Corinne chuckled. "Nope, I don't get it at all. If I leave and you go back to Mister Jeremy, then aren't you afraid that he'll lose interest in you too once he gets tired of playing with you?"When they reached that point in the conversation, Anya's expression became proud along with a little touch of condescending sympathy. "That's where I'm different from you, Corinne."Corinne. "Oh? What's the difference then?""My family background is on the same level as Jeremy's. My parents love me, and they protect me. Whatever happens, both my brothers will be my support and my shield. You don't have people like that in your family, do you?"The smile on Corinne's face sank instantly and she suddenly realized something. "So it was you who went to the Carews and told them that I married Jeremy."Anya answered without sidestepping the question. "Bingo! It was me!"Corinne remained calm as she asked, "Did you think you can chase me away from Mister Jeremy by goading the Carews into causing t
Anya let go of her blouse and straightened her clothes out before raising her head slowly and looking at Corinne with a sympathetic yet goading gaze. "Jeremy never told you that we have a child, did he? Can you still tell me with confidence that you'll trust him unconditionally?"Corinne narrowed her eyes slightly. "How old were you when you got pregnant? Where's the child now?"When she saw Corinne asking for more details, Anya surmised that she must have struck a nerve with that remark. She therefore smiled and said, "I thought you said that you trusted Jeremy a lot? Why don't you ask him for the details? But then again, I don't think Jeremy will admit to it or tell you the truth even if you ask him."Corinne seemed to have become exceptionally curious, and she raised her eyebrows while saying, "Okay then, I'll take your statement at face value. If you had a child with him and you're both in love with each other, then why don't the two of you just get married? As far as I know, Je
Corinne looked at Anya in confoundment as the latter lay on the ground and put on a dramatic act.At that moment, Lucas—the figure who had just walked out of the villa—rushed over and pushed Corinne away from Anya. She asked coldly, "Go away! What are you trying to do to Anya?"Then, without waiting for Corinne to offer an explanation, he bent down in distress and helped Anya up from the ground. "Are you okay?"A man's strength would always be greater than that of a girl, so regardless of how stable Corinne's center of gravity was, she nearly fell over after being pushed by Lucas. She staggered a step back and tried to stand firm again, but she unfortunately slipped on the cobblestone path that was made for the villa and failed to steady herself as she fell into the small fish pond next to her.The water in the fish pond was not that deep, but because the villa was facing the mountain and thus had low night temperatures, anyone who fell into the water suddenly would be able to feel
Everyone inside the villa living room was chatting enthusiastically with each other, but as soon as Corinne walked in, they all turned to her and stared at her with curious glances."Who is she? Why did she come in like this?""Is she trying to seduce someone with that wet, see-through look?""How the hell is she supposed to do that when she's wearing denim shorts?""Don't you think she's super pretty though?""Who came with her? Why didn't I see her around earlier?"They speculated on her identity while staring at her and evaluating her appearance.Corinne did not care one bit about their gazes when she came in, and her main purpose there was to look for Zeke—the villa's owner—so she could ask him whether or not he could spare her a set of clean clothes.However, Zeke had never returned after his supposed 'bathroom break', and he was nowhere to be seen on the first floor of the villa. 'Isn't he the birthday boy? Where did he go?'As Corinne was looking around, Jason—who was b
The women who were talking about her were mainly female companions whom the guys brought along, and they included popular entertainers, certified internet celebrities, and certain prominent daughters of smaller families.Jason did not like hearing those comments. With a frown, he glanced unhappily at those talkative people and then said softly to the girl opposite him, "There are a lot of people here, so why don't you go upstairs with me? I'll get you a towel so you can dry your hair.""Sure, thanks."Corinne accepted his suggestion because she did not want to stand there and be subject to all those nasty remarks. Before long, she went upstairs with him....As they walked slowly up the stairs, Jason glanced at Corinne from the side and as she was following him, and those enchanting eyes that were often so charming seemed to be in deep thought. "Where's Jeremy? Why did you come in all by yourself?"Corinne's expression was very calm and she replied drily, "He's outside, probably
"Thank you."Corinne had always been quite casual about it, so she did not mind sharing the towel. After accepting the towel, she wiped away the water on her face before drying her hair.Jason smiled at her. He was the perfect gentleman, albeit the previous instances where he would constantly tease her with ill humor. He knew not to cross the line."Corinne, you can rest here for a while. I'll ask my secretary, Angie, to bring some clothes to you later.""Okay. Thanks again, Kind Sir!"Corinne did not have any intention to keep him in there. She was a married woman after all, so it would not be good if she was seen with another man in a room. She had to keep her distance at all costs.Jason smiled helplessly when he heard Corinne referring to him as 'Kind Sir'."Corinne, if you really want to thank me, you should call me by my name instead of giving me a nickname."Corinne raised an eyebrow nonchalantly. "Why? You don't like being called a kind sir? I, for one, think it's the p
That hand was not Jason's.Angie was shocked. She looked up and saw Jeremy's cold face looking down at her. His sudden oppressive appearance caused her to instinctively back away."M-Mister Jeremy!"Jeremy calmly opened the shopping bag and looked at the clothes inside. They were indeed new since the tags were still on them.'I guess they'll work in a pinch.'Jason looked at Jeremy and smiled. "Jeremy, you're finally here."Jeremy nodded at him and said unsmilingly, "Yeah. Where's my wife?""She's inside and completely drenched. I was worried that she might get sick so I brought her to the guest room to dry off.""In any case, thank you."Jeremy narrowed his eyes and continued, "However, you shouldn't simply bring another man's wife into a room next time. Your kindness is more trouble than it's worth."Jason's smile froze on his face but then he gave a quick chuckle. "Jeremy, I was left with no choice but to do that. She looked like a pitiful wet puppy walking around like tha
Jeremy entered the guest room and saw Corinne standing next to the bed with her back against the door and drying herself off with the towel.Her unbuttoned shirt was half-hanging off her shoulders and from the back, he could see her beautiful collarbone, slender neck, and fair back. He had never seen those parts of her body before, not even at home.'I can't believe she didn't lock the door before undressing. What if it was not me but another man who came? Does she want the whole world to see her half-naked body?'Thinking of that made his eyebrows draw together, his face darkened, and his jaw tightened.When Corinne heard someone come in, she did not turn around but instead said, "Thank you, Angie. You can just leave the clothes on the shelf over there."'What? She didn't even turn her head around. What a heartless woman,' thought Jeremy.The frown on his face became deeper. He narrowed his eyes. 'Looks like I need to teach her a lesson.'Click!Jeremy locked the door."Who a
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