"She didn't do it," interjected Jeremy before Anya could finish her nonsensical sentence.Anya was saddened by this. "Jeremy, do you trust her that much? You've only known her for a month plus…""We're husband and wife. That should be reason enough for me to trust her," said Jeremy mindlessly, not getting what Anya was hinting at as all of his attention was focused on the situation inside Corinne's ward.'Husband and wife…' Those three little words caused Anya's face to stiffen, but she quickly put on an innocent smile. "You're right. There must be a misunderstanding. Corinne is a good person, after all."…Rosie and Sunny strode out of the elevator."Jeremy, we rushed here as soon as we heard!" exclaimed Rosie angrily. "Corinne has done it this time. How can she be so evil as to hire someone to assault Anya when she hasn't even done anything to her? Heck, Anya has only been back for a couple of days.""Watch what you're saying. We haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet," said J
After hearing the resignation in the police officer's voice, Rosie, having first-hand experience of Corinne's deviousness, started shouting angrily, "That d*mn woman isn't only evil but cunning as well!"The more she thought about it, the angrier she became."Rosie, you shouldn't jump to conclusions. What if it really wasn't her?"Rosie was stunned. She looked at Sunny incredulously. "Are you serious, Sunny?"She might not be brave enough to talk back to Jeremy, but she was definitely not afraid to do the same to Sunny."Sunny, this is Anya we're talking about! How can you side with an outsider and not your sister?"A troubled frown appeared on Sunny's face. "Rosie, you shouldn't make such baseless accusations about me. I'll always stand by my sister no matter what. It's just that…I don't think Corinne is the kind of person who'd do such a thing. Besides, have you forgotten the many times you've wronged her?"Rosie opened and closed her mouth like a fish gasping for air, having
Jeremy was not someone the police officers could afford to cross. At the same time, Lucas made it clear to them that they must not let Corinne off the hook easily. Facing pressure from both sides, they were at a loss for what to do at that moment."Who said there's not enough evidence?" Lucas' crisp clear voice came from the elevator."Lucas!" exclaimed Rosie happily. Her eyes immediately lit up at the sight of him.Lucas strolled over leisurely with a kind of self-assuredness that only the very wealthy like him and Jeremy could possess.A certain level of confidence fell over Anya's face when she saw Lucas walking over to them, but she chose to remain standing passively next to Jeremy. She did not want to leave his side if given a choice.Sunny was awed and nervous at the same time. He wanted to make a run for it but decided it would be worse if he got reprimanded for that."Lucas, good timing! The officers said Corinne would only confess to her crimes if there was circumstantia
Lucas nodded gracefully. "Then, might I trouble you officers to bring me in to confront the suspect Corinne Carew?"The police officers exchanged a look with each other before taking Lucas into Corinne's ward. Jeremy, too, calmly followed them in. However, the police officer standing guard by the door held up his hand and stopped him with a frown on his face."Sorry, Mister Jeremy. The case is still under investigation. As someone who's unrelated to the case, it's better if you wait outside.""How come he can go in, then?" asked Jeremy with a raise of his eyebrow.The police officer knew he meant Lucas when he was referring to 'he', so he tried to explain as nicely as he could. "He's related to the case. He's acting as a witness to circumstantial evidence and has the right to confront the suspect.""Who told you I have nothing to do with this case?" asked Jeremy, narrowing his eyes."Huh? Mister Jeremy, how are you related to this case…?" asked the police officer curiously."I w
'Ahh, all these people are driving me crazy!' thought the police officer standing guard by the door. 'All of them have valid reasons to go in. D*mnit, I shouldn't have let the others inside in the first place.'It would be hard to explain himself if he let the others in while keeping the rest of them out. In the end, the officer irritably waved his hand and said, "Fine, the two of you can go in, but keep quiet so you don't distract my colleagues from their work."Rosie immediately thanked the police officer and pulled Sunny into the ward with her.The police officer smacked his forehead in exhaustion. 'Good thing the formal interrogation process is over. It should be more casual this round, so there's nothing wrong with letting them in.'Since Lucas was Anya's older brother, making it inconclusive whether he would be a reliable witness, it was the officers' supervisor's intention to let him confront Corinne to see whether he would be of help to cracking the case. Should Lucas prove
Corinne looked at Lucas. "Looks like the 7.5 million dollars check wasn't well spent. Didn't you promise you'll leave me alone for a year once you get the money? A day hasn't even passed, and here you are."Lucas was already used to Corinne's unpredictability. His thin lips curled into a smile, and he cordially said, "Miss Corinne, now isn't the time to joke around. I wouldn't have come to bother you if the victim wasn't my own sister."Corinne took a leisurely sip of the straw. "Regarding that case, I've told the police officers everything. You're more than welcome to ask them for information about the case."Lucas stared coldly at her. "I've come here to confront you with the consent of the police officers."Corinne raised her eyebrow. "Confront me?"Jeremy was stationed beside Corinne's hospital bed, and at that moment, one of the police officers in the ward said to him, "Mister Jeremy, please step to the side. The new witness is now having a confrontation with the suspect. Pol
Lucas sat upright, crossed his fingers, and put them on the knee of his crossed legs. This was a signal that he was going to be serious from that moment onward. "Before answering that, may I ask you a few questions, Miss Corinne?" he asked at a leisurely pace."Of course.""Two nights ago, were you at the embankment around Yonde River?""I was." A nod from Corinne."And why were you there? Were you perhaps feeling down and wanted to get some fresh air?""What does my feeling have to do with the case?" Here, Corinne's eyebrows furrowed.Something flashed across Lucas' eyes. "Trust me, it does. Miss Corinne, please don't try to avoid the question, and just answer it as truthfully as you can."Corinne tried to recall her emotions from that night. It was so complicated, she did not know how to explain herself."I was feeling bored and wanted a change of pace, so I went there."Lucas smiled. "Anya returned from abroad two nights ago. Your husband, Jeremy Holden, specially prepared
Corinne did not panic at all as she did not believe a word Lucas said. Why would she, when she did nothing wrong? There was no way a camera could record something that never even happened in the first place."Alright, why don't you play the video, then?" she asked calmly.Lucas jerked up his chin once, gesturing to the secretary to turn on the television in the room. Then, he connected the mobile phone to the television screen so that everyone could watch the video.The video showed a female influencer standing on top of the embankment railing. A selfie stick was held high up in her hand, and it was obvious she was doing a live broadcast. The angle of the selfie stick happened to allow her phone camera to capture the street behind her, and Corinne could be seen in the right corner of the video.She was sitting alone on a bench, drinking Coke, and looking up at the sky. She was too far off to be able to tell what she was feeling. However, she did seem a little sad and lonely to be s
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