Lucas looked at Anya with suspicion. "Anya, that means Joey was already injured before you brought him here. What's going on? Who has been in contact with Joey at home?"Anya felt extremely sheepish when her brother asked her that question. She blinked and big drops of tears streamed down her face.Yes, she was the one who deliberately pinched Joey to injure him. She wanted to frame Corinne and make her brother fire her! She also got Rosie to come over to be a witness and fan the flames.However, she did not expect that Corinne would be so vigilant and thought of recording a video with her phone for the whole time!Anya's fear of being found out was covered up by her sorrowful tears. "Lucas, I have no idea either! How could this happen? Who would be so evil to abuse such a young child? Could it be the nanny who did it when I'm not around because she finds Joey naughty?"A person who abused children must be punished without mercy!Lucas frowned. "Call the police and investigate! W
At first, Rosie wanted to order Corinne to run the errand. However, she thought that Corinne might still be harboring ill intentions and might do something to Joey's water. In the end, she glared at Corinne with disgust and decided to buy it herself.Not long after that, Anya came out of the consultation room with Joey in her arms.There were no signs of concern or caution that a mother worrying about her child's injury should have on Anya's beautiful face. On the contrary, she was smiling sweetly at Corinne. "You're quite good, Corinne! I've meticulously designed this setup today, yet you're able to dodge it so easily!"Anya revealed her true colors. Corinne was not surprised at all, but she got to know a new side of her.In the past, she only felt that Anya was a hypocrite and a scheming person. At that moment, Corinne felt that this woman who looked weak and harmless was far scarier than she imagined.Anya used the health of her child—who was so young that he could not speak an
It looked like Rosie cared more about the child's health compared to Anya, who was the child's mother!…Joey lay in bed in the pediatric ward with tears welling in his eyes. Under Anya's guidance, he obediently reached out his hand to let the nurse insert the needle for the IV drip.He was too well-behaved. He did not resist or cry when facing the infusion needle.Corinne was worried, so she went up to look at Joey's prescription given by the doctor Anya bribed.The fluids given were some saline and vitamins and no other complicated medication.However, it was still not suitable to give saline at random to a child as young as him. Would he be able to take it?As an expecting mother, Corinne truly could not stand Anya using the child like that and she wanted to stop her.However, Anya's phone suddenly rang. She quickly picked up the call and said gently, "Jeremy, you're here! Mm-hmm. We're on the sixth floor of the inpatient department, ward number 602. Joey is getting ready to
Anya knew that Jeremy never asked Tommy to stop searching for Corinne's whereabouts for the past month or so.Therefore, she expected that if Jeremy saw Corinne at that moment, the situation that followed certainly would not be what she wanted to see. What if they clarify the misunderstanding caused by this child on the spot?She could not let that happen. She finally removed Corinne from Jeremy's side, so how could she watch them reconcile before her own eyes?Anya was racking her brain. There were some things she could not speak about herself, so she deliberately tugged at Rosie's hand.Rosie was stunned when Anya suddenly pulled her hand. Then, she turned to see Anya asking for help with a weak and pitiful expression, and she could not help but feel sorry for her. Suddenly, she got an idea, so she said, "It's Lucas. I remember it's Lucas who just went in. It should be Lucas in the restroom!"'Lucas was inside?' Jeremy took his hand away from the handle and turned around as he w
Corinne better know her place and never appear in front of Jeremy anymore!After Jeremy left, Lucas said to the person in the restroom in a cold voice, "Come on out! He's gone."Within seconds, the restroom door opened, and out came Corinne. Being respectful, she said, "Thank you, Mister Lucas, for appearing in time and getting me out of a tight spot."Lucas glanced at him coldly without responding to her. After that, he walked to the bed to check on his nephew, who was receiving the infusion. He touched the child's forehead to feel if he was burning or not. Seeing that the child looked fine, he felt much relieved.Anya walked up to him. "Lucas, Joey's fine. The doctor said he's just a little allergic. You don't need to have someone investigate the maids and nanny anymore. It has nothing to do with them.""Mm-hmm. Good to know that Joey's fine." Lucas nodded, then he turned to look at his sister in a slightly stern manner. "Anya, this is your first time being a mother. You should
"It's not that I'm afraid. I just didn't want to make things complicated and create unnecessary problems between your sister and Mister Jeremy," answered Corinne, looking at Lucas' elegant and handsome face in the rearview mirror.Lucas squinted his eyes, looking relaxed and arrogant, then he sneered. "So you feel as long as you appear in front of Jeremy, you'll affect my sister and my future brother-in-law's relationship. Is that so?"Corinne turned to look at the scenery outside the window that was moving in reserves and said honestly, "Mm-hmm. It will, more or less."Lucas curled his lips. "Miss Corinne, where did you get such confidence that made you feel you can compete with Anya?Corinne was neither humble nor arrogant when facing his mockery. She just smiled. "Mister Lucas, it's very normal for you to think that nobody can compete with your sister, whom you've doted on since childhood. For example, to me, a man as outstanding as you, Mister Lucas, is just not as cute as the
Lucas squinted his eyes and sneered indifferently. "You need to attend an event with me tomorrow, so be prepared in advance to dress formally."Corinne was dazed. What event?She then recalled when they were in the ward earlier, Lucas said that Corinne was his partner for tomorrow to brush Anya and Rosie off. The event should be Anya's aunt's birthday party as she mentioned before.She was only cooperating with her boss at that time. She did not expect that Lucas was truly planning to take her to the party!Corinne was a little torn. She never liked attending that sort of fancy party. However, she thought that since Lucas's aunt was a senior member of the Riveras, she should know more about the things that happened in the family in the past. Therefore, she might be able to inquire about her mother if she got in contact with her.After giving it a thought, she turned her head to ask, "Mister Lucas, may I know if I would meet Jeremy at the event tomorrow?"Lucas looked up at her, f
Corinne never bought any clothes that made her feel inconvenient after wearing them. She did not have things like formal dresses in her closet as well.It was true that she founded Newmoon Group on her own, but Xante and Aaron were usually the ones doing the socializing. As the boss behind the scenes, she was only in charge of the technical aspects, the major decisions, and the development of the company.Of course, Xante knew her boss never liked wearing clothes that were hard to move in. She closed her laptop and asked with slight curiosity, "Hmm? Why did you suddenly want to borrow a dress?"Corinne yawned and said, "I'm going to a party with Lucas tomorrow, and he requested for me to attend in formal wear."Xante nodded. "I'll go to a haute couture studio with you after dinner to buy a new dress. My clothes will be much bigger on you, so it's easy for them to fall off."Corinne gave it a thought, then she reached her hand to grab Xante's chest. "Mm-hmm. You're right. Your bust
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