?"Jeremy narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you jealous?"Corinne was baffled by that remark, and her lips began to twitch. "Me? Jealous? We're not even a real couple. I'm only angry because you kissed me so forcefully without warning and even made me suffocate!"Jeremy cocked his eyebrow slightly. "If I remember correctly, you didn't give me a warning either when you kissed me the other day."Corinne was at a loss for words and her brows had furrowed into a deep frown. "Ahem! How is that the same? Mine was
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