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
Yvonne parked the car and walked over to Stephen. "If you're going to ask about that man, you can save it. I have nothing to explain.""Alright, I won't ask."Yvonne was speechless. Stephen's willingness to concede baffled her. He'd been fuming at her on the phone earlier. Why the sudden change?"When are you planning to come home?" Stephen asked in a low voice."Not yet. I'm living quite comfortably here.""Alright, when you want to come home, I'll come pick you up."Yvonne was completely bewildered by his response. What the hell did he mean by that? Did he come all the way from Oceania Villa just to tell her that?Even after the Maybach had disappeared out of sight, Yvonne still couldn't wrap her head around Stephen's behavior.Stephen sped through the night on the empty road. He'd initially been antsy, but he'd gradually calmed down and realized he wasn't actually angry; he'd merely been looking for something to harp on. In truth, he'd just wanted to hear her voice and see h
Looking at them as they were about to cross the road, Yvonne frantically lowered the umbrella to block her face.When she walked past them, she could hear flirtatious laughter."Joseph, I'll prepare a great meal for you, alright? You can't just leave after eating.""Don't worry. Who am I going to look for at night, if not you?""You're naughty!"As they walked further away, their voices were gradually drowned out by the sounds of the rain. Yvonne turned around to see them entering the neighborhood. She couldn't help but chuckle! Joseph Jones had done a good job! He'd found Thomas such a young stepmother! If Thomas were to find out about this, it would cause an uproar among the entire Jones family!Then Yvonne went ahead to buy the balsamic vinegar and returned home. Her entire mood had changed after what she'd seen, and she kept snickering mischievously.Rachel couldn't help but get curious. "Vonnie, what is up with you?" "Nothing; I'm just delighted that I can finally settl
Katie told Ariel everything she knew. Ariel quietly listened to her for a long time without speaking. When they stopped at a red light, Katie turned to look at Ariel. "Ariel, although Yvonne's my sister, I still think you and Stephen are made for each other. Now that you've come back, it's time for you to return to Stephen. Surely he must be waiting for you too.Ariel merely shook her head. So many things happened back then. She'd decided not to look back anymore. Returning to Stephen? She dared not imagine that.This time, she just wanted to see that he was doing well and what his woman looked like.Ariel looked at Katie and asked seriously, "When can I see your sister?"Katie was secretly delighted. She'd been waiting for Ariel to go up against Yvonne! "There's a jewelry exhibition next week; Yvonne would probably attend as well."…At the same time, Yvonne looked up at the sky in a daze. Rachel brought her a cup of coffee. "Stephen's flight has left. You won't be able to see
Just as she was delightedly scheming, Andy called her."Ms. Miller, can you take me to the jewelry exhibition with you tomorrow?"Yvonne chuckled. "You sure are well informed." The organizers had invited famous jewelry brands in the country to the exhibition. After they'd heard about Miller Jewels' success at their new product launch, naturally, Miller Jewels had been invited too.Miller Jewels valued the opportunity very much. They had gone through dozens of meetings to select the jewelry that would be exhibited, only finalizing it the day before."Ms. Millar, don't worry. I’m just there to take a look. I'm not …""Don't worry about it. Everyone there is already a competitor. I'm not afraid of having one more." Yvonne didn't take it to heart that Andy had come to help Emerald Group enter the market.After all, her brand would survive through their success, not by taking other brands down. This had been her principle ever since she'd founded QT.…On the day of the exhibition,
Ariel was a little stunned. She didn't respond."I'm sure Ms. Jones has told you everything about Stephen?" Xavier smiled. "The great Stephen Anderson with an ugly woman. How do you think that looks? Only you are a perfect match for him. We don't know what love potion Stephen has taken, but he's smitten by her."Xavier turned and continued, saying with a smile, "Ms. Clarke, you understand Stephen the best. Do you think that that woman has some leverage over him?"Ariel was stunned. She'd never thought of that! "I've interacted with her before. She's extremely scheming and manipulative. She's not an easy one." Xavier looked at Ariel even more intensely. He smiled wider."If you'd listened to me and returned to the country sooner and become the spokesperson for Robinson Jewels the day Miller Jewels launched their new product, your fame would've overshadowed Miller Jewels. Then she wouldn't have been sitting there so comfortably right now."Then Xavier passed his business card to A
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