"There are some issues with a few companies in Astertown. Do you want to head over together to deal with them?"When Yvonne received the message from Otto, she was reading a story to Elvin, who was in her arms.Elvin immediately noticed an incoming message appearing on the screen of her phone, so he read it too.Yvonne didn't notice that he had seen the message. She placed the book down and picked up her phone. She replied, "Sure, send me the time and the location. I'll quickly finish up work at Well Spring Pharma."Elvin furrowed his brows and pursed his lips in silence.Yvonne placed her phone down right away after replying to the message. She patted Elvin on the head. "I'll go get you some warm milk. You can head to bed after drinking it.""Let the evil man do it for me," Elvin suddenly suggested.Yvonne was a little surprised. "Why?"Elvin replied seriously, "To give him a chance to prove himself."Yvonne smiled helplessly. "You're such a little adult. How do you know thi
Stephen gave a soft chuckle.Yvonne realized that he was just deliberately messing with her. She pushed him away with all her might and jumped down from the kitchen island. "I'm going to take a shower."Stephen smirked at her as she quickly headed upstairs. It was quite fun to occasionally tease her.Ten minutes later, Stephen entered Elvin's room with some milk. He passed the glass of milk to Elvin while pulling up a chair to take a seat. "You deliberately asked me to bring this for you. Is there something you wanted to say to me?""Yes, I saw Mommy is still in contact with that Carrington guy. They might be meeting each other soon. You should go with Mommy."Then, Elvin awkwardly added, "I don't mean anything by informing you. I just don't like that man.""Why?" Stephen asked rather interestedly. He crossed his legs and placed his hands on the table as if he were waiting to listen to Elvin explain something.Elvin rolled his eyes. "There is no reason. I just don't like him."
A week later, Stephen took the children with him so they could drop Yvonne off at the airport together.Britney held Yvonne's hand longingly. "Aunt Yvonne, come home soon.""I will." Yvonne patted Britney on the head. She turned to look at Elvin. "How about you? Will you miss me?"Elvin put his hands in his pockets. He responded nonchalantly, "I will."Yvonne pinched his cheek. "That's good. You'll have to listen to Jade and Great-Grandpa and also care for Britney, okay?""I got it."Yvonne felt a little strange looking at Elvin's serious gaze. What was going on with him? Why did he seem like he was really against her leaving this time?Stephen placed his hand on Elvin's head and said to Yvonne, "It's almost time. Go.""Okay," Yvonne responded, taking her luggage from Stephen. She smiled at him. "I'll send you a message when I've reached."Stephen hummed in response. He stood in the same spot and watched as Yvonne went through the security gates and vanished from his sight
Otto seemed to have noticed. He asked Yvonne curiously, "Do you know him?""Sort of." Yvonne tapped her fingers on the document. "I remembered that he's one of Mark's men, but I don't know why he's the person in charge of Claude's transport company."Yvonne knew Rhys quite well. She had used to call him Officer Hudson.When she had just joined Emerald Group, Rhys had been Mark's right-hand man. Since Mark didn't like her, Rhys had often bullied her during training.The training had been hell, but Yvonne had soldiered through it all. There had been many times when Rhys had made her train to the point where she was half-dead. Only then did he let her go. After a year of intense training, Rhys had suddenly vanished. No one had known where he had gone. As time had passed, Yvonne had slowly forgotten about him. When she saw his photo once more, she couldn't help but lament about how cruel the time was. Rhys looked completely different. He was so fat that she could barely recogni
"That's right. I asked Carrington Ventures for help."Yvonne pulled up a chair and sat opposite Rhys. "Claude has passed, but someone needs to manage his assets. If not, the mess might disrupt the harmony at Emerald Group."Rhys snickered. "Well said, but who knows if you're doing this for Emerald Group or if you want to monopolize Claude's assets?"When the other people in charge heard that, they started discussing it among themselves."When Claude was alive, he had grudges against Ms. Y. He has barely entered his grave, yet Ms. Y is already eyeing his assets. How disrespectful.""If Claude is up in heaven seeing this, he would surely not want us to work with her. Claude has taken good care of us for so many years. We can't turn our backs on him at such a time, right?""Luckily, we listened to Mr. Hudson. If not, Claude would be weeping in his grave!"Yvonne knew they were deliberately doing this. She nonchalantly smiled. "I was the one who organized a funeral for Claude. I m
Yvonne gently chuckled. "I'm sorry, I don't think your men will be coming."Rhys was a little baffled. "You …""When I arrived, I noticed a few thugs outside. I got some people to deal with them. I didn't know they were your men."While talking, Yvonne put her hand on Otto's arm. She hinted at him not to worry. Otto returned to his seat.He looked at Yvonne as she approached Rhys. He was still nervous.In the split moment that Rhys charged at Yvonne, before he could see clearly what had happened, Rhys, a fat, 1.8-meter-tall man, had been pinned on the table violently!Otto was stunned. How was Yvonne so strong?Yvonne looked at Rhys' malicious face. "Officer Hudson, it looks like you haven't been training. Why are your reflexes so slow? Are you not afraid you'll die here?""You …" Rhys panicked, but his arms were stuck under her tight grip. If he were to resist, his bones would dislocate!He had been living a good life in the transport company for a long time. He couldn't take
That night, Rhys went to a clinic to get his dislocated wrist fixed. On his way home, the more he thought about what had happened, the more humiliated he felt."Damn it!" He spat on the ground. If he hadn't been living such a good life for a long time, he wouldn't have lost to that bitch tonight!"How humiliating!" Rhys swore while entering his house. When he saw Mark sitting in his living room, he jumped. "M-Mark! You've returned. I was wondering why I didn't see your car at the restaurant."Rhys smiled ingratiatingly and headed over to Mark. "Tonight was a mistake. I never thought that bitch, Yvonne, would be so cruel. Don't worry. Give me another chance. I'll deal with her!"Mark looked up expressionlessly. Rhys' legs turned to jelly.Mark looked away and said coldly, "Don't embarrass yourself.""I …" Rhys was at a loss for words. He lowered his head.He had just witnessed Yvonne's ferocity. He had no qualms bitching about her privately, but he would never dare to face her
"You …" Rhys thought about how his wrist had been dislocated the night before. He was still a little apprehensive.The transport company was his territory. He couldn't be a coward in front of Yvonne. That would be too embarrassing.Standing on the other side, Otto seemed to have read Rhys' mind. He said slowly, "Carrington Ventures is not one to mess with either. I dare you to try."Rhys gritted his teeth. He had almost forgotten that Carrington Ventures was supporting Yvonne!Although this man seemed polite, seeing how he was by Yvonne's side, he surely wasn't an ordinary man. Not to mention how calm he was.Rhys hesitated for a while. He asked, "You wouldn't come for nothing. Is there something you want to talk to me about, Ms. Y?""Not really." Yvonne walked over to Rhys in her high heels. "I only need an answer to one question."Rhys got nervous as he saw Yvonne approaching him. "What is it?""Where is Mark?"Rhys looked surprised for a split second. Then, he immediately
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