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
"By the way." Yvonne suddenly thought of what Edith said a moment ago. She narrowed her eyes a little. "Mr. Carrington, if you really need any help in the future, you can just let me know.""There's no need for that. You really didn't need to think about what my mother said just now.""We're friends. You don't have to be so polite with me."Yvonne swept her gaze across the garden. "I can understand Mrs. Jenner's frustration. She's doing this for you."Back then, when Kendrick had first introduced Otto to her, he had merely said that the Carrington family was as rich as some countries.Now that she had seen it for herself, she finally truly understood what it meant to have generations of wealth.If she could truly help Otto inherit such a huge fortune, she would be able to share in his riches too."Since Mrs. Jenner brought it up, tell me about your family's situation," Yvonne said casually. She thought to herself that if the situation was too complex, she wouldn't be bothere
"I'll head to my room," Yvonne said to Otto before walking past Ella and heading up to the stairs.Ella's voice rang out from behind her. "Dr. Miller, come and watch me play tomorrow!"Yvonne couldn't be bothered with Ella. She headed upstairs without looking back.Ella was immediately annoyed. "Otto, look at how rude Dr. Miller is!""Is that so?" Otto retracted his gaze and said calmly, "I think what she said made sense. Even I, as a man, learned a lot from her."Ella was stunned. She looked at Otto in disbelief.For as long as she had known Otto, he had always been aloof, even though he looked polite and gentle. He would never easily praise someone or stand up for another person. He always maintained a distance from everyone.But now Yvonne had actually become an exception!…Yvonne reached her room. Just as she was about to enter, Zoe popped her head out from the room next door. She asked softly, "Ms. Miller, where were you just now?"Yvonne looked at her. "What happened
Yvonne noticed how disappointed Edith looked. Her gaze landed on the box. "Are these the clothes you prepared for me to wear to the family dinner?"Edith nodded. "I initially thought of trying to persuade you once more, but—""I can attend as Otto's friend."Edith was surprised. "Really? You'll go? That's great! Don't worry. I won't say anything stupid in front of the rest of the family. You're just Otto's friend!"Edith was delighted. She immediately presented Yvonne with the box. "Go on, try it on to see if it fits. I made another gown for you based on the previous measurements."Yvonne accepted the box and smiled. "I trust your skills."She placed the box down and pretended to suddenly think of something. "By the way, I heard my assistant tell me yesterday that the third daughter-in-law of the Carrington family sent someone to look for me. I was wondering why she was looking for me."Edith's gaze darkened. "You can ignore her. She isn't any good. You better stay far away from
"Am I wrong?"Edith puffed her chest and said boldly, "You don't have a son. Why are you so worried about other people's daughters-in-law? "If you have what it takes, you have a son, and see! Perhaps you'll be much more diligent than anyone else in finding a daughter-in-law!""You …" Edith had struck a nerve. Heidi heaved angrily, yet she couldn't come up with a retort.The other women looked at Edith strangely.Heidi always liked to take jabs at Edith the most. She deemed Edith easy to bully among the other housewives since Edith's husband was no longer around. On top of that, Edith was also soft-spoken. No one would have thought that Edith would toughen up that night."Also, Dr. Miller is not my daughter-in-law. She's Otto's friend." Edith scanned everyone's face sternly and warned them, "If you ever affect their friendship in any way because of your gossip, I won't let any of you off the hook."With that said, she pulled Yvonne along and left while muttering, "We shouldn
Edith retracted her gaze. When she turned around, she said gently, "Ms. Miller, let's go somewhere quiet to talk."Yvonne came to her senses. Seeing Edith walking away, she quickly went up after her.They headed out and walked along the corridor. The piano music got further away from them. They reached a secluded balcony. They shut the glass door behind them, completely cutting off the sound of the piano.Edith stood by the railing in the night breeze. "Grandma always wanted to set Otto and Ella together, not because she likes Ella, but because Ella comes from an ordinary family. The Ferguson family is no threat to our family."Grandma knows that Ella won't be able to help Otto, yet she still wishes to set them up. The only reason for that is because she doesn't want Otto to be the heir."Edith looked up at the night sky and smiled bitterly. "With Otto's exceptional capabilities, he could definitely inherit the family business. Yet Grandma would rather hold on to some stubborn o
Edith immediately walked past the waiter and headed back. Yvonne chased after her.When they returned, Yvonne spotted Stephen's figure immediately. She was shocked. Why was he there? Nearby, Stephen and Otto were in a standoff. Their hostility could cut through the air.When Yvonne appeared, they immediately held back, and the atmosphere relaxed a little bit.Everyone sighed in relief. They could barely breathe due to the two men's overbearing attitudes.Yvonne looked at Stephen. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?""Why didn't you tell me you were attending the Carrington family's dinner?" Stephen asked coldly.Yvonne felt a little wronged. "I wanted to tell you yesterday. You were unreachable. I thought you were busy. I forgot about it the next day.""I was on the plane yesterday." Stephen looked at Otto and said unhappily, "This is your hundred-year-old client?""Of course not. The client who ordered a house visit was Mr. Carrington's great-grandmother."At that, A
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