Stephen had been unconscious for an entire week in bed. He had become much more emaciated.The children hadn't left his side since the day he had passed out. At first, Britney had cried for Stephen, asking him to wake up. After Elvin had yelled at her a few times, she had slowly come to accept reality.On the surface, Elvin seemed like he was much calmer than Britney, but he had secretly shed tears too. He had also talked to Stephen late at night when he couldn't fall asleep.Even though Elvin ignored Stephen most of the time, he had already long accepted the fact that Stephen was his father.He just wasn't willing to say it out loud. He didn't think it would be too late to properly address Stephen as his father once Stephen and Yvonne got remarried. Yet, Yvonne was missing. All that was left was the evil man, who lay unconscious in bed.Elvin couldn't handle all these changes. But as an older brother, he thought he had to put on a strong act in front of Britney.At that mome
That night, Elvin excitedly called the doctor over, but after a check-up, they realized that Stephen hadn't woken up.Everyone assumed that Elvin had probably imagined it, especially since he was still young. But Elvin strongly believed that Stephen was about to come around. He also thought that Stephen must have heard what he said. The deal between them would soon be fulfilled.…Calbert's search for Yvonne didn't yield any results. He felt a little dejected."Yvonne has been hurt so badly. Where could she have run off to? Why has she vanished from the face of the earth without leaving any trails? This is really strange."Calbert had been complaining on the couch for a long time. When he saw that Otto was busy on his phone, he was instantly displeased.He reached his leg out and kicked Otto. "What are you busy with? Is there anything else more important than searching for Yvonne?"At that point, Calbert finally realized that Otto had been really busy recently. He wasn't focus
Otto was a little bewildered. He turned around to see Stephen holding himself up against the wall, glaring at him.The corridors were dead silent.Stephen pressed on. "Where is she?"Otto said nothing.Stephen stumbled forward, step by step, until he was right in front of Otto. He used his remaining strength to grab Otto by the collar."Where is she? Tell me. Where is she …" Stephen started to choke up. He sounded extremely helpless."Otto, I won't blame you for secretly sending her away, but I beg you, tell me where she is."Stephen was as flustered as a little child who had lost their precious doll. As long as he could find Yvonne, even if he had to sacrifice his life to Otto, he would do it without any hesitation.Otto had never thought that the high and mighty Mr. Anderson would become so lowly for a woman.He thought about what Yvonne had instructed him. He was once more determined."Mr. Anderson, I'm sorry. I can't tell you."Stephen's heart sank. He tightened his grip
Time passed by in a blink of an eye.Astertown was filled with greenery in the summer. The hot wind smelled of dried leaves.In the hot city, the only cool place was up in the mountains.A mansion lay quietly halfway up the mountains among the woods. It was paradise. The breeze blew by, creating a symphony of leaves rustling. A woman was sleeping soundly in the rocking chair.She was in a long, sleeveless dress. The burn scars on her hand and body were visible, making the harmonious scene look a little scary.At that moment, the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog lying by her side, who had been sleeping, suddenly perked its head up. It looked at the living room with caution.Soon, a man entered.The dog immediately wagged its tail and barked at the man.The man couldn't stop the dog in time. The woman sat up. They looked at each other and smiled."Ms. Miller, I'm sorry for disturbing you.""I've been sleeping for a long time. It's good that you came. If not, I won't be able to sleep a
"She still insists that I marry Ella."Otto's gaze darkened. "Ever since she found out that the child might not be dead, her obsession has grown even more. No matter how well I do, I won't be able to persuade her.""She sure is stubborn." Yvonne shook her head helplessly. "Even if the child isn't dead, how do we know what he looks like right now? What if he is just a good-for-nothing? Is she still going to make him the heir?"Otto replied, "Which is why she wants me around. She wants me to help him out in the future."Yvonne couldn't help but say, "How absurd."Otto chuckled nonchalantly. "It's fine. I know her intentions. It seems she hasn't changed, even though it's been so many years.""Are you really going to marry Ms. Ferguson?" Yvonne asked.Otto looked into her eyes seriously. "Are you curious about it?"Yvonne felt somewhat awkward under his scrutinizing gaze. "No, I was just asking. After all, Ms. Ferguson has liked you for such a long time. If it hadn't been for her
That night, Ella received the photos from the private investigator. She was so furious that she lost all her appetite. She sprang up from the chair.Virginia was perplexed. "Ella, what happened?""I've lost my appetite!" Ella slammed her cutlery on the table, much to Samuel's annoyance."How old are you? Can't you learn to control your temper? How are you going to marry into the Carrington family like this? Are you going to let them laugh at us for not bringing you up well?"Ella felt even more aggrieved. She held her phone out to them. "Marry? There's no such thing as a wedding! Otto is having an affair with another woman! He doesn't want to marry me at all!""An affair?" Samuel furrowed his brows. He snatched the phone over to have a look. Before he even looked at it properly, he angrily slammed the table. "This is outrageous! Otto is engaged to you, yet he is still having an affair. Do they really think that our family can be bullied like that?"Virginia said hesitantly, "Th
Soon, Edith rushed over to the living room. "Grandma, what happened?""Look at it yourself!" Agatha knocked on the coffee table hard, asking Edith to look at the stack of photos.Edith went in closer. The photos were of Otto coming out of the car with a slim woman. The woman was covered up well. She even had sunglasses and a mask on her face. It was impossible to see her face.At first glance, they maintained a normal distance. There wasn't any hint of them being in a relationship at all.Edith was confused. "W-What is this?"Samuel yelled, "This is the woman Otto is having an affair with! How dare you ask us what this is?""An affair?" Edith was baffled. "No. Impossible! Otto would never do such a thing!""We have concrete proof, yet you still want to deny it on his behalf?" Samuel was furious. "Ella said that Otto has gone over to meet this woman many times. If they aren't together, what else could it be? "Yes, the photo doesn't show them in any intimate positions, but who
Edith had no choice but to call Otto. She told him all about the Ferguson family's accusations with the photos. "Otto, tell me. Do you have feelings for another woman?" Edith said gently, "Your marriage with Ella is Grandma's decision. If you have someone you like, I will surely support you.""No, we're just friends."Otto's head hurt a little. He rubbed his throbbing temple. He had rejected Ella countless times for such a long time. He had thought that Ella would give up as time passed.But not only had Ella refused to give up, she had even crossed the line even further. She had actually hired someone to stalk him.Edith was suspicious. "Are you really just friends? According to Ella, you have been going over there often to—""We're really just friends," Otto said once more, but he wasn't willing to explain further. "I'll be returning home the day after tomorrow. Help me deal with Great-Grandma. I don't want my personal matters to affect my friend."Hearing that, Edith no lo
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