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
"Here you go!" Elvin returned the phone to Naomi. "Thank you, Aunty. I suddenly remembered our room number!"Naomi was baffled. She accepted the phone stiffly, unable to come to her senses. "So suddenly?"Elvin nodded. "Hmm. We should head back. Otherwise, our dad will worry." Then, Elvin took Britney's hand and left. The moment he turned around, the feigned innocent expression on his face vanished.Naomi felt like she had been played as she watched them leave. She picked up her phone and made a call. "I'm not doing this anymore! You should get someone else!"Her assistant frantically snatched her phone and hung up right away. "God damn it! Calm down. This is such a rare chance. Don't get too worked up!""Don't you see it? Those two rascals were definitely playing me! I almost forgot that the boy is a genius. How could he be lost?"The more Naomi thought about it, the angrier she became. "He was just making fun of me!""Why are you getting angry with a kid?" Her assistant stuf
That night, "Stephen Anderson's New Love" started trending on the internet.Every major entertainment news outlet wrote an article about it, with a clear photo of Naomi and Stephen at the airport.Soon, "Naomi Chevy" was also trending. Naomi had a surge in followers on her social media page like never before."Sure enough, rich old men like young ones.""Her? What's wrong with Stephen's taste? This plastic surgery face is barely anywhere as good-looking as Yvonne Miller's! How could she compare to Yvonne?""Stephen is stuck in a rut! This newcomer has nothing other than being young!"Even though most of the comments were about Naomi, her increasing popularity still made her team excited.They could never have imagined that her fame would reach such heights, compared to the lukewarm situation in the past.However, some were happy, while others were not.When James saw the news, he immediately contacted Naomi, but he couldn't reach her."Fuck me!" James clenched his phone tight
Yvonne answered the call. "Mr. Carrington, are you calling to ask about Mrs. Jenner?""Hmm." Otto smiled. He said rather bitterly, "I haven't been able to reach her for the past three days. So I had no choice but to look for you.""I barely see her more than twice a day, even though I live under the same roof as her, let alone you."Yvonne could smell the aroma of food in the air. She went over to the dining room to see some food on the table. There was a post-it note next to it too."I didn't dare to disturb you, but I took the liberty to make breakfast for you. If it has already turned cold, reheat it in the microwave."After reading the note, Yvonne touched the bowl. The temperature was just nice. She pulled up a chair and took a seat. "Mrs. Jenner has been busy changing her designs and making clothes. I'm afraid she won't have much time to call you."Then, Yvonne couldn't help but tease Otto, "You're not blaming me for taking advantage of your mother, are you?""Of course,
That night, Yvonne and Edith finally met in Miller Villa.When Edith entered with a bag of groceries and saw Yvonne sitting in the living area, she was a little surprised. "Are you not working in the studio today?""I'm getting some rest." Yvonne looked at the groceries in Edith's hand. "How did you even have the time to go get groceries?"Edith smiled and said, "It just came to my mind, so I went for a quick run to the store.""I'll come and help you." Yvonne got up and headed to the kitchen with Edith.Soon, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.While waiting for the soup to be ready, Edith wiped her hands and went over next to Yvonne. She asked hesitantly, "Ms. Miller, did you see the news?""Hmm?" Yvonne looked at her. "What news do you mean?""Just… entertainment news or some sort." Edith didn't want to put it so bluntly, so she pretended she didn't really understand much. "I heard the young people talking about some young celebrity marrying into a rich family or
At the same time, Naomi's team was extremely anxious. They held an emergency meeting through the night.Naomi sobbed anxiously. "I-I… I don't know what happened. M-My phone broke on its own."Her assistant was helpless. "Stop crying. Now that things have come to this, what's the point of you crying?""I-I'm telling the truth. I was still using my phone to watch the news in the afternoon. Then, all of a sudden, a series of codes appeared!"Naomi thought back about how she hadn't been able to control her phone. She was frightened. "It was as if my phone were being controlled by someone else. It opened the app and took screenshots. It was terrifying!""The technicians are already dealing with your phone. We'll see who's messing with you." Her assistant sighed. "But, even if we find out who it was, it's pointless. The company just called me."Naomi grabbed her assistant's hand. "Does the company have a solution?"The assistant looked away, not daring to look into Naomi's hopeful
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