Yvonne was woken up by the noise downstairs. She was just about to head out to have a look when Tabitha anxiously pushed her back into her room."Madam, don't go out. There must be some misunderstanding. Mr. Charles wants to take you back to Anderson Mansion!"That immediately woke Yvonne up, like she'd been doused by a bucket of water. Her heart sank.She was finished! How did Charles find out about her so quickly?Downstairs, Stephen and Charles were in a standoff. Stephen stood by the staircase, clearly stopping the bodyguards from going upstairs to look for Yvonne.Charles was furious. "Why are you still protecting her? Don't you know what she did today? She dared to hurt Conan!"Stephen was stunned. Yvonne saw Conan today? No wonder she'd been acting shifty when she'd returned home. She was hiding something from him."I must take her back to Anderson Mansion to question her face-to-face. If she really did something to Conan, I will never let her escape easily!"Charles' fa
"No, no ..."Conan ran downstairs and stood in front of Yvonne, shaking his head and waving his hands violently. "It's not her ..." "Conan, why did you come down? I'll stand up for you. Listen to me; go back to your room first." Camille patiently coaxed him before getting the maid to take him away.Conan was nervous, so he didn't know what else to say besides repeatedly uttering, "No." He stomped his feet anxiously.Elizabeth noticed his reaction and asked tentatively, "Conan, are you trying to say that it wasn't her who hit you? Am I right?"Conan nodded fervently, "Then, how did you get hurt?" Elizabeth asked. Conan was stumped. He stammered for a long time and could barely say a single sentence. He got exasperated in the end and grabbed his hair with both hands, making weird sounds.Camille's heart was broken. She immediately went forward to hug Conan and cried at Elizabeth, "Mom, Conan doesn't know anything. Why are you forcing him? Yvonne must have threatened him not to
It was raining cats and dogs, drenching Yvonne, who was receiving her punishment outside. She was being caned repeatedly on her back. Her flesh split open, turning the clothes on her back red.She gritted her teeth hard while taking the punishment, looking pale as a ghost.Suddenly, she remembered the bloody days she'd had when she was younger. Back then, the injuries she'd suffered had been more serious than this. She was long used to injuries to the flesh. However, her heart never ached as much as it did at that moment. It was as if the cane was striking her heart, not her back.She couldn't understand why she was suddenly being beaten. She intended to force herself to think about it until she came to a conclusion, despite knowing that all she needed to do to put an end to this ordeal was pretend to pass out.The Anderson family stood by the door, watching Yvonne get punished. This was the first time they had met such a stubborn person. They'd initially thought that she wouldn't
Ever since returning from Anderson Mansion, Yvonne had been staying at Oceania Villa and recuperating.Although she still spoke to Stephen, there was a wedge between them.Tabitha changed Yvonne's wound dressing twice a day. Every time she did it, her eyes would redden with heartbreak.That day, Yvonne was lying on her stomach when she felt some water droplets dripping on her back. She turned back to see Tabitha frantically wiping her tears away.Yvonne couldn't help but feel for her. "Mrs. Lopez, this is just a small injury. I've suffered even worse in the past. I'm not crying, so why are you?""You silly girl! What are you talking about? You have such a delicate body. How could you suffer all these injuries?" Tabitha sniffled. She lightly dabbed medicine on Yvonne's injuries. "You're a girl. You can't have scars on your back. It won't look nice.""I don't even mind the scars on my face. Who will look at my back?" Yvonne chuckled and said thoughtfully, "You're the first person w
At night, Yvonne snuck out of Oceania Villa without informing anyone. She knew her body well enough, and she wasn't going to let her injuries stop her from going out. All she needed to do was wear loose clothes that wouldn't touch her injuries.When Yvonne arrived, Rachel was just opening a bottle of Ace of Spades. The entire atmosphere was at its peak. Yvonne followed the barmaid to the booth Rachel had reserved, only to see that Rachel had already started drinking.Rachel had one hand pulling on a handsome man's tie and the other hand combing through his hair. Rachel said tipsily, "I don't like this hair color. Can you shave it off?"Yvonne didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Could Rachel not even see men with the same hair color as Dexter now? She went up to Rachel. "Ms. Turner, you've already drunk yourself stupid before I even got here?""I liked it!" Rachel opened her arms wide, about to hug Yvonne. Luckily, Yvonne reacted quickly; she held Rachel's hands before they clasped
Stephen's outright declaration that Yvonne belonged to him infuriated Xavier so much that he laughed. He downed his glass of wine, slammed it back on the table, and stormed off.After he left, Yvonne took Stephen's hands off her and moved to the side. The next second, Stephen wrapped his arms around her once more. "Did I give you permission to leave Oceania Villa?"Yvonne's gaze sharpened. "I'm a human being, not your pet."Stephen furrowed his brows. "You're misinterpreting what I said.""I wouldn't even dare guess what you are thinking about; how would I dare to misinterpret it?" Yvonne looked Stephen in the eyes. Under the influence of alcohol, she said what was on her mind. "Although Xavier is scum, what he said is true. By staying by your side, I might end up losing my life one day. Now that you've got your sight back, when are you planning to divorce me?"Stephen's expression darkened instantly when he heard her mention divorce. He enunciated, "Are you leaving me?""The And
Rachel woke up with a splitting headache. She groggily saw Yvonne entering her room and thought that she was still dreaming.It was only when Yvonne opened the curtains and the sun shone on her face that Rachel realized it was real. She blocked out the sun with her hand and asked curiously, "Why are you here?""You were totally smashed last night. If I hadn't brought you home, were you going to let Stanley do it?" Yvonne asked in response."Oh …" Rachel grabbed her hair and smiled. "Now that I'm up, you can go home. You didn't go home last night, Stephen must be—""I'm planning to crash your place for a few days." Yvonne sat by the side of Rachel's bed. "I took you in before, and now it's your turn. You won't say no, right?""Of course!" Rachel asked tentatively, "Did you have an argument with Stephen?""You can say so," Yvonne lazily replied. She couldn't take back what she'd said last night. Stephen was clearly furious about it, seeing how he'd left without her.However, tha
Andy had made a reservation for a French restaurant. The two sat opposite each other, eating and chatting happily.Halfway through, Yvonne's phone rang. Her screen flashed the name "Stephen Anderson," and she rejected the call without even thinking.This piqued Andy's curiosity. "Why aren't you answering?""It's a scam." "I don't think so, right?" Andy squinted his eyes. "I saw a name."Then the phone rang once more. Afraid that Andy would see her screen, Yvonne covered it and got up. "I'll go answer this call." She walked over to a corner and asked grudgingly, "What's going on?""Who's the man you're having dinner with? You two seem happy."Yvonne furrowed her brows. "Did you send someone to stalk me?""Are you trying to turn this on me when you've been caught?" Stephen asked in a low voice. He'd arranged for a bodyguard to follow Yvonne to protect her. However, he hadn't expected to receive photos of her having dinner with another man on the very first day!Moreover, that m
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