The phone rang for a while. Otto collected his thoughts before pressing the answer button on his steering wheel.Soon, Yvonne's voice rang out in the car. "Mr. Carrington, how's it going on your side?""Did Calbert tell you?" Otto asked."Yes." Yvonne replied swiftly, "Mrs. Carrington Senior went to the airport to pick him up. I guessed she was prepared to take Mark back to meet the Carrington family.""You're right." Otto's tone was calm, but Yvonne was stunned. "Y-You're saying that Mark has already returned to Carrington Mansion?""Hmm. Great-Grandma even gathered the entire family to welcome him." Otto looked ahead. His eyes were dark. "I never expected that she would be so anxious to make him the heir."Yvonne was shocked. "She took back your powers on the spot?""No. Mark stopped her." Otto paused for a while before adding, "I'm guessing he's trying to move forward by taking a step back. He knows that Great-Grandma wants him to become the heir, so he's in no hurry. B
Yvonne forced a polite smile. "Then, what good ideas can you share with me, Mr. Anderson?""None at the moment." Stephen answered so straightforwardly that Yvonne didn't realize that he was messing with her.By the time she came to her senses, he had already left. "Stephen Anderson!" she yelled.Stephen didn't look back. He smirked teasingly. Lloyd, who was standing far away and waiting, saw Stephen smirking. He couldn't help but be curious. "Mr. Anderson, what are you smirking about?""Something interesting," Stephen replied before patting Lloyd on the shoulder. "Let's go. I'll take you to the infirmary.""Okay," Lloyd said. He walked along with Stephen by his side. He could tell that Stephen seemed much more relaxed. He was smiling a little more, too."Mr. Anderson, you must be happy that Ms. Yvonne has returned to you, right?"Stephen looked at him. "Is it that obvious?"Lloyd nodded seriously. "When she wasn't around, you were as frosty as an ice sculpture. You didn't
Just as Yvonne was about to ask Rachel more, Chelsea came into her view on the video call. Rachel took the opportunity to hang up."Where is Aunt Edith?" Chelsea asked.Rachel placed her phone down and replied, "Mrs. Jenner took the children to kindergarten. Your breakfast is on the table. It should still be warm.""Oh," Chelsea replied, feeling rather unhappy.Rachel sensed something amiss. She turned to look at Chelsea. "What is it?""Nothing." Chelsea grabbed her hair, looking rather annoyed. "I just find it boring. Aunt Edith acts like a nanny all day. I have nothing to do."Rachel furrowed her brows. "How could you say that about your aunt? No matter what, she's your elder.""Well, she is. All she does is cook in the kitchen, take the dog for walks, and look after the children. None of this is proper work. I would rather she return to Carrington Mansion."Chelsea had woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. She blurted out whatever was on her mind."If I had kn
Yvonne went to bed with a mind full of questions. The next day, she entered the meeting room on time. The moment she entered, everyone greeted her loudly in unison, "Hello, Ms. Y!"Yvonne was startled when she heard the fuss. She stood by the door in a daze. It took her a while to come to her senses."Ms. Y, why are you standing there? Come over and start the meeting!" Garrett said cheerfully. Yvonne snapped out of it and scanned the faces of the executives there.Compared to the previous meeting, everyone's expressions looked much better this time. Their eyes were filled with trust and determination.In the end, Yvonne's gaze lingered on Stephen's face. He was sitting in his seat, seemingly unfazed by everything that was happening around him. With his elbow propped on the table, he rested his head on his hand and looked at her lazily. It was as if he were asking her, "What? Is there anything else that you're unsatisfied with?"Only then did Yvonne realize that she hadn't s
Stephen's eyes darkened; perhaps he had seen through Yvonne. "We had agreed that I would return your assets to you in exchange for marrying me. I can't go back on my word. So, you deserve everything. You don't have to be in such a rush to be calculative with me. Besides…" Stephen went in closer to her and looked her intently in the eye. "I've said it before. We're husband and wife. This is our joint asset. From the moment you remarried me, there has been no clear division of what belongs to who."His eyes were like a black hole. If one went too close, they would be sucked into them.Yvonne was in a daze for a while before looking away uneasily. "I'm not being calculative. I just think that you've done so much for me. I should return the favor. Of course, if you don't want it, I won't force you. After all, I don't have much time—""Since you want a chance to repay the favor, treat me to a meal."Yvonne was astonished. Wasn't he refusing her kind offer a moment ago? How had
"Are you talking about the burns or the tattoos?" Yvonne tiptoed a little, showing off the tattoo on her leg through the high slit of her dress.She lowered her eyes to look at the tattoo and smiled ambiguously. "Compared to the burns, the tattoo didn't hurt at all."Stephen, I know you blame me for leaving without saying goodbye, but if I could go back, I would still make the same decision to leave. "Perhaps to you, I'm heartless, but if I had stayed at Hope Health Services, I wouldn't have survived."Yvonne smiled in a feigned casual manner. "It's good that you're doing well now too. You're successful. You weren't affected by me."If she had chosen to stay at Hope Health Services back then, Stephen would have definitely chosen to stay by her side all the time. If that had happened, he wouldn't be who he was at that moment. Emerald Group wouldn't have become what it was at that moment either.At that thought, Yvonne was happy that she'd made a smart choice. The pain that she
When Yvonne answered the call, she heard Edith say anxiously, "Ms. Miller, did you know that Mark has returned to the Carrington family? "Do you know what's going on? I've called Otto, but he wouldn't tell me what's going on! He's made me really angry!"Yvonne was stunned. "How did you find out about this?""Chelsea told me. Heidi came to look for her and told her about it."Edith was worried. "Grandma took Mark back home. She will surely want him to take over the family business. What will happen to Otto? He has worked so hard for so long—""Mrs. Jenner, please calm down." Yvonne consoled her gently. "Mark's return to the Carrington family is nothing unexpected. Mr. Carrington must surely have a plan. You don't have to worry.""How could I not worry?" Edith was almost in tears. "I'm so far away from him. I don't know anything about what's going on with him. I even had to find out about such a huge matter from Chelsea. Ms. Miller, I really regret leaving Otto. He—""Mrs. Jenn
"Heidi." Edith looked annoyed. "I've already left the Carrington family. I don't need to tolerate your mockery. "It's best if we can keep a good distance between us. We don't need to get involved in each other's lives.""You…" Heidi was furious. "Edith, do you really think that you're great just because you took part in a jewelry exhibition? If you tell people about this, they will laugh at our family! You're just a joke. "I'm being kind by telling you to wake up. Don't get caught up in Yvonne's flattery and lies. If you really embarrass yourself, Grandma won't let you return to the family! By then, you'll have nowhere else to go."Edith had an ugly expression. She said firmly, "Ms. Miller will not lie to me.""Do you really think she sees you for your talents? Think about it. If your son wasn't managing the family business, do you think she would even look at you? "She's helping you because she wants to help herself. She's doing it so that she can ask Otto for favors in the
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