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
Gwen walked in and approached Yvonne.Before she could say anything, Yvonne stopped her. "Don't tell me that you want to go on the cruise.""Why?" Gwen stopped in her tracks. She said with indignation, "Yvonne, you decided to trust someone like Calbert, so why don't you trust me? I already said I can protect you—""Gwen." Yvonne interrupted and walked up to Gwen"I know that you're trying to help me, but I hope you'll stay back instead of hoping with me. All the people who are closest to me are here at Hope Health Services. I was only able to come this far because I was trying to protect them."Yvonne looked at Gwen earnestly. "Mark is hiding in the dark. I'm out in the open. I don't know what his next move will be. What if he strikes while I'm not around?"Gwen was a little stunned. "You want me to stay back to protect Elvin and the others?"Yvonne nodded. "I'll only be relieved if I know that you're watching my back.""But …" Gwen hesitated. "How could I stand back and let
On the day they were supposed to leave, Yvonne noticed Otto in Calbert's car. She looked at Calbert a little perplexedly.Calbert shrugged his shoulders, expressing that he couldn't talk sense into Otto.Otto pretended not to notice their interaction. He was looking at the messages on his phone.Ever since Agatha had returned to the country, she handed over the management of the family business to Otto's second uncle, Robert Carrington.Before this, Robert had been spending his days in the office comfortably. When the responsibilities landed on his shoulders, he had become so busy that he had barely been able to catch his breath. On top of that, he wasn't efficient in his work and often made mistakes.Otto's assistant, Zac, didn't want to speak ill of the Carrington family, but Robert had gone out of control."Mr. Carrington, if you don't come back soon, the company will be in big trouble! Please don't blame me for being nosy, but I really don't understand what your uncle is do
When they arrived at the airport, Yvonne was still holding hands with Stephen. They held hands and walked along as Julian followed behind them with their luggage.Yvonne wasn't quite used to public displays of affection. She tried to retract her hand a few times, but Stephen held it tightly, not giving her a chance to escape.Hence, she had no choice but to go along with him.Not far behind them, Calbert nudged Otto with his elbow. "Are you seeing this? Stephen is clearly asserting his dominance in front of you."Otto couldn't be bothered with Calbert. He walked ahead with his luggage.Calbert immediately chased after him. "I'm serious. If you're interested in Yvonne, be more proactive. If you're not interested, stay away from her, in case Stephen misunderstands.""I realize you've really been talking a lot as of late." Otto cast a side glance at Calbert. "Do you think it's interesting to repeat pointless topics?"It was rare to see an annoyed look on Otto's face. Calbert found
There had been many huge changes in Emerald Group, with the Principals either dead, gravely injured, or missing, leaving Yvonne as the sole Principal. Hence, the bosses of companies that had had a close working relationship with Emerald Group in the past were all present on the cruise.They wanted to use this opportunity to get to know Yvonne better and the new Emerald Group after the shuffling of powers.Meanwhile, Emerald Group's executives still remembered Yvonne's promise to divide Claude's businesses between them during the meeting. They were so eager that they boarded the cruise ship early.As a result, more people attended the cruise meeting this year compared to the past few years. Yvonne was standing by the deck, welcoming guests. Her red satin gown rippled in the wind, looking like a ball of flames.Under the sunlight, she was the most gorgeous person on deck.Otto was looking at her from afar. At that moment, he was on the third floor of the deck. Calbert stood ne
Yvonne had been so busy welcoming guests the entire day that her legs were numb from standing in heels.The cruise finally left the dock. Yvonne could return to her room to catch her breath.When she entered the room, she took her heels off. The moment she stepped on the floor with her bare feet, she stumbled and almost fell.Luckily, Stephen heard her and immediately appeared right next to her, holding onto her.Before Yvonne could thank him, she yelped in surprise.Stephen had picked her up, so her feet were no longer on the ground, much to her surprise. He took her to the living room and placed her on the couch. Then, he bent down.Yvonne noticed a bucket of warm water on the floor. She was a little surprised by his kind gesture. "Mr. Anderson, where did you learn this from? How thoughtful of you!"Stephen reached out and grabbed her ankles. He looked at her red, swollen ankles and furrowed his brows. "If you knew you were going to stand for a long time, why didn't you change
Yvonne couldn't remember if she had fallen asleep on the couch that night.When she woke up the next morning, she was in bed. Her entire body was sore, and there was no one next to her anymore.She went into the bathroom to wash up. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she finally recalled how intense the night before had been.The marks around her neck were Stephen's doing.Yvonne gritted her teeth and cursed Stephen in her head. She should have known that a capitalist like him would never do a good deed for free!After taking a shower, Yvonne went to her closet and picked out a high-collar dress that would cover her neck.She still had a dinner to attend that night. She didn't want her private life to become a topic of gossip for others.At that thought, her resentment grew more intense. That bastard! He knew that she had to meet people that day. Why couldn't he have been more gentle?At that moment, there was a knock on the door.Yvonne thought that it was Stephen. She
That evening, Yvonne wore a plain, high-collared gown for dinner. Compared to her extragavant look the day before, she looked much more gentle that night.However, her makeup was more eye-catching and detailed. She had put on a strikingly red lipstick, which made her look somewhat demure yet seductive. She looked even more powerful.Only Yvonne would be able to pull off two contrasting temperaments at the same time. She was dazzling.Yvonne held Stephen's arm and entered the venue. She seemed to sense his gaze on her neck. She was unhappy about it and secretly pinched him.Then, she heard a chuckle coming from next to her.That bastard must have done it on purpose! She glared at Stephen.When she saw guests coming up to her from the corner of her eyes, she held back her temper and smiled at the guests.Nearby, Calbert was standing next to Otto. He said, "Stop looking. No matter how great Yvonne is, she only has eyes for Stephen."Otto retracted his gaze and said nothing. He dow
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