For the next few days, Jade showed her gratitude by spending more time with Britney and Elvin.In the evening, they were all in the garden. A chill breeze signaled that winter was coming. Yvonne and Stephen sat on a bench, watching Jade play with the children further away.Compared to the aloof Elvin, Jade seemed more like a child. She would lead Britney along and tease Elvin from time to time. Their laughter echoed throughout the entire garden.Under the sunset, Jade's smile was as bright as the sun.Yvonne couldn't help but sigh. "Howard really took great care of Jade. She has such a pure smile, even at her age."Stephen hummed before saying, "I heard from Old Jim that she has decided to study.""Yes." Yvonne smiled apologetically. "I forgot to tell you about that. Since I've just returned to Hope, there are too many things for me to deal with.""It's fine." Stephen didn't take it to heart. "It's good that Jade managed to come to terms with it on her own."Yvonne nodded.
Leonard entered the study and looked at Claude sternly. "I overheard everything you said. By calling Neil right now, are you trying to blow things out of proportion or trying to get yourself a few more enemies?""Leonard, Neil is clearly siding with Yvonne! Are you asking me to just stand down and ignore this? I can't do that!"Claude was just about to take his phone out when Leonard stopped him. "You can already see that Neil is siding with Yvonne. Is there a need to call him? What good will it do you to argue with Neil?"Leonard glared at Claude. "Think about our situation right now. If we offend another person, that is one more risk we have to take. Don't let emotions cloud your judgment.""But …" Jane chimed in reluctantly. "Grandpa Leonard, are you saying I have to just swallow this bitter pill of indignation? Uncle Neil was really mean! He—""I know he has crossed a line this time, but everyone is too worked up right now. A phone call will only add fuel to the fire. Not on
Half a month later, Neil was in a wheelchair, about to leave the hospital.When Kai returned to the ward after paying the bills, he looked a little awkward. Neil was just about to ask him what was going on when he saw Claude, Leonard, and Jane behind him.Jane reluctantly presented Neil with a bouquet. "Uncle Neil, congratulations on getting discharged."Neil looked at her before looking at Leonard and Claude. "Are you two here to seek justice for Jane?""Neil—"Leonard cleared his throat to stop Claude from flaring up."Mr. Foster, you're getting discharged today. It's a great day. We're here to celebrate with you and treat you to a meal," Leonard said politely.Neil was silent. He looked at Leonard for a while and calmed down a little. "Well, I can't say no to that, can I?"Leonard smiled. "You won't regret it."Just like that, they left the hospital together and headed to the restaurant that Leonard had booked beforehand.As they got seated, a feast was served, along with
Once Yvonne answered the call, Neil calmly said, "Ms. Miller, I've been discharged from the hospital.""Congratulations," Yvonne replied. She continued signing some documents."I just met with Leonard, Claude, and Jane."Yvonne paused a little. "What?""Because of Jade's incident, I lost my temper with Jane. She couldn't take it, so she went to complain about me to Claude."Neil chuckled. He looked like a completely different person from when he had been in the room with Leonard, Claude, and Jane a moment ago.He continued, "That girl has been spoiled rotten since she was young. She's too selfish. I won't let her go off the hook that easily this time since she offended you. No matter what, I'll teach her a lesson."Yvonne put her pen down and leaned back in thought. "Mr. Foster, you don't have to do this for me. In fact—""No, no." Neil was serious. "I didn't deal with this matter properly, so I should bear the responsibility. I should apologize to you as well."At that poin
Yvonne smiled. "I've already gotten you the list. Of course, the next step is up to you.""I've already handed the list to the projects department at Anderson Group. They will be in charge of dealing with Neil's company. They will give you a report soon." Stephen pulled up a chair and took a seat.His eyes gleamed flirtatiously at Yvonne. He said, "Ms. Miller, you've pulled off such a big deal for Anderson Group. How should I properly thank you?"Yvonne could hear the flirtation in his tone. She rolled her eyes at him. "Money would be the most practical way."Stephen chuckled. This woman was obsessed with money, but it was quite adorable.They quieted down. Yvonne turned to look out of the window. There was worry in her eyes. Everything had been going too smoothly. It felt too unreal.On second thought, perhaps she was moving forward too quickly and anxiously, which was why she was feeling like this.She exhaled. Forget about it. There was no point in worrying. Taking it step
The Anderson Group had never gotten into the metal business before. On top of that, the investment in Neil's business was a huge sum. Hence, Stephen still had to take the lead on this project to quell his shareholders' worries.Thus, he had to leave for a while.Before leaving, Stephen had to console Britney, who was hugging his leg, unwilling to let go. "You be a good girl. I'll be back before Christmas to be with all of you.""No! I don't want to be a good girl!" Britney sobbed. "I want to go with you!"Stephen smiled helplessly. "There are so many people here with you. Isn't that great?""No, it isn't!" Britney bawled out, crying. "I want to be with you! I want to be with you!"Even though Elvin seemed disgusted, he was secretly a little envious. He looked away and stopped looking at how Britney climbed into Stephen's arms.Stephen was hugging Britney, letting her wipe her tears and snot on his suit.Meanwhile, Yvonne was happily watching the show. It was really interest
That night, Yvonne gently opened the door to Elvin's room. Britney and Elvin were quietly reading on the rug.She gently treaded over, but Britney noticed her. "Aunt Yvonne!"Yvonne smiled uncontrollably when she saw Britney beaming at her. "Am I disturbing you two?"Britney shook her head. "No." Then, she raised the illustration children's book in her hand. "El won't read me a story. Will you? Could you read me a story, Aunt Yvonne?""Okay." Yvonne went up to Britney and took the book from her. She sat on the floor with crossed legs before pulling Britney into her arms.Britney smelled amazing after a shower. Yvonne's gaze was extremely tender while reading the story.Half an hour passed. Yvonne had finished a book when Britney passed her another book. "I want another story!"Yvonne smiled and said, "Let me tell you something before we go on to another story, okay?""What is it?" Britney blinked her huge eyes at Yvonne curiously.Elvin also placed his book down and looked a
The next day, the plane landed safely. Yvonne got Curtis to take Elvin and Britney to the hotel. Then, she headed to Well Spring Pharma.On the way to Well Spring Pharma, she sent a message to Rory, asking him to get Anthony to wait for her at her office.However, when she arrived at the office, only Rory was waiting for her by the entrance.He welcomed her and said with a troubled look, "Mr. Leech is still in a meeting. He said to ask you to wait for him.""Oh?" Yvonne raised an eyebrow. "How bossy of him. Where is his meeting? Take me to him.""What?" Rory was stunned. When he saw that Yvonne didn't seem like she was joking, he immediately nodded. "Please come with me, Ms. Miller."Then, he took her to the 11th floor and led her to a meeting room in the deepest corner of the corridor. Even from outside, she could vaguely hear Anthony's enthusiastic voice.Rory wanted to knock on the door, but Yvonne pushed it open and entered. He was a little baffled. Yvonne seemed like sh
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