"You don't have to worry about wasting food here," Lucas insisted. He could not bear to see Corinne being like this."Is it because you think it makes me look cheap to eat these?" Corinne asked with a raised eyebrow.Lucas was stunned. "No, of course not!" he said quickly.Corinne's eyes dimmed. "Then can you please stop telling me what I should and shouldn't eat?"Lucas was speechless. He had no choice but to sit back down. He looked at Corinne with a forlorn expression, thinking he would do anything she asked as long as it made her happy.Corinne nonchalantly ate a bite of the honey garlic pork chop before saying, "Mister Lucas, I'd like to keep the fact that we're related by blood to ourselves. I hope you haven't told anyone yet."Lucas nodded. "Don't worry. I haven't told anyone about this yet. You have my word that I won't tell anyone else until you're ready to return to the family. If I tell my Grandpa Cedric and Grandma Beatrice, they'd definitely rush to the Holdens' mans
Lucas accepted the cutleries but did not start eating. Instead, he stared at Corinne gently.Anya was not happy to see this but did not show her displeasure. Smiling, she pushed one of the containers toward Corinne. "Here, Corinne. Try this," she said in her sickeningly sweet tone.Corinne thanked her lightly, but she did not eat the food.Anya blushed when she did not get the response she wanted from both of them. She felt like she was a lowly maid serving a difficult employer. However, she reminded herself to keep smiling. She then pulled out the chair next to Lucas and sat down.'There must be something going on between them since they stopped talking the moment I arrived,' thought Anya suspiciously.She took out her phone to check whether Jeremy had seen the photo she sent him. He did, but he did not reply. After thinking over it, she sent him another message.[Jeremy, I know I have no right to contact you anymore, but I thought I should let you know about this. Corinne doesn
Lucas had experienced how stubborn Corinne could be, so he let the matter slide. He then sighed tiredly before sharply asking, "What did she call you just now?"Edmund was intimidated by Lucas' stare. "Umm… She called me Edmund as usual…""Hmph!"…Anya knew there was a surveillance camera inside the elevator, so she reminded herself to tread cautiously to avoid leaving any dirt for Lucas to hold over her head.Thus, she refrained from saying anything to Corinne while in the elevator, but as soon as they got out of the building and into the car, she said snarkily, "Corinne, you're really good at having men wrapped around your little finger, huh? Even Lucas can't escape that fate.""You flatter me," said Corinne without bothering to look at her. She then yawned before saying to the driver, "Mister, can you please drop me off at the Holdens' first?"Anya glared at Corinne vehemently. She hated how nonchalant she was being. "Corinne, if I've guessed correctly, you and Jeremy haven'
After Corinne got out of the car, Anya rolled down her window and said snarkily, "Good luck, Corinne."She then ordered the driver to send her home.Corinne narrowed her eyes at the disappearing car. 'Does she truly know the reason Jeremy doesn't want to get legally married to me, or is she just bluffing?'After that, she went inside the mansion.As soon as she entered the yard, she saw a luxury limousine she had never seen before parked in front of the entrance.'Someone's here?' she asked herself. Just as she was thinking who it could be, a servant greeted her, "Ma'am, you're back! Mister Greg and Mister Pamela have come back today and are looking for you. Miss Pamela looked so disappointed when I told her you went out. Why don't you go greet her now?"'Oh, so Grandpa and Grandma have come back?' Corinne grew nervous. She had met Pamela before but not Greg."Corinne!" Pamela called out to her warmly as soon as she stepped into the foyer.Pamela got up and walked over smilingl
Corinne heard what Greg said, but she remained impassive. Instead, she smiled and answered, "I went to look for a friend. Sorry, Grandma. I didn't know you and Grandpa would be coming home today. I would've stayed home and waited for you."Pamela shook her head. "It's okay, Corinne. It was a last-minute decision, so it was our fault for not informing you sooner. Even Jeremy has no idea we're here. By the way, you must be tired from your little outing. Why don't you go up and have a good rest? I'll cook something for you and Jeremy once he's back."Corinne nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Grandma."She was indeed tired. Her energy level had been on the decline ever since she got pregnant, which was why she was happy to take up Pamela on her suggestion. The thought of staying downstairs to talk with Pamela did enter Corinne's mind, but she had a feeling Pamela did not want her to do that.Midway up the stairs, Corinne looked back at them and saw Pamela walking over to Greg with a frown and
Jeremy had no idea why Corinne would address him by his full name, so he asked seriously, "What's the matter?"Corinne looked into his eyes. "Are you hiding anything from me?"Jeremy's expression stifled for a moment before it fell back to normal. He held her face between his hands and asked, "Why would you ask me that?"Corinne did not dodge his hands nor did she react. She simply stared at him. "I had a dream where you lied to me about everything. I want to make sure you aren't hiding anything from me right now. Well, are you?"Jeremy remembered how scared Corinne looked when she woke up from her nightmare last night. He sighed helplessly and said, "So you're still angry at me for what happened in your nightmare last night? It wasn't real, so don't think too much about it.""Jeremy Holden, answer my question. Are you, or are you not hiding anything from me?" Corinne asked emotionlessly. "I promise I won't get mad if you come clean to me now, but if you don't and I find out about
Corinne smiled indifferently. "Okay, I'll drop by your office one day."Jeremy furrowed his brow and moved closer to her. "Before that, how about I give you a little bother first?"'Give me a little bother?' Corinne did not even have time to figure out what he meant before his warm lips fell on hers. All she could see was his handsome face while he pushed her against the headboard.After a few seconds or so, Corinne finally snapped out of her shock. The first thing she did was to push him away, but no matter how she pushed back, Jeremy remained rooted to where he was. After all, there existed a vast difference in strength between her and Jeremy.'Well, if you can't beat them, join them,' thought Corinne. She decided not to waste her energy and instead hooked her arms around Jeremy's neck and kissed him back.Jeremy's pupils dilated. He was surprised by her reaction, but he then smiled as he eased himself into the enjoyment. However, their making-out session was interrupted by a kn
Previously, Corinne got a nosebleed after drinking the soup Pamela made for her.Pamela was filled with guilt when Jeremy brought up the past. After rolling her eyes at Jeremy, she smiled apologetically at Corinne."Sorry about last time, Corinne. I didn't mean to give you a nosebleed. It's just that you looked so skinny, so I wanted to fatten you up a little. I promise I won't force you to drink chicken soup every day now. You won't get a nosebleed if you drink it every other day."Corinne nodded and smiled. "I know you meant well, Grandma."'She's not only beautiful but kind too,' thought Pamela, liking this granddaughter-in-law of hers from the bottom of her heart. She was pleased with Corinne, but the same sentiment could not be said for Jeremy. Frowning, she scolded him, "Jeremy, you need to take care of Corinne more! Look at how skinny she has become."Jeremy pulled out a chair and sat beside Corinne. He turned to look at Corinne before stroking her hair gently like she was
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