Yvonne was a little bewildered. "S-Stephen. What are you doing?""What?" Stephen snickered and looked into Yvonne's eyes. "Have you forgotten that we're married? I'm your legal husband. This is well within my rights," Stephen said flirtatiously.Yvonne blushed. Then, she glared at him. "Even if we're married, isn't it still illegal if this is done without my consent?"Stephen smiled, deliberately teasing her. "Why is it illegal?""This would be marital ra…"Rape.Before Yvonne could finish her sentence, she realized that Stephen was just teasing her. She raised her hand, about to push Stephen away. But he grabbed her by the wrist and put her hand on his chest.Yvonne could feel the warmth of his body, even through his shirt. She curled her fingers."Stephen, behave yourself. Don't forget, I could ask for a divorce at any moment."Yvonne gritted her teeth. "Show some respect!"When he heard the word "divorce", Stephen furrowed his brows. He never wanted to hear that word again
After Stephen left, Yvonne took her phone and went online.Only then did she realize that she was trending online. Her name was almost pulling the focus away from the gorgeous jewelry exhibition.After giving it some thought, Yvonne decided to say something. She posted on her social media account to remind netizens to pay more attention to the jewelry exhibition than to herself.However, the comments below were still off track."Ms. Miller, did you know that Mr. Anderson got married?""That bastard isn't good enough for you. I hope you dazzle on your own and shine bright like a diamond!""Don't bring up her ex-husband!"Yvonne had a glance at the growing list of comments. Since she couldn't do anything, she let them continue.Just then, there was a knock on the door. Yvonne put her phone aside. "Enter."The door opened, and Edith entered, beaming at her. She was followed by Otto, who was holding a bouquet of flowers."This is the first time that I've been interviewed by so ma
"You bitch! Why didn't you tell me that you were back? Are we still best friends or not?" Rachel cried while pinching Yvonne's arm and cheeks. "I-I'm not dreaming… You're alive! You're so heartless! How could you vanish for six months? You'd scared me to death, you know that?"I've shed so many tears for you. Even in my dreams, I'd hoped that you would return! I really thought you'd died in the fire!"Yvonne's heart broke when she heard Rachel crying. She wiped away Rachel's tears and coaxed her as if she were coaxing a child."I'm sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn't have left without saying a word. Seeing how we've been friends for so long, can you forgive me this time? I promise there won't be a next time.""You dare do it again?" Rachel glared at Yvonne through her teary eyes. "If you dare to do something like this again, we won't be friends anymore!""Alright, I promise there won't be a second time." Yvonne raised her hand and said seriously, "I can swear on my life. If I—""No
"This issue isn't like all of you think at all." Yvonne felt a little helpless. "Caleb was a little too impulsive.""It isn't the way we think it is?" Rachel was confused. "Then, what is it? Don't tell me you're the one who got married to Stephen."Seeing Yvonne remain silent, Rachel yelped in shock. "It really was you?"Yvonne smiled. "I really don't know how to explain this—""No, don't explain first." Rachel put her hand on Yvonne's mouth. She looked as if her world had just crumbled. She muttered to herself, "You're the one who got married to Stephen. I yelled at him the other day and even called his new wife a bitch."The more Rachel thought about it, the more she lost her mind. She looked at Yvonne bitterly. "Vonnie, you really returned with a bang."Yvonne smiled awkwardly. "I didn't expect this to happen.""You…" Rachel furrowed her brows. "Who was the one who brought up this whole remarrying thing?""Him.""Stephen…" Rachel pondered for a while. "At least he still h
The call was from Agatha.Edith held her phone, suddenly feeling inexplicably nervous. "Otto, should I answer it? Or should I pretend I didn't hear the phone ring?""Hang up." Otto looked at the screen. His gaze darkened. "You've already left the Carrington family. You're free to do what you want to do. You don't owe her any explanations.""But—" While Edith was still hesitating, Otto reached out his hand and rejected the call.Soon, another call came in. Otto rejected it without any hesitation and blocked the caller as well."In the future, you don't have to answer any of Great-Grandma's calls. If she has a problem with it, I'll deal with her."Otto placed Edith's phone back into her bag. "Mom, you've just started a new life. I don't want you to be affected by any negativity."Edith was moved. She looked at Otto, her eyes brimming with tears. "You are the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me in life."…When Agatha heard her call being rejected once more, she was furio
After Chelsea ran off, Agatha took all her anger out on Heidi. She reproached Heidi for not being able to control her daughter.After Heidi was yelled at, she returned to her room. She called Chelsea, only to hear an automated response. Chelsea had switched off her phone. Heidi was so furious that she threw the phone on the floor.She'd initially thought that if she told Agatha the news about Edith taking part in the jewelry exhibition, Agatha would get even angrier at Edith. She'd thought that she would be able to gloat by the side.Who would have thought that Edith wouldn't answer Agatha's phone call?Not only had Heidi not been able to gloat, but she'd also been infuriated by Chelsea. She'd been on the receiving end of the wrath that was supposed to be for Edith.The more Heidi thought about it, the angrier she got. She said through gritted teeth, "Edith Jenner, don't think that you're all that just because you took part in a jewelry exhibition!"Heidi's eyes gleamed malicio
While Yvonne was still stunned, Elvin came to stand in front of her. With tears welling up in his eyes, he looked at her indignantly. "You're back, so why didn't you come to look for me? Don't you want me anymore?"Yvonne's heart shattered into pieces when she heard what Elvin said. She quickly bent down and put her hand on his shoulder. "No. How could I not want you? I'm just—""Your voice…" Elvin was a little bewildered. This wasn't the voice he'd heard on the internet!Yvonne was stunned. She opened her mouth, but she no longer dared to say another word.Rachel immediately went up to him and explained, "Elvin, your mother's vocal cords were damaged after the fire. Her voice had been altered during the jewelry exhibition. "She didn't mean to not contact you. She just wasn't ready to see you yet. She was worried that you wouldn't be able to accept her as she is right now."Rachel looked at Elvin before turning to Yvonne. She felt inexplicably upset.When Elvin heard Rachel's
After sending the message, Yvonne didn't look at her phone again. She cuddled Elvin and fell asleep peacefully.…The next day, they were woken up by the sound of the doorbell ringing.Yvonne got out of bed. She got Rachel to help the children wash up while she headed downstairs to open the door.She thought that Edith must have returned and opened the door without looking through the peephole. The sun shone on her, blinding her a little. She squinted her eyes and saw Stephen's face, much to her surprise. "W-Why are you here?""You took my children away. Can't I come over?" Stephen asked in retort and entered Miller Villa.Yvonne came to her senses. She quickly tugged on Stephen's arm. "Did you tell Elvin about our relationship?""No." Stephen looked at her. "Before the jewelry exhibition, you didn't let me reveal that you'd returned, right?""You're right." Yvonne nodded. "I didn't expect that you would even hide it from Elvin. Does that mean he—"Thinking back about Rache
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