"You were right. After Mrs. Carrington Senior returned home, she consulted an alternative medicine doctor she's acquainted with."Jim smiled. "That doctor respects me quite a bit. I told him to tell Mrs. Carrington Senior what you told me, and he's done it. Now, she believes that she really has health issues. "She's been looking for other doctors in hopes of getting a better idea of her situation. But I got to them first and asked them to tell her the same thing. Even if she asks a hundred doctors, she will receive the same diagnosis." Since Jim had been helping Yvonne manage Hope Health Services all these years, he had gotten to know a lot of his peers in the industry. There weren't many doctors practicing alternative medicine abroad to begin with, much less ones who were experienced like Jim. Thus, once they had become acquainted with one another, they had naturally formed a network of connections.Jim only needed to say the word, and they would do what he wanted."That's g
Yvonne was caught off guard. This bastard! They were still at the office!She instinctively tried to resist, but Stephen grabbed her hands with one hand, keeping her in place.Yvonne couldn't escape, so she could only give in to his kiss. She slowly lost what little self-control she had left.Stephen had missed her a lot, and the kiss eventually turned rough and passionate. He only let her go when she was almost out of breath. Under the lights, Yvonne's lips looked red and swollen. As Stephen looked at her, he had to fight hard against the desire bubbling in his heart. He felt a lump in his throat. He said in a rather hoarse voice, "Have you finished work? Shall we have a meal together?"Yvonne glared at Stephen. "Was I the appetizer then?"Stephen smiled. He raised his hand and brushed his finger across her lips, as if he were reminiscing about their kiss just now. His actions were rather flirtatious.Yvonne's ears felt hot. She pushed Stephen away and took one step back, pu
"Something is up with Grandma." Edith felt conflicted. "I know that she crossed the line, but I hope that you'll consider her age and won't hold a grudge against her. "I'll try to compensate you for all the losses she has caused you. Just name it, and I'll agree to everything."Yvonne could roughly guess what had happened. "Do you need my help with something?"Edith hesitated for a while. Then, she finally mustered the courage to continue. "I was hoping that you would check up on her. She has been feeling unwell recently. She has gone to see many alternative medicine doctors, but it hasn't yielded much of a result."She continued, "I mentioned you to her before, but …" Edith sighed. "She's too stubborn. She won't come to Hope Health Services with me."Edith recalled how Agatha had harshly reprimanded her, saying that she would rather die than let Yvonne treat her. Although Edith felt helpless, she was more worried than anything else. "Ms. Miller, I have really tried many wa
The next day, Yvonne sent the prescription to Edith. But all Edith said in response was "thank you". Compared to her enthusiasm on the phone the night before, those two words seemed rather distant.Although Yvonne found it strange, she didn't think too much of it. Her focus soon shifted to the work in front of her.She had just put the phone down when she heard a knock on the door. She responded without looking up, "Come in."As the footsteps came closer to her, she looked up. She was stunned. "Mr. Carrington, why …"Why was he here again?She trailed off, realizing it was impolite to ask him that. However, she had been seeing Otto quite a lot recently. It felt like he was deliberately coming to see her. Otto seemed to have read her mind. He smiled and said, "I'm not here for you. I'm here to see Kendrick, but I just thought of popping by to say hi since this is your territory.""I see." Yvonne smiled. She had thought too highly of herself, and Otto had called her out for it. S
Noticing Otto looking behind him, Calbert bore through the pain and looked back, only to meet Stephen's cold gaze.Even if Calbert had witnessed many bloody and violent scenes, he was still stunned by Stephen's gaze at that moment.He suddenly no longer felt any pain. He forced an awkward smile at Stephen. "When did you get here?"Stephen walked over to them without saying anything. When he walked past Otto, he paused for a while."You're way out of your depth. It's not a good thing," Stephen blurted coldly before entering Yvonne's office.Stephen slammed the door shut on them as if trying to declare his territory.Otto's gaze darkened. He felt a little bitter.Calbert supported Otto, so he was naturally unhappy to see Stephen being so arrogant. "What's he so smug about? Yvonne hasn't even acknowledged him as her partner. Besides, they aren't married yet, so others have the right to pursue …"Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Otto leaving. He quickly caught up with Ot
Ever since that day, there had been no news from Edith.Otto secretly arranged for someone to head back to the country to track Agatha. No matter what, he had to find out everything about that child.Without realizing it, Otto had already spent more than a week at Hope Health Services.That day, Calbert lay in the shade of the tree on the lawn, enjoying the sun's warmth as usual. Otto lay next to him. Otto looked at the sunlight shining through between the tree's branches and leaves. He couldn't help but lament, "No wonder you like to stay here so much."A peaceful life like this was so rare for people like them.Ever since Otto had been old enough to remember, he had never stopped to relax, not even once. He had completed his studies and taken over the family business. For 20 years, he hadn't dared to relax one bit. The days he had spent at Hope were something he had never dared to dream of."I wanted to bring you here before." Calbert had a book over his face, so his voice
"Cory Sloan might interfere with the cruise meeting too." Yvonne looked at Calbert. "During the deal the last time, Cory pulled out at the last minute. As a way of compensation, he's chosen to help Mark at the cruise meeting."Calbert immediately sat up. He asked seriously, "Are you saying that Sloan will also be on the cruise?""We can't be sure of that." Yvonne wasn't surprised at Calbert's reaction. Since Cory had gotten involved, Calbert would definitely need to be more alert. "He might not be there, but he will surely do something. He will probably also help Mark go up against me in the future."Yvonne sighed. "It's a pity that you'll only be helping me until the cruise meeting is over. Without your help, I really don't know how to go up against Cory later.""I take back what I said!" Calbert said. "The situation is different right now. If Sloan is helping Mark, I can't just sit back and do nothing."He had initially wanted to leave Yvonne so he could focus on taking Cory
Time stood still.Stephen sneered. He deliberately lowered his voice, sounding dangerous. "It looks like you've chosen to ignore what I said before, Mr. Carrington."Yvonne immediately tried to smooth things over. She reached out to grab Stephen while looking at Otto. "Mr. Carrington, you will have other chances to see the world. Maybe not this time."Then, Yvonne signaled at Calbert, asking him to leave with Otto.Calbert immediately understood. He wrapped his arm around Otto's shoulder. "We're done with the discussion. Let's head back."Otto didn't want to cause Yvonne further trouble. He hesitated for a while before he left with Calbert.Once they were gone, Yvonne looked at Stephen. "What were you saying to Mr. Carrington before?""Nothing." Stephen slowly looked at the closed door. Without giving any context, he said, "He won't give up that easily.""Mr. Carrington and Calbert are good friends. If he really wants to go up on the cruise, we can't stop him."Yvonne looked 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