"I went to the gemstone market. I initially wanted to get some stuff, but I bumped into the woman who captured me at the bar the other night," Jane replied to Cory before Benji could say anything."I was still angry about that incident, so I got into a quarrel with her. I'd only said a few words when she attacked me!"Jane pursed her lips, looking aggrieved. She grabbed Cory's hand and placed it on her waist. "I was thrown to the floor. My hip hurts so much it's about to break."Cory was still looking at Benji. He asked coldly, "Why didn't you bring that woman back?""He wouldn't dare!" Jane interjected once more. "I was being stepped on by that woman, yet all he did was try to talk her out of it!""Was that really the case?" Under Cory's cold gaze, Benji hesitated. He subconsciously glanced at Jane.Cory made up his mind. He rubbed Jane's hip and sent her away. "Get the household staff to deal with your injuries."Jane pursed her lips. "Will you stand up for me?""Let me
The next evening, the lights of the gemstone market had just lit up. The gemstones sparkled under the lights.Yvonne was still checking on the gemstones in Charlotte's stall when a figure appeared."Ms. Miller, might I ask if you have the time right now?"Yvonne looked up. She immediately recognized the man as one of Cory's men from the day before."Hmm?""Cory is right outside. He can't come in. I'm sure you understand why." Benji smiled. He was afraid that Yvonne might have other concerns. He immediately opened his coat to show her. "I didn't bring any weapons, nor did our men outside. Cory just wants to talk to you."Yvonne sized Benji up and furrowed her brows. "Cory's looking for me? Is he seeking justice for Jane?""I don't really know why he wants to talk to you, but the fact that he came to Calbert's territory on his own shows how sincere he is about this meeting. "Besides, with your fighting skills, we won't be able to capture you."Benji had witnessed Yvonne's per
"I'm just curious about Emerald Group's Ms. Y." Cory smirked. "Besides, you left a huge impression at the auction."Yvonne finally understood what he was hinting at. He was there to settle an old score."The rule at auctions is that the highest bidder wins. I can't bear to part with the pink diamond, so I had no choice but to offend you."Yvonne smiled. "Why don't you pick a high-quality gemstone at the market? Consider it a token of my apology.""There's no need for that, Ms. Y. It's fine," Cory said calmly. Yvonne couldn't discern any emotions in his tone. She went along with him. "Thank you for letting me off the hook back then and for not being petty with me."Cory looked at Yvonne in confusion. Judging by her words, he guessed that she didn't know that Stephen had secretly helped her."You let Jane go yesterday. Consider us even." Cory paused for a while. "I know your grudge with Jane runs deep.""Letting her go doesn't mean anything." Yvonne said, "Ms. Ford has a strong
"Uh…" Jane felt sheepish. She stuttered for a long time, but she still couldn't find her words."The gemstone market is Calbert's territory. You only took a few men, yet you had the audacity to provoke Yvonne. Only she will let you go."Cory held back his anger. He enunciated, "You could have died there, and I wouldn't have been able to rescue you."If Yvonne hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have realized that her actions the day before showed how little she cared about his men's lives. He could sacrifice his men in battle while trying to fight for power, but never for no reason because of his woman's stupidity.Cory clenched his fist tightly and said coldly, "You'll stay in your room and reflect on your mistakes. When you finally understand what you've done wrong, I'll let you out."Jane was bewildered. "Cory, you can't do this to me. Didn't you promise me you'd help me take down Emerald Group? We're going up against Yvonne. Sacrifice is necessary—""Not all sacrifices are nec
Three days later, Yvonne prepared to return to Northerna City. Everyone in the market was there to bid her farewell, except Charlotte. Betty explained apologetically, "Charlotte went to the mines at the last minute, so she couldn't come to send you off. I'll give her an earful when she returns.""It's fine. The business is more important." Yvonne smiled and turned to look at Calbert. "You still remember what I told you?""Yes, not to let Charlotte—" Halfway through, he received a warning look from Yvonne.He shrugged. "Don't worry. Just go back to Northerna City. I'll continue looking into Mark's whereabouts. I'll inform you the moment I have any news.""Okay." Yvonne got in the car and waved goodbye to everyone. "You can all return to your stalls."…As Yvonne's plane took off, Stephen received the news on his phone.He had just finished reading the message when someone went over to him, trying to look at his phone. Yet Stephen locked his phone screen at that moment.Jam
Yvonne returned to Miller Villa that night. The moment she entered, a fluffy figure pounced on her, and she almost fell to the ground.Then, a wet tongue licked all over her face. There was the smell of soap on the fluffy body.Yvonne laughed from feeling ticklish. "Doodoo, calm down."Edith came out of the kitchen when she heard a commotion. She looked at the scene by the door and laughed. "It's you. You must be tired. Do you want some food? I'm making pasta.""Okay."It took a lot of effort before Yvonne was able to calm the excited Doodoo down. She walked over to Edith. Doodoo was still following her, wagging its tail."Mrs. Jenner, thank you for taking care of Doodoo. You've really taken good care of him.""It's a small matter. Doodoo's a great dog. Giving him a bath wasn't a big deal." Edith looked at Doodoo and smiled. "I guess Doodoo missed you a lot. When you weren't around, he waited by the door all the time, and now he's finally seen you.""I left in a hurry the oth
"If you really want to go back, you can."Edith's eyes brightened. "You think I should go back?""No." Yvonne smiled helplessly. "Of course, I think you shouldn't go back to such a heartless family, but that's just what I think. It isn't what you think."You'd lived with the Carrington family for so many years. It will be hard to cut off all ties with them smoothly. I can understand that you might be missing them."Seeing how Edith looked a little swayed, Yvonne knew that her words had hit the nail on the head."If you really want to go, I can go with you," Yvonne suggested."What?" Edith was a little surprised. "You want to come with me?""What else can I do? Mr. Carrington gave me your responsibility. I must take good care of you. How could I let you go back to the Carrington family alone?"Yvonne pretended to look stern and clenched her fists. "If the Carrington family dares to bully you, I can protect you too."Edith looked at Yvonne for a long time. Tears welled up in her
Agatha was constantly distracted during the next few days after the call.That day, Heidi was giving Agatha an update on the birthday party's preparations. She had asked for Agatha's opinion a few times but received no response.Heidi finally waved her hand in front of Agatha. "Grandma, were you listening to what I said?"Agatha came to her senses. She glared at Heidi unhappily and shoved her hand away. "How rude. I'm listening!"Heidi was unhappy that she had been reproached for no reason. Yet she had no choice but to endure it. She smiled and said, "I was just unsure because you don't seem to have an opinion on this.""I don't have any opinion. Just arrange it." Agatha looked at the guest list on the table. "Just don't invite too many outsiders this year."Heidi looked a little conflicted. She picked the guest list up and handed it to Agatha. "Why don't you have a proper look? These are all close friends of our family. We invite them every year. If we don't invite them this y
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