"Look carefully! Don't miss a single spot! Check the surrounding area as well. See if you can find any tracks."Then, Otto turned to look at the bodies under the white shroud. "Once we've identified the bodies, buy the best plot of graves and give them a proper burial.""Yes, Mr. Carrington!" His men went to work.Otto looked at the burned-down factory in a daze when the sudden ring of his phone interrupted him.He answered the call and placed his phone by his ear. Calbert's anxious voice rang out. "What happened? How dare that bastard commit arson? How is Yvonne doing right now?""Ms. Miller is in the ICU." Then, Otto roughly recounted what had happened the night before.Every time he explained it, his guilt built up even more. He could barely breathe.Calbert had been Otto's friend for years. He could immediately sense that something was off with Otto."Don't blame yourself too much. No one expected things to turn out like this." Calbert sighed. "If you want to blame someon
"I-I'm just …"Jane realized she had crossed the line. She frantically pretended that she was aggrieved. "Cory, you don't know that Yvonne and I—""I have no interest in your grudges," Cory interrupted her coldly. "Go back to your room and stay away from me."Ever since the other night, Cory had his men keep Jane locked in her room. Aside from giving her three meals a day, no one was allowed to talk to her or go near her without his permission.Jane overheard Cory's men talking when the household staff was serving her meals. That was how she had found out about Mark setting the factory on fire. When she saw Cory trying to force her back to her room, she said rather resentfully, "Cory, how much longer are you planning to keep me locked up? All because of the incident that night?""Shut up!" Cory seemed triggered. He raised his voice.His subordinates standing guard by the door perked their ears up. Everyone was curious about what happened the other night that had infuriated Cor
Calbert's men from Beck and Call had gone through the entire scene of the fire. Yet they still hadn't found Mark's body in the end. The area behind the abandoned factory led to the woods. Searching for someone there was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.Even if Otto had arranged for a huge group of men to sweep through the woods, there wasn't much hope that they would find anything. The possibility of finding Mark was even lower after the huge downpour.When Calbert heard about it, he sprang up and said, "Even if the chances are slim, we'll have to continue looking! Yvonne is still in the ICU. How could we let Mark go just like that?""I know." Otto's head hurt. He rubbed his throbbing temple. He was just about to say something when he heard a knock on the door.Outside the door, Jade anxiously yelled, "Mr. Carrington, Elvin is missing!"Otto was alarmed. He immediately went to open the door. "What's going on?""We were playing hide and seek. It was Elvin's turn to
There were flames everywhere. There was nowhere to go.The pain from the burns was all around. It hurt.Yvonne was trapped in the same spot, surrounded by flames. She saw two children playing nearby while Stephen was standing next to them. She reached her hand out, but she was burned by the flames.She opened her mouth, but no words came out. It was as if her throat was stuck.Slowly, her consciousness became blurry. She fell to the ground and watched the flames slowly head over to the children.No! No!Yvonne opened up her eyes suddenly. The flames were gone. Instead, what she saw was the cold patient's ward. She slowly registered the sound of medical equipment running.Her burns felt even more real now. Since it hurt, she was sure she was still alive.She had actually survived that huge fire. She had thought that she was never going to return.She only felt lucky for a moment. The pain all over her body made her realize her current condition. She looked around and saw her
When Stephen heard what she said, he was stunned. Then, he held her hand tightly. "I will never leave you. Don't think too much about this.""Leave!" Yvonne used all her might to yell. Her throat hurt so much that she coughed violently.Jim immediately went over to tug on Stephen's arm. "Yvonne just woke up. Don't aggravate her."Then, Jim looked at Yvonne pitifully. "Yvonne, don't worry. I'm here. I'll help treat you."Yvonne said nothing. She turned her face away and looked to the other side.She didn't want to see anyone or listen to anyone at that moment. She only wanted to be left alone in silence.Jim could tell what was on Yvonne's mind. He pulled Stephen away and said softly, "Let's go."Stephen hesitated for a while. In the end, he reluctantly let go of Yonne's hand. He followed Jim out of the ICU."This is really normal," Jim slowly said. "Many burn patients find it difficult to accept their own bodies when they wake up. They also don't want the people closest to them
The next day was the day Yvonne had her bandages changed.Flesh and blood were almost stuck to the bandages. Blood had already seeped through them. Every time the bandages were taken off her, it felt like someone was slicing her flesh off. Yet Yvonne didn't let out a single sound. Her face was already as pale as a sheet. She was sweating profusely, but she merely gritted her teeth and endured the long torture.The nurse helped the doctor while crying quietly. She softly persuaded Yvonne, "Ms. Miller, if it hurts, you can let it out. You'll feel better that way."The nurse had changed bandages for many patients before. Even a buff man would wail out in pain. She had never seen someone like Yvonne, who would rather crush her teeth to pieces than yell out in pain.The nurse had often seen how cool and amazing Yvonne usually looked. Now that there was a huge comparison, she felt extremely sad about it."Ms. Miller, don't hold it in. Should we give you some anesthetics? You might suf
In less than two days after her bandages had been changed, Yvonne's injuries became infected. She had a high fever of 41 degrees Celsius. She fell into a coma once more.Jim panicked. He yelled at Yvonne's doctor. "Didn't you say everything was normal? Why is there still an infection? What the hell are you all doing? How could you not treat such a simple injury?"The doctor lowered his head. "Ms. Miller's condition was already not that great to begin with. The area of her body that was burned is too huge. Getting infected is quite predictable.""Nonsense!" Jim was furious. He spat, "You guys are just terrible at your job! How dare you say it's predictable? You are doctors! You're supposed to prepare for the worst-case scenario! How dare you tell me this?""I …" The doctor was at a loss for words. He lowered his head even more."What is the worst-case scenario?" Stephen asked.The doctor timidly replied, "If we can't get the infection under control, Ms. Miller might go into sept
After leaving Hope's infirmary, Otto returned to the mansion. The moment he entered, Calbert immediately went up to him and asked about Yvonne."Did you see Yvonne? I heard that her situation is quite serious."Seeing Otto distracted, Calbert shoved him. "Are you alright? I'm talking to you! Don't tell me that Yvonne has …""No." Otto immediately shut down the terrible thought in Calbert's mind. "She's still there, lying in bed. Her situation is just bad. Everyone is trying to get her infection under control."Calbert was a little perplexed. "What were you thinking then? Your expression frightened me!""I saw Stephen." Otto furrowed his brows. "The night of Ms. Miller's accident, he almost strangled me. But today, he actually asked me for forgiveness. He even thanked me for saving Ms. Miller.""This is good, right?" Calbert looked in disdain. "Are you a masochist or something? Do you want Stephen to treat you badly?""No. It's just a little unsettling." Then, Otto waved his ha
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