The two men led Otto to a private room. When the men left, Otto pushed through the door and entered. Before he could scan his surroundings, Calbert grabbed Otto in a headlock."Bastard! You haven't been answering calls or replying to my messages. How dare you?""I've been busy recently," Otto explained. He looked up to see Yvonne and Stephen sitting by the table. He was a little surprised. "Why are all of you here?""You weren't answering my calls either."Yvonne leaned back with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Even though her posture seemed lazy, she still carried herself with an authoritative air.She raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're thinking of going up against Mark alone?""I can still deal with it right now, so—"Before he could finish, Calbert knocked him on the head and said angrily, "So, if we hadn't looked for you, you would've probably died in Mark's hands before you even thought of us.""Mark can't touch me." Otto said calmly, "Although Great-Grandm
Mark would never be able to go up against all the other seniors in Carrington Group with Agatha's help alone. Furthermore, Otto had their support. At a moment like this, his humble attitude would only make the others want to help him more.After all, they had all witnessed Otto's capabilities. Mark, on the other hand, was just a stranger to them. What was more, he was also a cripple.Otto allowed Mark to work at the company to provoke the senior family members in the company. Only once they became anxious would they try to make Mark's life difficult and make him back down.Yvonne had organized her thoughts in a short time. When she noticed Otto remaining silent, she knew her guess was right."If Mark was just any ordinary person, your tactic would work flawlessly." Yvonne said pensively, "But he won't just sit there and take it. If Cory and the others are here to look for him, his next step is to hit back."Otto furrowed his brows. "He's just returned to the family. He wouldn'
That night, the plane Cory and Jane were on landed safely.They walked one after the other, with a few bodyguards trailing behind them, escorting them out of the airport.Jane was the first one to notice Mark, who was waiting by the side of the road. Cory was about to get into the car when Jane pulled him back. "Cory, I saw an old friend."Cory followed her line of sight and saw Mark smiling at them, but his gaze remained frosty.Mark had been missing for such a long time, so his appearance there was clearly not a coincidence.Cory's heart sank. He turned to look at Jane. "Was he the one who told you to bring me here?""Cory." Jane held his arm with both hands. She had a demure expression. "I was afraid you would say no to me, so I didn't tell you before. I met Mark a long time ago. He's the one who told me about Yvonne's identity."At that moment, Cory furrowed his brows even more. No wonder. No matter how much he'd investigated, he hadn't been able to find out who Jane had c
After saying that, Cory ignored Jane the whole way through.The atmosphere in the car was so tense that Jane could barely breathe. She could only catch her breath when Cory finally got out of the car.She was just about to open the door when she heard Cory instruct his men. "Keep an eye on her. Wait for me to return.""Cory!" Jane yelled out. "Why won't you let me come with you?"Cory ignored her and entered the restaurant with Mark.As she saw Cory enter the restaurant, she slowly realized that she had once again hurt him by betraying his trust.…Mark and Cory entered the private room one after the other. Mark deliberately got his men to stay out of the room to show his sincerity."I've put in a lot of effort just to see you tonight." Mark said slowly, "Calbert's men have been keeping a close eye on me. If I don't come up some way, I won't be able to shrug them off my back."Cory asked subconsciously, "Isn't he trying to capture you?""Yes, that was the case before." Mark p
It was Monday, the day Mark started work at Carrington Group.Early in the morning, Agatha pulled him aside and said in concern, "I'm still worried. Why don't you let me come with you—""No need." Mark smiled and declined. "No one in Carrington Group has their elderly dropping them off at work.""You can't think of it that way." Agatha furrowed her brows."I've been in touch with all those people recently. I can see that they're quite prejudiced against you. They aren't willing to support you at all. I'm just afraid that you'll be bullied at the company."I mean, Carrington Group belongs to this family. It's pointless, even if they don't support you. I'm just—""Great-Grandma, I know you're worried, but this isn't the right time." Mark placed his hand on Agatha's shoulder and gently consoled her. "I'm not a coward. I won't be easily bullied.""But…" Agatha hesitated for a while before sighing. "Alright then. I'll trust you, but you can't make me wait too long.""Alright." Mark
"You!" Otto was furious. As he was about to pounce on Mark once more, Zac appeared at the door and said, "Mr. Carrington, Mr. Montgomery is looking for you.""Okay," Otto replied through gritted teeth.Before he left, he looked at Mark intently and tugged on his tie in annoyance.Zac found it odd. Otto usually looked gentle and composed. He would never lose his cool like that.Seeing Otto leave, Zac quickly caught up with him. "Mr. Carrington, what happened just now?""Nothing." Otto entered the elevator. He suppressed the anger in his heart and soon collected himself.He asked casually, "Why is Bartholomew looking for me?""He didn't say, but I'm guessing it has to do with the new vice president." Zac looked at Otto and asked tentatively, "Mr. Carrington, is the vice president really your long-lost cousin? I hear that he's a cripple. He even wants to—""Why are you telling me about the gossip in the company?" Otto asked warningly. Zac immediately lowered his head. "I'm sor
The meeting was held at Carrington Group the next morning. At that moment, the meeting room was bustling with discussion.The second Mark stepped through the door, the discussion stopped. He calmly walked to his seat as everyone watched.Even though he could clearly sense all of them looking at his limp, he still took every step calmly, as if it did not bother him.When he took his seat, Otto and the other senior members walked into the meeting room.Everyone immediately looked at them with respect.Otto stood by the main seat. He glanced at Mark before saying, "Before the meeting starts, I would like to welcome the new vice president, Mark Miller. Let's give him a round of applause."Otto started applauding, yet Mark didn't even stand up to show him any respect at all.The applause started to sound hesitant. Everyone looked at him suspiciously.How arrogant was the new vice president? He was deliberately disrespecting Otto right in front of everyone.Otto furrowed his brows a
The sound of high heels clicking on the floor seemed powerful.Yvonne walked ahead with Stephen behind her.She looked stunning, while he looked regal. The sudden appearance of outsiders naturally attracted everyone's attention.Yvonne walked over to Otto and took off her sunglasses. "I'm sorry for the intrusion. I hope you don't mind.""Y-You…" Someone recognized Yvonne. "You're Ms. Miller of Miller Jewels!""Yes, I'm Yvonne Miller." Yvonne's red lips curled into a smile. "I’m also the only Principal of Emerald Group. I'm sure I don't need to introduce all the businesses in my hand to all of you, right?"Everyone shook their heads. They didn't need the Principal of Emerald Group to introduce Emerald Group to them.As things stood, Emerald Group was an internationally renowned company. Every conglomerate wanted to work with them.However, rumor had it that the person behind Emerald Group was the CEO of Anderson Group. Since when did it become Yvonne Miller of Miller Jewels?So
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