Half an hour later, Stephen came out of the room. When he saw Jane standing by the corridors, he stopped in his tracks.Jane smiled, about to greet him. But he turned around and headed in the opposite direction. Her smile stiffened. She furiously stomped her feet and chased after Stephen. "Stephen, we're friends. You should greet me when you see me, right?""We are not friends," Stephen said coldly, not even looking at her.Jane went forward and blocked his path. "Stephen, you better watch your behavior while I'm still nice to you!""Ms. Ford." Stephen furrowed his brows, clearly annoyed. "From the moment I realized you set me up, you and I were no longer even acquaintances. We're just strangers. "I didn't come after you because you gave me a very good lead. So let's call it even. I want nothing to do with you.""I …" Jane knew she was in the wrong, but she still said arrogantly, "This is what it takes to pursue a man. How could I not resort to tricks? I’m just—""Just st
They got into the car together. The driver gave them space and got out of the car to smoke.When Stephen opened the bag, the aroma of food wafted throughout the entire car.Yvonne ate a few chicken wings before saying, "Once I'm abroad, please look after Conan. He's a little simple-minded. "There are many things he still doesn't quite know. I'm afraid Chuck might take advantage of him."Yvonne had realized that she should talk to Stephen about it after the meeting that day.Although Chuck was cautious around her at that moment, she couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t go after Conan once she left."Let's put aside the fact that Conan is your younger brother. Could you do it for me? Could you secretly help him?"Stephen was in no rush to respond when he heard Yvonne’s request. He took a piece of tissue and passed it to her.Yvonne was a little stunned. She was about to accept the tissue from Stephen when he grabbed her by the wrist."Let me do it." Under the lights, Stephen l
The day Elvin started school, Yvonne left Qynea. Stephen dropped Elvin at the gates of the kindergarten. When he saw Elvin looking up at the blue sky, he asked, "Are you missing Mommy?""She's left to do great things," Elvin said before retracting his gaze as if he had made up his mind. He walked inside.Stephen looked at Elvin and smiled. He understood what Elvin meant. Elvin was indeed missing Yvonne, but he knew that she had gone to do something important. Hence, he wouldn’t admit that he missed her.He might be a small kid, but he was truly mature. Stephen looked up at the blue sky pensively. He would have to delay his plans to leave Qynea. He had to stay with Elvin for some time, at least until the latter got used to staying at Oceania Villa. Yvonne had entrusted Elvin to him. No matter what, he couldn’t let her down. Furthermore, he could take this opportunity to get closer to Elvin. Stephen raised an eyebrow in thought. That had been the main reason he had reque
After returning to the mansion, Yvonne caught up with Jim for a while before getting him to go to bed early.Yvonne went into her room and took a shower. She became much more awake. She took her phone downstairs, planning to make herself a cup of coffee and send Stephen a message."I've reached safely. How is Elvin adjusting to Oceania Villa?"Stephen replied quickly. "Other than Britney constantly sticking to him the entire day, I think he's adjusting just fine."Yvonne couldn't help but smile. She could perfectly imagine how helpless Elvin would look when facing Britney.Stephen added, "It should be almost dawn at your side. Why are you still not resting?"Yvonne looked out of the window. Sure enough, the sun was coming up."In any case, it's almost morning. If I sleep now, I don't think I'll be able to wake up. I'll just not sleep."After sending the message, Yvonne poured herself a cup of coffee. The aroma energized her a little.Stephen asked, "Are you nervous about going
After breakfast, they headed to Hope Health Services' headquarters.Jim's mansion was near the headquarters. The infirmary was on the west side of a man-made lake.Most of the clients in the infirmary had met Jim before, but they only knew about Yvonne through the news online.When Jim and Yvonne reached the infirmary, many clients went up to greet Jim. Soon, the two were surrounded."This must be Ms. Yvonne Miller, Hope's boss. We've been here so many times, yet this is the first time we finally get to meet!""Look at Jim! With Yvonne by his side, he seems much happier!""Jim has always said he has an exceptional granddaughter. Did he mean Ms. Miller?"Jim was smiling so widely that his eyes were squinting. "What? Don't we look related?""Yes, you do! You're good-looking, and your granddaughter's beautiful!""You're such a sweet talker!"Some of them laughed. It was a lively atmosphere. Before arriving at the infirmary, Yvonne had already gone through all of their profiles
Jim took Yvonne to a pavilion by the lake. He pointed at a man below a huge tree in the distance. "That's Kendrick Beck over there."Yvonne looked over to see a man lying under the tree with a book over his head."I don't think that he likes to read," Jim said. "I've always seen him with that book. Sometimes, he has it upside down too. I'm guessing he's only using it to block the sun."Yvonne chuckled. "That's interesting. Don't you think so?""Once you see him, you won't find him interesting anymore. He has a strange character. His looks are quite scary too …" Jim shook his head and continued, "Not exactly scary, just … creepy."He had talked about Kendrick with a few clients in private. They all said that he looked like a demon from hell. Kendrick looked clean, but every time they walked past him, they could smell blood on him.Jim was about to say something else when he saw Yvonne striding over to the tree. "Hey, wait for him to wake up." Jim didn't dare to talk too loud b
Kendrick took the book off his face and sat up. He sized Yvonne carefully and said doubtfully, "Young lady, how old are you? How could you be the one who saved my life?""You don't believe me?" Yvonne turned to say to Jim, "Grandpa, show him the surgery footage from back then."Jim frantically said, "Okay.""Hold up," Kendrick called out after Jim. After thinking for a while, he said, "There's no need. I believe you." Kendrick trusted Jim's reputation at Hope Health Services. Yet … was this young lady in front of him really that amazing?Kendrick stood up and asked coldly, "Why are you telling me this now?" He had been searching for this answer for many years, yet Yvonne had brought it up so casually. It was hard for him not to be suspicious. "Do you want me to do something for you?"Yvonne shook her head and explained, "Grandpa didn't tell you previously because I had personal reasons, and it wasn't a good time for me to reveal my identity back then. "Now that I've de
"I won't see them," Kendrick declined without giving it any thought. He was a man of integrity. Since he had worked with Mark for a long time, he would not be involved with anyone else from Emerald Group.Furthermore, he also knew that the Principals didn't see eye to eye. He didn't want to get himself involved. Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. "Emerald Group has a new Principal, right?"The person on the other end of the line replied, "Yes, it happened a long time ago. Apparently, the Principal is a lady. "She's rather young. Her name in Emerald Group is called Ms. Y. Her real name is Yvonne Miller."Kendrick immediately recalled the person Jim had introduced to him a moment ago. The boss behind Hope Health Services. Yvonne Miller.How interesting. That young lady was actually one of the Principals. No wonder she hadn't been afraid of him at all when she had talked to him. His gaze turned mischievous. Something exciting was about to happen in Emerald Group.…Soon,
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