According to everyone's wishes, the cruise headed back right the day after the meeting. The ship docked the next evening.At the dock, a row of police cars was already waiting. The lights on their cars lit up in the dark.Behind the police cordon, a dozen reporters had their cameras aimed at the ship. As the steps were placed by the dock, their cameras started flashing.The first to get down from the ship was a group of men with their hands tied. A long rope linked them together.When the police saw them, they immediately cuffed the men up and put them in the police cars.Then, the cruise meeting's attendees slowly descended. All of them had their bodyguards and chauffeurs there to pick them up.Throughout the entire process, the flashes of the camera didn't stop for even a second. When Yvonne showed up, all the cameras turned to her.Since the case was huge, the local police chief had personally led the team of police to show how serious they were dealing with the case.The
At the infirmary at Hope Health Services, Gwen had finished watching the news. She turned to see Curtis pretending to be asleep. The lights on the screen of his phone sold him out.She was perplexed. She got up and walked over to the bed. "Why are you secretly looking at your phone instead of sleeping? Do you care about your health at all?"Curtis was startled. He immediately pressed his phone against his chest and looked at Gwen. "Weren't you watching the live broadcast news?""It ended a long time ago." Gwen looked at his phone suspiciously. "Are you following the news on the attack?""I-I … Of course, I'm following the news." Curtis stuttered. "I-It's just … I was engrossed in the comments, so I didn't realize you had finished watching the news.""I see." Gwen crossed her arms and looked at Curtis intently. "Tell me. What are people saying?""The comments …" Curtis scratched his head. "They all said that the attack was really terrifying …"Seeing Curtis scratch his head, Gwen
The next morning, Gwen received news that Yvonne was going to return to Hope Health Services the following day.She looked at Curtis, who was taking his medication. Then, she decided to head to the garden.During this time, Jim and the children had moved into Hope's headquarters for their safety. Knowing Jim, Gwen guessed that he must be in the garden with the children for his morning exercise at this hour.The weather was great that day. Many patients were out for a walk in the garden.Gwen saw Jim exercising by the lake from afar. The two children were squatting down on the grass, looking at something.Her mood turned better as she looked at the peaceful scene. She hadn't felt this way for a long time. Even her steps felt lighter.She was just about to step out when she noticed a familiar figure in the distance. Her smile on her face stiffened.He was standing on a bridge. His cap was blocking half of his face. Even so, Gwen could recognize him. He was looking at Jim and the c
"Gwen has gotten in an accident!" Ever since Yvonne had received Jim's call, she had been in a trance. She immediately got on a plane and headed back to Hope Health Services. She moved emotionlessly and didn't say a single word throughout the entire journey.Stephen was following closely behind her. He didn't dare to take his eyes off her for a second.Calbert and Otto were following behind them. They looked equally glum.When they arrived at Hope, Yvonne saw Jim standing by the entrance, waiting for them. She quickly went forward and grabbed his arm. "Where's Gwen? Where is she?"Yvonne's throat was dry. Her voice trembled as utter fear gripped her heart.Jim looked apologetic. "She's in the mortuary.""No! That's impossible!" Yvonne lost it. "Grandpa, don't joke around with me, please! How could Gwen be in such a place? Wasn't she looking after Curtis?"Tears streamed down Yvonne's face. She had held it in for the entire journey. She had even thought that perhaps it wo
Yvonne locked herself in her room. She had nightmares the entire night.In her nightmares, Mark was standing right in front of her. He was shrouded in a black fog, yet it didn't hide his condescending gaze.He was mocking her for working so hard but still failing to protect the people closest to her.As the black fog dissipated, a pistol appeared in Mark's hand. Elvin and Britney were lying on the ground next to his feet.He sneered and raised his pistol, aiming at Elvin's head."No!" Yvonne woke up with a scream. She opened her eyes immediately.The room was cold, but she was sweating. Even her hair was sticking to her face. She looked at the ceiling, catching her breath. After a while, reality slowly set in.No. She had to pick herself up soon. She couldn't let Mark hurt anyone close to her again.…The sun was barely up when Stephen headed to Yvonne's room. He had just raised his hand to knock on the door when it swung open.Yvonne stood in front of him with her hair tied
Mark had deliberately looked at the camera to provoke her. He had been hinting that the game had just started.Also, Mark's target was the people close to Yvonne. He knew that this would torment her much more than it would if he were to take her down in one go.The more Yvonne thought about it, the more intense her hatred became. What followed was a fear of the unknown.She turned to look at Calbert. "I might need your help with Hope's security and also with Cory. You have to try to distract him. Don't let him help Mark again."Calbert nodded. "I was planning to do just that.""Thank you." Yvonne's gaze sharpened. "I'll arrange for Emerald Group to quickly locate Mark. He should still be in the city. This time, I'll capture him myself."Yvonne lowered her voice without realizing it. Her tone was filled with murderous intent.…After leaving the security department, Yvonne headed to the mortuary once more. Stephen was still following closely behind.As she entered the corridor,
"It's too cold in here." Curtis tried to suppress his pain. He said with difficulty, "Gwen said that she didn't like the winter because she couldn't stand the cold …"Before he could finish, tears fell from the corners of his eyes.Curtis covered his face, crying like a helpless child. "I haven't told you … that I like you … Gwen, come to my dreams. Give me a chance to say it to you in person …"He sobbed quietly. His pleas echoed in the mortuary.Yvonne's eyes grew sore, and tears blurred her vision. Her grip on Curtis' shoulder tightened.Britney didn't understand why the adults were suddenly crying, but the sadness also washed over her. She looked at Stephen with reddened eyes. "Dad, why isn't Aunt Gwen waking up? I don't want her to sleep …"Then, she started crying.Stephen walked over and carried her in his arms. He placed a hand on her head and gently coaxed her. "Britney, it's fine. Aunt Gwen is just too tired. She needs to rest.""I want her to wake up … She promised
Meanwhile, Otto and Calbert were elsewhere. Since they didn't know Gwen that well, they hadn't attended her funeral.For the past few days, the atmosphere at Hope Health Services had been quite dreary. Calbert felt inexplicably annoyed by the feeling.At that moment, he was standing next to Otto, smoking cigarette after cigarette.Otto could no longer take it. He reached out and grabbed Calbert's cigarette case. "Are you trying to smoke yourself to death?""I'm just annoyed." Calbert spat on the ground. "Mark is really a monster!"Calbert was also the boss of an organization. He could fully understand the guilt of having a subordinate close to him die because of him.It was worse than death for Yvonne. It was torture."If I capture him, I'll make sure to beat him up properly! I was really blind in the past! How could I have worked with such a monster?"Calbert was extremely resentful. He wanted to beat up Mark badly.Otto was a little moved by Calbert's outburst. He reached ou
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