That night, Yvonne didn't receive a reply from Otto. She guessed that Kendrick must have refused to take her along.On second thought, she had Gwen and Curtis keeping an eye on Mark and Leonard at that moment. She could receive updates in real-time. So she wasn't afraid of not having the chance to join in the fun.However, she was a little worried that Kendrick hadn't said yes to her. Was he planning on something dangerous? No matter what, she had better try to get some news from Kendrick.This had always been on her mind. She hadn't been able to find the right time to ask, so it had been put on hold.During this time, Yvonne had received the share transfer agreement from Leonard. She could see how deeply Claude's signature had cut into the paper. He had clearly signed it with reluctance.She stood by the floor-to-ceiling window with the agreement in one hand. With her other hand, she held her phone and called Curtis."Have there been any movements from Mark's side recently?" Y
The next day, Mark and his two subordinates left the building to head back.Gwen and Curtis followed them to the airport. They parked the car on the other side of the road and saw Mark entering the airport.Curtis was surprised. "Is Mark leaving already?""Hmm," Gwen responded in a low voice. She clutched the steering wheel tightly. This wasn't Mark's style at all. There had to be something she had missed.Or perhaps she had something wrong? She couldn't figure it out at all.Curtis noticed her expression. He reached out and put his hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Don't worry too much. Maybe this isn't as complicated as you think it is.""If you're Mark and you found out that Leonard had imprisoned Claude, would you just do nothing?" Gwen asked in retort coldly. "Not only did he not expose Leonard, but he didn't even confront him. Does that make sense at all?"Gwen continued, "I had worked by his side for so many years. From what I know about him, he's an extreme control freak. He w
The days passed by quickly. The snow got heavier and longer as each day went by.Yvonne had been busy dealing with the acquisition of Well Spring Pharma. She finally took some time out to do the home visit.Her flight that day was delayed for six hours due to the snowstorm. When she landed, it was already 1:00 am.When she reached the arrival terminal, she saw someone holding up a welcome sign with her name on it. She was a little surprised."You must be Dr. Miller." A cheery old man in a suit walked over to Yvonne. "I have instructions to have you safely picked up."Yvonne immediately guessed who he was. Only the wealthy would hire such an experienced butler. She felt a little sorry for making the old man wait for her. "Didn't my assistant, Zoe Lyons, send you a message? The flight was delayed. You didn't have to wait for us.""It's fine." Aldred smiled benevolently. "The madam said that you're a lady and that it wouldn't be safe for you alone at night."Yvonne smiled back. "
Yvonne turned around to see Edith smiling at her. She was immediately stunned and froze on the spot. Was she still dreaming? Why was Otto's mother here?Edith went up to her and affectionately held Yvonne's hand. "I don't know what you like to eat, so I got the chef to make more food. Just choose whatever you like. Don't worry about wasting."The touch on her hand immediately made Yvonne snap back to reality. "Mrs. Jenner, why are you—""Don't be surprised. The client you're seeing is Otto's great-grandmother," Edith explained while taking Yvonne to the dining hall. An old lady with gray hair was sitting at the far end of the table, smiling at them.Even though the lady seemed old and petite, her face was glowing. She still looked extremely spirited. Even her hair seemed soft and shiny."Dr. Miller, I heard from Edith that you have amazing medical skills even though you are young. I hope you don't blame me for inviting you over without telling you my true identity."Agatha Carr
The door opened, and Yvonne and Zoe walked out.Agatha yelled from behind them, "Edith, come in here!"Edith was a little baffled. She looked at Yvonne curiously. Why were they already out in less than 20 minutes?"Edith!" Agatha yelled impatiently once more.Edith immediately walked past Yvonne while saying to her, "Ms. Miller, go to your room and rest. I'll come and look for you later."Then, she turned to the household staff and instructed, "Take Ms. Miller to her room."Seeing Edith hurrying into the room, Yvonne sighed. Sure enough, they weren't going to let her go that easily.In the room, Edith walked over to Agatha and asked in concern, "Grandma, what happened? Was Yvonne careless? Did she hurt you?""No. It's her attitude and the way that she talks. I'm really unhappy about it." Agatha said sternly, "I only went along with you to get her here because you constantly sang praises about her. I even thought of inviting her to the family dinner after the physical. Now it
Edith could see that Yvonne wanted to run off. She merely smiled and handed Yvonne the plate of fruits."I know Grandma well. She's still angry and won't listen to a word right now. I'll talk to her when she cools down. I promise there won't be any problems anymore."Edith continued, "Ms. Miller, I've stayed at Hope Health Services for a while and heard many patients praise your medical skills."She smiled affectionately at Yvonne. "Grandma is old. She needs a high-caliber doctor like you to check up on her. I won't worry if you're the one doing it."Yvonne was speechless. She was just about to retort when there was a rap on the door.The household staff reported, "Ma'am, Mr. Carrington and Ms. Ferguson have arrived."Edith furrowed her brows. "Alright."Then, she placed the plate of fruits down and asked gently, "Ms. Miller, will you come along with me?"Hearing that Otto had arrived, Yvonne didn't want to pass on such an opportunity. After all, only Otto could help her leave.
After Ella left, Otto looked at Edith and asked sternly, "What are you up to again when I'm not around?""How could you say that? I was just getting a doctor to check on Grandma.""There are so many doctors in the world. Why does it have to be Ms. Miller? Don't treat me like a three-year-old and think that I will simply be convinced by a lie," Otto berated.Edith looked aggrieved. She had put in so much effort into arranging all of this. But what had she gotten in return? Agatha had yelled at her, and Otto was accusing her now. As Edith thought about it, she couldn't hold her feelings back anymore.She let out everything that was on her mind. "Do you think I want to do this? I'm doing this for your future! I like that Ms. Miller is such an exceptional child. With her abilities, she will surely be able to help you a lot!"Edith continued, "Our family has a huge business. You can't even be the appointed heir because you still don't have what it takes. Trust me. As long as you're
Otto led Yvonne to the back garden, passed a fake hill, and headed to the pavilion in the middle of the lake.The lake was frozen and had dead lilies under the ice. It was quite a sight.Yvonne shivered in the cold breeze. She rubbed her palms together. "Mr. Carrington, is this the only way we can talk? While freezing our asses off?""Hmm. There's no one here." Otto suppressed the urge to take off his jacket for her. He turned to look at her. "What do you want to talk to me about?""Where is Kendrick?" Yvonne wanted to leave the pavilion as soon as possible. She cut to the chase right away. "You didn't reply to me the other day. Was that because Kendrick did not agree to my request?"Otto only hummed in response, saying nothing else.Yvonne pressed on. "Is his plan dangerous?"Otto remained silent.Yvonne thought about settling this quickly. She shared the thoughts that she had put together a while ago."Leonard handed me Claude's shares to Well Spring Pharma so eagerly. D
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