Corinne turned around and understood what Jeremy meant when she saw that he was looking in the direction that Gabriel's car left."Oh, he used to be my senior in my alma mater's law department. He's a very friendly guy, and it's all thanks to him that I got out of this mess.""Friendly?" Jeremy stubbed the half-smoked cigarette and stared at her with his bottomless eyes. "Your senior is well-known throughout the entire city as the most difficult lawyer to hire, yet he was willing to help his former university junior. He must have an exceedingly good relationship with you." He was clearly questioning her.Corinne did not want to explain to him because she did not want to reveal her identity, and she could not think of any reasonable explanation at that moment.If she said too much, she might accidentally let something slip, so she chose to remain silent.Then, Annie popped out of nowhere with a small bucket. She dipped a big sprig of sage leaves in the bucket of water and flung the
By contrast, Corinne lived her entire life with no one and nothing to rely on. For every hardship and problem she encountered, she would have to face everything and find every solution by herself. Though her confidence had been tempered by those experiences, she wondered if she would be grateful for the sufferings that made her stronger if she looked back.Her answer to that was a resounding no. Given the choice, not a single person on earth would want to go through suffering.Anya's soft and kind voice drifted into Corinne's ears. "I've already apologized to Corinne for the misunderstanding, Jeremy! It's because of Rosie's moment of confusion that she made such a mistake! She's not an inherently bad person though, and you should know that after being friends with her for so many years!"Could you help me persuade Corinne not to pursue the matter and just let it slide this one time? Please? The police said that Rosie won't be locked up if neither I nor Corinne pursue the matter any
Both Anya and Sunny had taken the car driven by the family's personal driver to the police station, but moments later, Sunny had no choice but to go back in the same car after Lucas asked him to go back home to study. Thus, Anya ended up going home in Lucas' car.After getting into Lucas' car, Anya immediately saw the amulet hanging off the rearview mirror. The amulet was consecrated by a spiritual master from the Empyrean Temple which was located on top of the mountain of its namesake, Mount Empyrean.There was a small photo of less than an inch of a little girl and her mother inlaid in the middle of the amulet. The little girl had the same cherry-red mole in between her eyebrows as Anya.Anya knew that Lucas never believed in things related to spirituality, but even so, he was still willing to ask for a safe blessing for the mother-and-daughter duo. How important the mother and daughter were to him was self-evident.However, the people in the photo were not of Anya and her mother
Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a little tired. He had always given in to Anya, and sometimes, he worried he was spoiling her too much.Anya turned her head to look out of the window, and even though she got what she wanted, there was still a disdainful expression on her face. She did not really care whether Lucas had her photo hanging in his car or whether he would think of her while driving; all she wanted was to win against Luna.Ever since Anya was young, everyone around her always told her that she was lucky to be born into the Rivera family. She was treated like a little princess and was loved by thousands.However, no one had any idea that no matter how much she was loved, she would never be able to win against that stupid stepsister of hers who had been missing for more than a decade.To commemorate Luna, her father spent huge sums of money to build Lunar Century Manor in the city center where every inch of the land was worth more than a bar of gold.Then the
"I was just guessing. You've been so nice to me recently and not to mention I'm your wife in name, so I knew for sure that you were going to help me out. Except for you, there's no one else in the world who'd help me find a new witness like that," explained Corinne in a flattering way.Jeremy glanced coldly at her. "Did you really know for sure that I was going to help you out for sure?""Of course! I've always known that," Corinne answered with a smile that did not reach her eyes.Jeremy scoffed softly. "So you didn't curse me in your heart when I didn't go back to the hospital to spend time with you last night?"Corinne did not know what to say for she did, in fact, cursed him.She heard from Annie yesterday that Jeremy did not come back at all after sending Anya off from the hospital. She guessed that the two old lovers must have gotten carried away by their conversations and did not think too much about it. However, she became upset when she thought that Jeremy was just like e
Jeremy suddenly put one hand on the dashboard and the other on the back of Corinne's chair. Then, he leaned over and kissed her without warning.He kissed her softly at first, so soft that it actually surprised Corinne, and then it was like the floodgate was opened, and his tongue began to frantically probe the inside of her mouth.Corinne was shocked, to say the least. She quickly pushed him away and only had time to take a big gulp of air before Jeremy kissed her hard again.She pushed him away. "Mister, you—mmph!"He kissed her even more fiercely this time."No, Mister. Get…off…me…"He held her head firmly in place to prevent her from resisting. He was going to savor this moment as much as he could.The aggressive and invasive kiss was more like a punishment to Corinne. She was starting to feel dizzy from the lack of oxygen; one second more and she would have suffocated there and then.Therefore, it was a good thing Jeremy finally let her go before the one second was up."Y
"Sc*mbag? Tell me, just how am I one?" Jeremy asked with a frown.Corinne was just about to answer his question when the phone in her pocket suddenly rang, causing her to lose her train of thought. She fished out the phone from her pocket and saw that the place where there should be a name was only a string of numbers.However, she had a near photographic memory when it came to remembering numbers and could tell with a glance that it was Anya who was calling."Here, Mister, you take the call. It's from your precious Anya." She handed the phone to him and looked out of the window to give him some privacy.Jeremy accepted the phone without looking at it and immediately rejected the call. "Corinne Carew, turn around and look at me," he said sternly.Corinne turned to look at him, her beautiful eyes filled with contempt. "And then what?"Jeremy looked deeply into her eyes and started to explain, "The reason I asked you to go to Lunar Century Manor that day was actually…"The phone r
"Shut up! I'm driving, so now's not the time to say anything that'll anger me. Just wait quietly and I'll explain everything to you later. Be a good girl and listen to me, okay?" said Jeremy in a stern but coaxing tone while keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead.Corinne frowned and obediently sank back into her seat. A multitude of feelings was roiling inside her as she silently stared out of the window at the passing scenery.…In the middle section of the Cross River Bridge, a black commercial sedan with double flashing lights was parked on the side of the road.Jeremy drove past the car and pulled over. Corinne had no intention to get out of the car, but he still reached over to help her unbuckle her seat belt."What are you waiting for? Get out of the car now!"She had no choice but to follow him out of the car.Anya greeted them as soon as the two of them got out of the car. She coughed weakly twice before saying, "Jeremy, you're here!"Jeremy nodded at her. He then
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