Mark's expression shifted. His voice carried a hint of weariness as he addressed Yvonne, "After all that's happened, do you still want to play games with me?"She shrugged indifferently and replied, "I'm merely stating the truth. If you don't believe me, there's nothing more I can do."Mark stepped forward with an intense look in his eyes. "You're a clever person, Yvonne. I don't need to remind you whether Chuck or Gwen is of greater value, do I?""I don't evaluate people based on their worth. To me, Gwen matters more," Yvonne retorted bluntly.She shed her facade, and her voice turned icy. "Chuck, that wretch, is nowhere near worthy of being compared to Gwen."The very next moment, Mark's fingers closed around Yvonne's throat. He forcefully pressed her against a pillar. His strength was formidable. It caused the entire pergola to tremble."I lack your sentimentality. Your arguments won't sway me. To me, they're just childish and foolish," Mark said. His patience was wearing th
Yvonne's laughter bubbled forth."Help you? Mark, you're reading too much into it. "I just didn't want your presence to become a nuisance for me. After all, even catching a glimpse of you makes me feel angry about what happened with Gwen."Besides, this is, at its core, a competition between you, Claude, and Leonard. Why should I shoulder the blame for their quarrels? I'm certainly no fool."She glanced at Mark's retreating figure and continued, "Of course, if you choose not to heed my advice, you can always confront them directly. "It's really none of my business."Mark remained silent for a long time. He seemed to be deep in thought, questioning if he could trust Yvonne's words.Yvonne, on the other hand, had little interest in debating further. She walked past Mark and strode away without looking back.Still feeling the discomfort from being choked earlier, Yvonne cleared her throat. She was about to go to the bar and get a glass of cold water to soothe her throat.As fat
Jane went in closer and looked at Stephen directly, disregarding Yvonne. "Don't you have anything you would like to say to me for your terrible actions just now? For example, apologize?"Yvonne was secretly reveling in the drama when Stephen pulled her over. He said aloofly, "She was the one who agreed to it. You should ask her to apologize instead."Yvonne was baffled. His revenge sure came quickly. Yvonne knew she was in the wrong, so she smiled at Jane. "Ms. Ford, I can—""No!" Jane declined firmly. She still looked at Stephen stubbornly. "You were the one who humiliated me! You should pay for your rude behavior!"Yvonne had no idea what had happened earlier. Seeing how angry Jane was, she turned to look at Stephen curiously. "What did you do?"Stephen cast Yvonne a glance, seemingly trying to say that it was all her fault.Then, he turned to Jane and asked, "How do you want me to apologize?""Simple!" Jane's eyes gleamed slyly when she saw Stephen taking the bait. "My
Stephen was alarmed. The drink must have been spiked!He immediately carried Yvonne in his arms and rushed back to the room. Yvonne's body was burning up, and she was losing consciousness.She regretted it. If she had known that the drink would be so strong, she wouldn't have drunk it. She should have just knocked it over!Entering her room, Stephen put her on the bed. "I'll get you some water."However, Yvonne didn't give him a chance to leave her. She grabbed his hand tightly. Stephen almost fell onto Yvonne due to the strong pull. Luckily, he managed to hold himself up with his hands on both sides of the bed.Before he could react, Yvonne wrapped her hands around his neck. She said, reeking a little of the drink, "Stephen, I don't want water …"She looked at his lips flirtatiously.Stephen's breathing was cut short. He warned her in a hoarse voice, "Yvonne, you're drunk.""I only had one glass." She placed a finger on Stephen's lips and smiled at him coquettishly. "I can
Leonard was a little alarmed. Mark had a comeback for everything!Seeing Leonard silent, Claude chimed in, "Didn't you hear Leonard? I still need Chuck's help to treat me. How could I hand him over to you?"Mark nodded. "You're right. I didn't think this through. Alright, let Chuck stay with you two. I won't worry if he has you two taking care of him."Then, Mark had three glasses of wine before leaving.Claude was baffled by how cooperative Mark was being. He sure was temperamental. Claude leaned closer to Leonard and asked softly, "What do you think he meant by that?"Leonard looked in the direction where Mark had gone in deep thought. After a while, he said, "Perhaps he has realized something."Claude panicked. "What should we do? Should we continue with our plans?""Don't panic. He hasn't brought it up. He's either just showing deference to us, or he has something planned up his sleeves." Leonard narrowed his eyes. "Let's just observe things. If something really happens, w
"No."Upon hearing his reply, Yvonne felt a tremendous sense of relief. She exhaled deeply. Thankfully, nothing bad had happened."But ..." Yvonne still had some doubts. She asked hesitantly, "Why have my clothes been changed?""Last night, you vomited everywhere, and your clothes got dirty. I tried to get someone to help you change, but you refused. "You insisted that I help you change. You even wanted me to remove my clothes before you did the same."Stephen spoke about it casually, as if it were an entirely ordinary matter.However, this made Yvonne's mind buzz. She silently cursed, "Yvonne, have you no shame? How could you do something like that?"Stephen was in a rather good mood when he saw how embarrassed she was. A smile played at the corners of his lips."Why don't you go take a shower first? I'll have someone get you something to sober up."Upon hearing this, Yvonne replied hesitantly, "Alright."After Stephen left the room, Yvonne covered her head with the blank
As Yvonne came out of the shower, she sneezed repeatedly.She rubbed her nose and wondered if she had upset someone. Why did it feel like someone was talking behind her back?She sat on the bed with crossed legs. Her mind wandered as she dried her hair with a towel.The image of Stephen guiding her hand to unbutton his shirt flashed in her mind again.With each button that came undone, his toned abs had slowly come into view.They were perfectly balanced—not too flabby or lean. They were just the right blend of masculine strength and irresistible charm.When Yvonne realized her heart was racing, she snapped back to reality. She cupped her warm cheeks with both hands."Yvonne, you have seen everything, haven’t you? Can't you handle a bit of physical attraction? "You’re wealthy enough to hire dozens of male models for an ab show at a club. "Yes, that's right. Why obsess over a guy's physique?" Yvonne muttered to herself and then took a deep breath.But once she composed herse
If she was okay with it? No way in hell!Yvonne shoved Stephen away and shot him a cold look. She warned, "I'll scream if you continue, Stephen."Seeing her getting agitated, Stephen stopped teasing and said, "Drink the hangover remedy. Stop obsessing over things that have already happened."Yvonne gave Stephen an annoyed look and focused on drinking her soup, obviously not wanting to speak to him anymore."Mark left early this morning without Chuck."Yvonne raised her eyes and asked, "He didn't ask Leonard and Claude for him?""Hmm?" Stephen asked, intrigued. "Did you tell Mark that Claude has Chuck?"Yvonne was speechless.How devious was this man? He set traps whenever he had the chance!Yvonne admitted, "Yes, I told him last night. Mark is naturally wary and smart, so I took a chance.""You might have guessed correctly, then," Stephen replied casually. "This morning, Leonard and Claude saw him off."If Mark had confronted Leonard and Claude over Chuck, things wouldn'
A light breeze blew by in the courtyard. Agatha slowly recounted the past.Back then, Daniel and his wife, Katherine, had just had Mark. The entire Carrington family had been celebrating.They had doted on Mark and taken him wherever they went.That day, they had headed out. Before they'd known it, Mark had been taken away.Just when Daniel and Katherine had been on the brink of losing it, they had received a call from the kidnapper to bring the ransom to a specific spot.They had gotten the money and driven there without any hesitation. No one had thought that they would ever return after that. Even Mark had disappeared.When Agatha finished recounting this, her cup of tea had already cooled.She wiped her tears away. She said through a catch in her throat, "Katherine was hugging the bag of money tightly until the moment she passed away, as though she were hugging you."Mark furrowed his brows. Now that he'd heard the truth about Daniel and Katherine, he should have felt pain
As Yvonne left the room, she could tell that Stephen's mood was much better.She looked at him. "Are you thinking of something nice?""No." Stephen looked at Yvonne with a rare twinkle in his eyes."Let me take you to breakfast." Before Yvonne could respond, he took her hand and led her to the elevator.Thinking about how he'd stood outside her room the entire night, Yvonne decided to let him hold her hand.Then, her thoughts drifted to Otto. Somehow, she had a bad feeling.…At the same time, Mark was in the courtyard of Carrington Mansion. He sat next to Agatha and poured some tea for her.He handed her a cup of hot tea. "Great-Grandma, try this."When he noticed that Agatha had no reaction, he called out to her once more. "Great-Grandma?""Huh?" Agatha came to her senses. She looked at Mark in confusion. "What is it?""You've been distracted since yesterday. Are you thinking of something?" Mark asked.Agatha shook her head. "Nothing." Then, she picked up her teacup and
Yvonne stood by the door of the bedroom and looked at Otto, who was looking out of the window in a daze on the bed.The sun shone on his face. He looked quite hungover and had a sickly pale face.Yvonne hesitated for a while before saying gently, "Mrs. Jenner called me last night. She's worried about you."Otto didn't respond.Yvonne went in closer and added, "She said that you called her and asked about your father. She found it strange."Mr. Carrington, why did you suddenly think about your father? Did Mrs. Carrington Senior bring him up yesterday?"All Yvonne got was silence.Luckily, she was patient. She sat on the couch and followed Otto's line of sight. Tiny dust particles were floating among the sunbeams. Yvonne also fell into a daze as she watched them float about.Suddenly, Otto asked, "Have you ever felt like your world was falling apart?""Hmm?" Yvonne was confused. "For example?""I mean, like the person that you trust turns out to be different from what you'd t
The next morning, Yvonne opened her door to see Stephen standing outside. She was caught off guard."What is wrong with you this morning? Why didn't you knock…"While talking, Yvonne noticed that Stephen was still wearing the same clothes as the night before. She furrowed her brows and asked, "Don't tell me you didn't leave last night? Have you been standing outside this door all this while?""Hmm." Stephen looked at Yvonne intently. "I thought you would've figured it out quickly."Yvonne was speechless, but she thought to herself that she'd slept like a baby the night before.She smiled at him. "Figure what out?" She noticed Stephen frowning as though he were on the brink of losing his temper.She quickly added, "I-I mean, you have to give me a hint, right? I've thought about it the entire night, but I still don't understand. My brain isn't functioning well."Stephen asked suspiciously, "You've been thinking about it the entire night?""Yes, which is why I didn't look for yo
"If I hadn't come to find you tonight, you probably wouldn't tell me anything about what happened tonight, would you?" Stephen asked in retort.It wasn't a big deal, as long as they returned safely. Yvonne wondered why she needed to report this to him.But she still smiled. "It's late. How could I disrupt your rest? It would've been the same if I told you about it tomorrow morning, right?"Stephen sniggered. "Yvonne, you still don't know where you've gone wrong."He suddenly went in closer to her. Yvonne instinctively retreated until her back was up against the wall. She glared at him."What on earth is wrong with you? I've already said that I would've told you tomorrow morning—"A punch went past Yvonne and landed brutally on the wall.Yvonne was a little stunned. She looked into Stephen's eyes and furrowed her brows. "Stephen, I don't want to quarrel with you for no reason. "Mrs. Carrington Senior went to look for Otto today. Calbert couldn't reach him the entire day, so he
Jane returned to the private room, distracted.She sat down next to Cory. She looked at him as he reached his hand out to her in confusion.Cory furrowed his brows and asked unhappily, "Where's the wine?""Wine… Yes! Wine!" Jane came to her senses. She was just about to get up when Cory pulled her back.He grabbed her by her chin and forced her to look at him. "What happened when you went out?""N-Nothing."Cory tightened his grip. Jane furrowed her brows in pain. "I-I… I saw Yvonne. She told me that she and Stephen got remarried.""What?" Cory relaxed his grip a little. "They got remarried?""Hmm.""So, what?" He had no intention of letting her go, and he looked at her sharply. "Does it bother you so much that Stephen got remarried?"Jane looked at Cory frantically. "Cory, what do you mean by that?""What do I mean? You know what I mean."Cory went in closer. His tone turned icy. "You used to pursue Stephen. Now that you know he's gotten married, you're in this shitty mood
Yvonne turned around to see Jane smiling at her ambiguously. She furrowed her brows. How were they always bumping into each other?Jane crossed her hands in front of her chest and leaned against the wall. She swept her gaze at Calbert and Otto. "Two guys and one woman. You sure know how to have fun!"Calbert instantly snapped, "What the hell are you talking about?""Why are you being so fierce? Did I hit the nail on the head?" Jane snickered. "Two guys and a woman came out of a private room in the middle of the night. Anyone would come to the same conclusion. We're all adults. There's no need to pretend to be innocent.""You—" Calbert was about to go up to Jane, but Yvonne stopped him."Since Ms. Ford is here, I'm guessing so is Cory?" Yvonne smiled, yet her smile didn't reach her eyes. "If you cause a scene here and this bar gets raided, guess who'll be the ones walking out here alive?"Jane's expression turned ugly. "Are you threatening me?""It's just a kind reminder." Yvon
Calbert and Yvonne managed to track Otto's car to a bar, thanks to the information they'd gotten from his staff. Otto's car was right outside the bar.Calbert looked at the neon sign and furrowed his brows. "Why is Otto here? Did what Mrs. Carrington Senior said really hit him so badly that he has to drown himself in alcohol?"Yvonne said nothing and headed directly inside the bar."Wait up for me!" Calbert went after her. He subconsciously protected her from all the drunk patrons.The lighting in the bar was dim. Many of the patrons were drunk and having fun.Yvonne and Calbert walked around the booth area, but Otto was nowhere to be found. They pulled a server over to ask if there was a patron by the name of Otto Carrington who had reserved a private room.Coincidentally, the server had just taken two bottles of wine to Otto's room. So, he led them to the private room.Calbert tipped the server before opening the door and entering. The entire room reeked of alcohol.He looked
After Agatha left, Otto stood in the same spot without moving.A long time later, Zac entered the office. He looked at Otto's back and asked quietly, "Mr. Carrington, will you still see the client?""No." Otto sounded heartbroken.Zac didn't dare ask further questions. He gently closed the door and reminded the secretary that no one was to disturb Otto.In the office, Otto was alone. He slowly walked over to the couch and slumped into it. His mind was in a mess."Alexander was the one who planned the kidnapping back then."Agatha's words rang in his mind for a long time.Alexander's young face appeared in Otto's mind, smiling at him affectionately."Otto! Amazing! Yes! Just like that!""You're amazing at badminton! You're going to make the country proud! I'm going to be so proud of you!""Otto, my son!"Memories of his interactions with Alexander flashed across his mind at that moment.Otto couldn't imagine that such a loving father would do such an absurd thing. Alexander