Aaron would often sport a playful smile, but he traded that playfulness with sternness whenever he was at work. "Don't worry, boss. I'll send someone over to keep watch every day."Corinne fully trusted Aaron's capabilities, but she felt a little uneasy if she did not visit the place and check it herself.When Aaron saw her meticulousness compared to previous projects, he jokingly said, "You seem to care about Mister Jeremy a lot, boss. You're pretty invested in his future workplace!"Corinne frowned. "My concern is whether or not the end product can satisfy our client. I can redraw the design, but I won't be able to demolish the building and rebuild it if something goes wrong."Aaron smiled knowingly and handed her an uncapped bottle of mineral water. "Alright, alright! I'll keep an eye on things over here so you don't need to come here all the time. You're pregnant, for heavens' sake! Pregnant women can't go to construction sites."Corinne took the mineral water Aaron handed to
Corinne answered, "She's my niece."Aaron smiled knowingly. "You and I grew up together in the countryside, and I know you don't have a niece! I'm guessing she must be Mister Jeremy's niece. Is your relationship with Mister Jeremy so serious now that you're even treating his niece as one of your own?"Corinne rolled her eyes at him. "Just don't mess around with her, okay? She's a good girl. I'll smack you if you play with her feelings."Afraid of being beaten up by his superior, he pouted and said, "Hey! Just because she's a good girl doesn't mean I'm automatically a bad person, right?"Corinne knew his character well. They were childhood friends, after all.She could not stand the sight of Aaron putting on an act. She stood up and walked away. "I'm leaving!"Aaron chased after her. "Wait! My car is over there. Come with me. I'll drive you back!"Corinne waved without looking back. "No, thanks. I'll take a taxi!"Aaron shrugged helplessly as he watched Corinne walk away. She te
Anya would never be kind to Corinne, especially not after what happened.Corinne stared at the road ahead and replied calmly, "I'm not going that way, though."Anya smiled enthusiastically and said, "I can always make a detour for you! We're on good terms with each other now, right? It's not a big deal for me to send you there!""You don't need to trouble yourself.""You're not afraid of me, are you?"Corinne chuckled. "Why should I be afraid of you?"Anya continued to smile innocently. "Maybe you're worried that I'll retaliate against you for what you did? Relax, Corinne! Even if I wanted to retaliate, I wouldn't have chosen to do it at this time. Besides, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you in my car! I'd be giving myself away then! I'm not that stupid. I don't do things that work against my favor!"Corinne glanced at her. "What do you want, then?"Anya then pleaded, "I just want to have a nice conversation with you. Is that too much to ask?"Although Corinne knew that
Corinne's remark made Anya's face frown. She could no longer maintain the demure smile on her face.She only asked Corinne because Lucas did not divulge anything to Anya. However, Corinne seemed to be insinuating that Anya had fallen out of favor with Lucas.Anya did not want to let Corinne get away with mocking her, so she replied calmly, "Yeah, you're right. I'll ask Lucas later!"Anya looked out the car window and gritted her teeth with a vicious expression."We've arrived, Corinne. I'm going up to deliver food to my brother now. Do you want to come with me?"Corinne leaned back lazily and closed her eyes disinterestedly. "No, I can wait here for you until you're done. But you should hurry up because I'm not feeling very patient today."Anya did not insist. She was just offering out of politeness, anyway. "Okay. Wait here for me, and don't go anywhere! I have something else to tell you later. It's about Jeremy!"Corinne answered insipidly and showed little interest.Anya gla
Edmund thought for a moment before saying, "Wait here. I'll go in and talk to him."Anya smiled mischievously. She felt as though she had achieved success. As long as Edmund went in and told him that she had turned over a new leaf, Lucas would not be so harsh on her anymore!As expected, Lucas came out to meet her in person."Lucas! I brought your favorite stir-fries!" Anya rushed toward Lucas like she always did and acted coquettishly.However, Lucas pushed her away coldly and glanced around. "Where's Corinne? Isn't she with you?"Anya was taken aback. 'Why is he asking about Corinne?!'"Umm... Corinne is waiting for me in the car downstairs! I'm on good terms with her now. If she's willing to get in the same car with me, it means she's willing to forgive me! I know I was wrong, so please don't stay angry at me, okay?"Anya then wanted to throw herself into Lucas' embrace again.Lucas placed one hand on her shoulder. He exerted a bit of force to stop her from coming any closer
Anya frowned innocently. "I know that I was wrong when I didn't treat Corinne well in the past, but I don't think you should treat her that well. Corinne is Jeremy's wife, so she's considered a member of the Holdens, too. The Riveras haven't been on good terms with the Holdens for quite some time. If you treat her too nicely, others might think that we're weak…"Lucas frowned. "Corinne and the Holdens are two separate entities! Why do you think we shouldn't treat her well? It should be you, of all people, who are supposed to be more polite to her!"Anya was a little afraid when she heard Lucas' tone. She said hurriedly, "I treat her with the utmost respect, Lucas! I even offered to give her a ride today! You've never been mean to her, so I just think you shouldn't lower yourself for her. I feel heartbroken when I see you like that..."Lucas glared coldly at her. "You don't need to feel that way for me."He then turned around and went back into the office.Since Edmund was not arou
Edmund looked at the ice cream kiosk and said, "How about you head up first? I'll get the ice cream for you. Just let me know which flavor you'd like!""Vanilla, please." Corinne took out a banknote and handed it to him. "Here's the money for the ice cream!"Edmund was about to wave his hand and refuse when he saw the frown on Corinne's face. She seemed to be warning him that she would not go up if he did not take the money from her.Edmund had no choice but to accept the money before waiting in line.Since she had someone to help buy the ice cream, Corinne immediately made her way into the company.Unexpectedly, she ran into an acquaintance soon as she entered the elevator.A beautifully dressed woman with red lips was startled to see Corinne enter the elevator. She remarked in an odd tone, "Well, if it isn't Corinne! You were formerly Mister Lucas' secretary and was later promoted to the sales manager role, right?"Corinne recognized her as one of the staff members.After Luc
Corinne kept quiet and did not even look at the woman. Instead, she raised her hand and used her pinky to dig into her ear as if she had heard some noise.Corinne's calmness irked the woman. She grabbed Corinne angrily. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Are you deaf? Why aren't you answering me? Have you no manners, you b*tch?!"The elevator doors opened with a ding.Lucas was about to enter the elevator. His expression darkened when he saw what was happening inside.Time seemed to pass very slowly after he knew Corinne was just outside the building. He was a little anxious in waiting for Edmund to come up with her, and he was also worried that Edmund would not be able to persuade her to come up. Fearing that Corinne might leave, he decided to head downstairs and fetch her. However, he was surprised when he saw the scene in the elevator."What are you doing?" Lucas asked sternly.The female employee was taken aback when she turned and saw her boss just outside the elevator. She felt a li
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