Stephen gently chuckled. He could more or less guess what devious thoughts were running around Yvonne's mind.Leonard and Claude had both invested in Well Spring Pharma. If it ended up in Yvonne's hand, it would be strange if Claude didn't jump at that thought and cut ties with Leonard.Acquiring Well Spring Pharma was equivalent to driving a wedge between Claude and Leonard.Stephen thought about the things that happened recently. He suddenly realized that everything had happened too easily. It was as if someone was behind this, making it all happen. Before he could think more about it, Yvonne's voice pulled him back to reality. "I'm sure you've seen the news recently, right?"Yvonne furrowed her brows and grumbled a little, "Why didn't you check in on me? Were you really that busy?""Hmm. I was busy dealing with Mark."Yvonne was a little stunned. "Did Mark really look for you? Did he cause you any trouble?"Stephen shook his head and smiled. "If he had really done something
On Saturday evening, Yvonne made her way to the restaurant using the GPS. She drove past the bustling city and into a quiet alley.She made sure three times that she wasn't in the wrong place before driving forward once more until she saw the restaurant's lit-up sign. She mused to herself, wondering if the restaurant had any business given its location.As she turned into the restaurant, she saw the spacious courtyard for cars to park in. The restaurant was brightly lit.She got out of the car and handed her keys to the valet before walking into the restaurant in her high heels.At that moment, she realized that, other than the staff, there wasn't a single customer.The only person who caught her attention was the man making drinks by the bar. He was in a silk shirt with his sleeves rolled up. He looked extremely skilled at making cocktails.He seemed to have noticed Yvonne's gaze. While catching the shaker in mid-air, he looked at her. "Are you Ms. Miller?"Yvonne came to her
"If you had said it during the call, I would have helped you," Otto chimed in. He looked at Yvonne with a smile. "That's my promise to Kendrick. If anyone receives his black card and makes the call, I grant them a wish."Yvonne was astonished. So he really was a genie!Otto seemed to have read her mind. He smiled even wider. "Yes, you can call me a genie.""Otto's ancestors were aristocrats and generations of businessmen. After the war in their country, they relocated abroad and lived a life of seclusion. He no longer holds any title in his country."Kendrick continued, "But he has wealth most countries would be jealous of. He also has contacts all over the world. That's why there is basically no problem with him doing something that's legal."Yvonne regretted it. "Why didn't you tell me about such a good offer earlier?""I had already told you how to use the card. You're the one who wasted a chance. Why are you blaming me?"Kendrick gave Otto a glance. "He's not very generous
After Yvonne left, Otto finally came out of a dark corner."Ms. Miller doesn't seem like a person who is easy to fool. She won't trust you so easily."Otto continued, "Why didn't you tell her that you had helped her with Well Spring Pharma? Perhaps it would have helped her trust you more.""I'm just doing what I should do. I'm not asking for any credit. Besides, I don't need trust. I just want to do what I want to do with a clear conscience."Otto smiled. "You haven't changed one bit."Kendrick looked at him. "You neither. You're still annoying."Otto smiled but said nothing.Kendrick suddenly asked, "Judging by the way you treat her, it seems like you have a good impression of her, don't you?""Hmm. She's a smart and courageous woman. It's rare to see someone like her." Otto looked at the door. "I'm a little persuaded.""Only just a little?" Kendrick said more seriously, "I'm telling you, Yvonne can definitely become the only Principal of Emerald Group with my help. If yo
The day before she left, Yvonne deliberately made some time to visit Jade.When she arrived at the garden, she saw Jade sitting under a tree in the distance, reading stories to children. It was a lovely scene to behold.After Howard's funeral, Jade had cried for an entire night. The following day, she had resumed as if nothing had happened. Not only was she properly getting her treatment, but she also helped the nurses out from time to time.It seemed as if Jade had woven a tough cocoon around herself in one night, hiding all her fragility and grief inside."Aren't you going to go there?" Stephen asked.Yvonne came to her senses. She shook her head. "It's fine just like this.""Are you afraid that you would remind her of Howard?" Stephen looked at Yvonne. "You shouldn't blame yourself for Howard's death—"Yvonne snickered bitterly, interrupting Stephen's words."Jade is still young. She shouldn't grow up with hatred and grudges on her shoulders. I'll help her deal with all
That afternoon, the new boss held an executive meeting.Before it was time for the meeting, the meeting room was already filled with a crowd. Everyone was discussing amongst themselves.Ten minutes later, when the meeting doors opened, the room fell into pin-drop silence.Dressed in a business suit, Yvonne walked directly over to the head of the table. She said with a smile, "Hello, everyone. I'm Yvonne Miller, your new boss."The meeting room broke out in an uproar. Everyone was bewildered. "A-Are you joking?""Am I dreaming? Our rival has become our boss? How absurd is this?"Hearing their comments, Yvonne smiled. "It is indeed quite absurd, but it's the truth."Then, she announced, "Now that Well Spring Pharma is in my hands, I will merge it with Hope Health Services in the future. If any of you have any objections to this plan, you may leave right away."Upon hearing that, everyone looked at each other. They had always known that with each new boss came a new way of worki
Edward's subordinate was stunned too. "How could it be Ms. Miller? Isn't she the boss of Hope Health Services?"They had jumped ship from Hopeful Faith, yet it turned out that Well Spring Pharma had been acquired by Hope Health Services.Was the universe playing a prank on them?"If it's really Ms. Miller …" Edward's subordinate gradually paled. "She will never forgive us. Mr. Kirby, are we done for?"Edward's mind blanked. He was at a loss for words. For the next hour, he sat in his seat in a daze, completely distracted.When he heard a commotion, he slowly came to his senses. He turned to look, only to see Yvonne and Stephen entering the door with a few other executives around them.It really was Yvonne!Edward's mind buzzed. He was finished.Yvonne turned to ask one of the executives. "Are the people who jumped ship from Hopeful Faith all here?""Yes," the executive replied awkwardly. "Are you going to reprimand them?""I just want to meet them."The executive immedia
Yvonne spent the entire afternoon roughly getting to know Well Spring Pharma's current operations with the help of the executives.At the end of the day, Yvonne got in the car and finally shed her new boss persona. She rubbed her ankles, gritting her teeth in pain."I'm really sacrificing too much just to show power. I've been walking around in heels for hours. This is torture!""Do you need a massage?" Stephen asked thoughtfully.Yvonne happily accepted it. She kicked off her heels and put her feet on Stephen's lap before leaning back.Stephen's warm palms rubbed against her calve. Every squeeze he made was just right.Yvonne's heart only beat faster for a while before she was completely immersed in his pleasurable massage.She squinted her eyes a little. "Luckily, you were there today. If not, everyone in the meeting room would have run off."At first, Stephen had been sitting outside the meeting room. When he had seen people coming out, he had gotten up and entered.When th
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