Jane fell to the floor. The pain immediately sobered her up. "Ouch!"She pushed herself up with both hands on the floor. She looked over to the couch. The lights in the room were dim, so she could barely make out a figure sitting on the couch. The figure looked rather petite. It was most likely a woman.Jane became a little bolder. She gulped and asked, "W-Who are you?""It's not important." The woman's hoarse voice rang out.Jane furrowed her brows. How could such a petite and feeble-looking woman have such a terrible voice?""W-Why did you capture me?""I just wanted to talk.""Then…" Jane looked at the empty couch. "You should at least offer me a seat, right?"Jane was about to get up when the two burly men behind her pressed her down."You stay right there." The woman's voice was calm. It carried no emotion, only utter condescension.Jane was displeased. "Who the hell are you? Do you know who I am? I'm—""Jane Ford, Cory Sloan's woman."Jane was in a daze. "S-Since yo
Jane's mind was a mess. She didn't dare to simply trust a stranger at a time like this.She looked at the glass of wine on the floor before looking at the man by the side. "Give me some lemon-infused water."The man didn't budge. He only moved when he heard the woman instruct, "Give it to her." He got out of the room to get the waiter to bring lemon-infused water over.When the man turned around to return, he seemed to have sensed something. He subconsciously glanced toward the dance floor. When he didn't notice anything odd, he returned to the room. Little did he know that a man was at a corner typing a message. He sent the address of the bar and the number of the room to someone.Then, he kept his phone away and walked over to the entrance.When he was by the entrance, he saw Calbert coming over and entering the bar. He paused, but it was too late for him to hide.He could only lower his hood and pretend to stumble out of the bar. Soon, the man and Calbert passed by each ot
Jane frantically looked at the door to see Cory walking in. Her eyes sparkled. "Cory!"However, Cory didn't even look at her for a second. He walked straight to the woman and stopped right in front of the coffee table.The lights in the room were dim. The place where the woman was sitting was even darker. He almost couldn't see her face.Cory wasn't interested in what she looked like. He asked coldly, "She belongs to me. I'm going to take her away right now. Do you have any objections?"The woman was silent, but Cory could clearly sense her sizing him up.He was the one standing while she was seated, but she gave him a sense that she was much more superior than him. "What a coincidence." Calbert's mischievous voice rang out in the room. He was accompanied by a group of men who outnumbered those in the room.The tables had been turned.Cory's gaze darkened a lot. He looked at the woman with more hostility than before."You're Calbert's person?" The woman didn't respond. She
Jane remained fearful the entire way back. When they reached their destination, she was just about to say something to lighten the mood when Cory pulled her over.Before she could react, Cory had already pulled her out of the car. Her feet were in the air once more."Ah!" she yelled in panic. "Cory, I can walk on my own. Please put me down."Cory ignored her and carried her in.In the living room, Benji saw them and immediately went up to them. "Boss, what is going on? Is Ms. Ford injured?"Cory didn't even look at Benji. He directly headed upstairs in fury.Benji stood in the same spot, secretly praying for Jane. He couldn't remember the last time he had Cory so angry.Upstairs, Cory kicked the door open. He took Jane to the bed and threw her on it violently.Jane was alarmed. She was just about to get up when Cory leaned in. He clutched both her wrists with one hand, domineeringly pinning her to the bed.Jane was bewildered. She looked at Cory's darkened gaze. This time, she
Downstairs, Cory was just about to head out when he heard Jane call out to him, "Cory."He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the stairs, where Jane was coming down and approaching him.Memories from the night before flashed in his mind once more as Jane moved toward him. His gaze darkened quite a bit. He only came to his senses when Jane was once again in front of him. "You took the pill?"Jane nodded. She smiled at Cory. "What did you mean when you said you would be responsible?"Cory furrowed his brows. Jane had changed her stance way too quickly. She had hated him a minute ago, yet she was already smiling at him now."Officially be mine." Cory thought for a while before he said with difficulty, "But I can't give you proper recognition."In this life, only Ashley could be his wife."Okay!" Jane agreed. "I never wanted recognition anyway. I want Emerald Group.""Okay." Cory agreed just as quickly. "I'll give it to you.""That's all I need to hear from you." Jane t
After Cory left, Jane entered her bathroom and took a soak in the bathtub. She looked at the ceiling in a daze.She had thought about her future countless times, but she had never pictured that she would be in her current situation.When she had been with Claude, she had been a precious heiress. She had been able to get anything she wanted. She had never imagined that she would end up relying on others one day, her wings clipped.Only a year had passed, but she felt like it had been decades. Her body and heart were aging rapidly.Jane slowly shut her eyes, letting her hatred fester. She had ended up like this because of Yvonne. Everything that had happened to her that day was all thanks to Yvonne.She was living a life of suffering, yet Yvonne had vanished from the face of the earth. No one knew if she was dead or alive.At that thought, Jane gritted her teeth. Even if Yvonne was dead, she was going to dig her bones out of her grave and step on them.She was never going to let Y
Mark didn't explain much over the phone. He asked Jane to meet him and told her a place and time.After hanging up, it took a long time for Jane to come to her senses.She couldn't calm down after learning that Yvonne was still alive. She couldn't differentiate if she was feeling pity or delight. The pitiful part was that Yvonne wasn't dead.The delightful part was that she could still settle the score with Yvonne. She could still see Yvonne get tortured to death.The more Jane thought about it, the more excited she became. She even thought that everything that had happened the night before was meant to be.The universe was giving her a chance to be Cory's woman so that she could have the confidence to take back everything from Yvonne!…At the same time, Yvonne felt a chill run down her back. She subconsciously scrunched her neck up."It's just as you predicted." Calbert didn't even knock on the door. He walked straight to Yvonne. "Cory went to the bar to fish out the surv
As she left the border on a private jet, Yvonne was on a video call on her laptop with Nicole, discussing the details of the jewelry exhibition.Nicole was extremely dedicated to the exhibition. The moment she returned to the country, she came up with a dozen proposals according to Yvonne's ideas. She presented all of them to Yvonne in one shot."Ms. Miller, there is another folder with a list of internationally renowned costume designers and stage designers—""I already have a candidate for the costume designer." Yvonne smiled. "I'll send you her contact information. You can ask her in Miller Jewels' name. I'll meet her in person."Nicole was curious. "Is this some famous person that I haven't heard about before?""No. She's not famous at all. She's just an ordinary person." "Uh…" Nicole was a little doubtful. "Ms. Miller, this is your first jewelry exhibition. Won't it be too risky to use an ordinary person?"Nicole wanted to hold the perfect exhibition for Yvonne. She believ
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