The next day, Otto dropped Yvonne and Edith off at the airport.Otto had been worried all this while. He tugged at Edith while Yvonne was distracted. "Do you still remember what I said?""Of course, I do." Edith felt helpless. "I'm not so old that I have trouble remembering things yet. You, on the other hand, nag like an old man."Edith pried Otto's hand off her. "I have to catch up with Yvonne. She'll be worried."Otto had a bad feeling as Edith quickly went up to Yvonne. He furrowed his brows. It seemed like he needed to find time to keep an eye on Edith.…When the plane landed at Northerna City Airport, it was already the evening of the following day.Yvonne was once again back in Northerna City after being away for more than a year. It felt like a whole other lifetime to her."Is this the place where you were born?" Edith asked.Yvonne came to her senses and hummed in assent."If you have some free time, can you take me around?" Edith asked eagerly.Yvonne looked a li
The next morning, Yvonne smelled the aroma of food the moment she headed downstairs."Come and have breakfast." When she heard Edith call out to her, Yvonne walked over to the dining room. A feast had been laid out on the table.Yvonne was stunned. "D-Did you make all of this?""Yes!" Edith wiped her hands on the apron and said with a smile, "When I was with the Carringtons, I often asked the chef for tips and learned from him. "I don't know if you would like any of the food I make, so I made a variety of them.""You've made too much food." Yvonne walked over to the table and asked curiously, "You were one of the Carringtons' daughters-in-law. Why would you need to make your own food?""Grandma is a picky eater. I don't know why, but she liked my cooking, so I used to cook quite often," Edith explained with a smile.Yvonne furrowed her brows. Agatha must have just done it to make things difficult for Edith. Edith's family was quite wealthy too. When she had married Otto's
Yvonne led Edith into Galarinx Hotel. Once they entered the private room, Yvonne and Nicole greeted each other.Nicole looked at Edith and asked Yvonne hesitantly, "This is the designer you told me about?"Edith immediately recognized Nicole's voice as the same one she had heard over the call the other day. She immediately felt awkward. "Uh… Ms. Princeton, right? I'm really sorry for calling you a scammer when you called me before.""It's fine." Nicole chuckled. "Perhaps the way I said it caused a misunderstanding."Edith immediately waved her hand. "No. I just didn't believe that anyone would want to work with me, let alone a huge company like Miller Jewels. How would I dare to?""Have you not done this before?" Nicole was slightly surprised.Edith said honestly, "No. I used to be a housewife. How would I have had the chance to do such a thing?""A housewife?" Nicole was baffled. She immediately realized how hurtful her tone was and corrected herself. "It's not that I have
A week later, Edith signed a collaboration agreement with Miller Jewels. Her hand wouldn't stop trembling slightly as she signed the papers. By the time she was done, her palms were already sweaty."Mrs. Jenner, congratulations on your collaboration with Miller Jewels." Nicole reached her hand out to Edith.Edith frantically wiped her hand on herself before shaking Nicole's hand. "Ms. Princeton, thank you for giving me a chance. I'll do my best.""You're being way too polite." Nicole smiled. "If the jewelry exhibition weren't still a secret, we would have at least sent out an announcement about our collaboration with you.""It's fine." Edith waved her hands. "I'm not a famous person. It's better to keep it low-profile. If we were to promote this so much at the beginning, it would just make me feel more pressure.""Let's keep it low-profile, so that we can surprise everyone once everything is ready," Yvonne chimed in. "I believe Mrs. Jenner will surprise us in more ways tha
Stephen had long caught wind of the news that Yvonne was at Miller Villa.Although he still went to work and continued life as usual, he was always thinking about Yvonne. Even Julian could see that he was a little distracted.At the meeting that day, Stephen listened to the presentation while looking at his phone. His mind accidentally drifted…Back then, he had made a deal with Otto at Hope Health Services. They had agreed that Otto would provide him with Yvonne's whereabouts, while he promised not to disturb Yvonne. He could only watch her from afar.Even when Yvonne had been suffering the most, Stephen had been just outside the hospital.He had always been an atheist, but during that period, he had often prayed to God, hoping that He would protect Yvonne and let her suffer less.Perhaps his prayers had been heard; all of Yvonne's surgeries had been a success.And now, she had finally returned.Stephen thought that the days of watching her from afar would be over. Yvonne sh
When the plane landed, it was already midnight.Stephen carried Britney in his arms and walked ahead. Behind him, Linda walked next to Elvin. She tried to chat with him."I saw a lot of news about you online. You're really smart. Will a child like you be able to talk to children your age? You're really like Stephen. Your looks, your brains—""You're really noisy," Stephen and Elvin blurted almost in unison.Linda said in surprise, "Like father, like son!"Elvin cast Stephen an unhappy glance before quickening his steps and walking ahead of them.As she looked at that tiny figure in front, Linda went up to Stephen and said softly, "Stephen, you've been with Elvin for such a long time, yet you still can't get close to him?"Stephen looked at Elvin's back quietly.Elvin had always been a proud lone wolf. Ever since Yvonne's accident, he had closed himself up even more.Stephen wasn't great at communicating with children. On top of that, he had been extremely busy with work. For t
"I-I…" The lady braced herself and handed a business card with both hands. "I really didn't mean to do it. Why don't you take my business card? If any of you need anything…"Stephen didn't bother to spare her another glance. The atmosphere immediately became awkward.Linda looked at the lady and said, "Be careful next time. If you play soccer in a tourist area, anyone could easily get hurt.""I know. I'll be more careful." The lady realized that Linda was more friendly to talk to, so she stuffed her business card in Linda's hand. "Contact me if you need anything. I'll bear the responsibility."Then, the lady left without giving Linda the opportunity to refuse.Linda looked at the card and furrowed her brows a little. "Naomi Chevy. Her name sounds rather familiar. I think I saw her somewhere before." The next second, Stephen snatched the business card away, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the bin.Linda was perplexed. "Stephen, she was apologizing sincerely. You l
When they returned to the room, Stephen had a last-minute online meeting.Linda had initially wanted to take the children to the pool by the balcony, yet Elvin offered to take Britney out."I don't think it'll be alright for you children to go alone, right? I…""Aunt Linda, it's fine! Elvin is really amazing!" Britney was Elvin's number-one fan. In her eyes, Elvin was omnipotent, second only to Stephen.Seeing how trusting Britney was, Linda didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She turned to look at Elvin and said seriously, "Then, you have to call me on your smartwatch if anything happens, you understand?""Okay," Elvin responded. He then took Britney's hand and left the room.Linda looked at them leaving. She felt a little sentimental. If she had grown up with Stephen, perhaps they would have been like Britney and Elvin.She was sure that her eyes would only be filled with Stephen, and she would be happy to stick around him.She never thought that she would be able to catch
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