Soon after, Yvonne learned that Dorothy had visited Nicole. Her assistant, Hayden, briefed her on Nicole's situation before cussing up a storm. "Seriously, her family are all leeches! Her father and older brother never bother with job-hunting, whereas her older sister, who's now married, keeps asking her for money from time to time!"Yvonne was silent for a moment. "Tell Nicole to come here.""Okay."Soon, Hayden led Nicole into the office.The latter knew that the news of her mother's visit was now circulating around the company, and she looked very guilty. "I'm sorry for causing a negative impact on the company's reputation, Ms. Miller. I—""This has nothing to do with you." Yvonne flashed the younger woman a smile before gesturing for her to take a seat. "My main concern is that your work performance is being affected due to your family troubles. Is there anything I can help you with regarding that matter?""N—no!" Nicole waved hastily in response. "This is my personal matter,
After having countless meetings in just one week, Yvonne and the design department were finally able to decide on the drafts for the year-end show.That day, Yvonne treated everyone in the department to a meal in order to reward them for their hard work. She'd intended to attend the gathering as well, but she received a phone call from Philip at the last minute. He informed her that Elizabeth was feeling unwell and requested Yvonne's assistance.Only when Yvonne arrived at Anderson Manor did she notice Stephen there as well. As she gazed at Philip's smiling expression, she had a feeling that the latter had planned the whole thing deliberately.Meanwhile, Elizabeth lay on her bed in her room with one hand pressed against her chest. She looked like she hadn't been able to catch her breath.After Yvonne checked the old woman's vitals and grabbed her medical bag, she heard the latter muttering in disbelief, "Are you sure you can do this?""If you don't trust me, you can always ask Haz
"Camille's the reason why my mother died in labor. I witnessed her slipping drugs into my mother's food. I was too young back then, so I didn't have the strength or the ability to stop Camille from doing that."After that, Charles locked me in my room because he didn't want me to meet up with the police, who were investigating the case. Hence, I jumped out the window from the third floor and broke my legs in the process. Still, I cried and screamed at the top of my lungs that Camille was the murderer, but—"At this point, Stephen started chuckling coldly. "Charles claimed that I was too emotional from losing my mother at such a young age, and that was why I was babbling nonsense."Many years had already passed since the incident, yet Stephen refused to recall those painful memories.After all, the years when he'd been forced to endure all the torment at Robinson Residence, watched his own mother die due to birth complications in front of his own eyes, and witnessed Camille get marr
That day, Curtis and his men moved to a village that was still within the city district. Someone showed up outside their rented apartment right after they left.Yvonne was relieved upon hearing that Curtis and his subordinates had transferred their base of operations successfully. At least Stephen wouldn't be able to track down Curtis for the time being. He wouldn't confront her as long as he didn't have any substantial evidence.Now wasn't the time for Stephen to find out the truth.The moment Yvonne put down her phone, Hayden strode into her office, ready to report the latest news to her. "Ms. Miller, we've received the compensation from Jones Jewels. The jewels that Mr. Oatway purchased for us have been transported to Bright Gems."Naturally, receiving a barrage of good news put Yvonne in a good mood. "Alright," she replied smilingly. "Mr. Jones would never expect that the stock he'd sold at such a low price would end up in our hands." Hayden felt satisfied and happy for Yvonn
Katie left the ward after reassuring Monica. A moment later, Thomas raced out of the ward in pursuit of his daughter. "Katie, I'd like to talk to you about something!"Katie stopped in her tracks before turning around to see her father stopping in front of her. "What is it?""I noticed that Rising Sun Group has been collaborating with jewelry brands, so I was thinking—"A frown appeared on Katie's face before Thomas could finish his sentence. "Don't tell me you're planning on asking Rising Sun Group to collaborate with Jones Jewels.""Precisely!" Thomas replied happily. "Jones Jewels is our family business, after all. Now that it's in a state of crisis, can you help—""Nope." Katie had a serious look on her face. "Dad, don't you think that your request is outrageous? Don't you know how prestigious the jewelry brands with which Rising Sun Group has collaborated over the past few years are? Jones Jewels never managed to reach the threshold in the past, much less now! You haven't
"It was nothing." Xavier tore his gaze away from the study. All he'd done was ask his grandfather a couple of questions, yet the latter had gotten so enraged. It seemed that the person Arthur was financially supporting overseas was very important to him.Since that was the case, Xavier intended to find out who exactly that person was.He said to Jasmine, "I have an appointment tonight, so I won't be staying for dinner."Before she could react, he descended the stairs and disappeared from her line of sight. For some reason, Jasmine felt anxious all of a sudden.She turned back to look at the study while recalling Arthur's words. Having been in the family for many years, she was all too familiar with his temperament. Arthur's words hadn't seemed like an empty threat. He sounded like he'd definitely do as he'd threatened.Jasmine started worrying about her son. What on earth did Xavier say to Arthur to make the old man react as if he'd stepped on his tail?…When Xavier stepped int
A hand reached out from next to Yvonne and Rachel at that moment just to push the door open."Are you here with the wine? You can just enter the room right away."Both women were stunned upon hearing the words. Then they noticed the woman with short hair walking into the private room. Based on the woman's figure, Rachel recognized that she was Stanley's older cousin, the one who'd been exceptionally close to him at his birthday party.Thanks to that woman's appearance, Rachel's good mood was spoiled immediately. Her brows were tangled into a deep frown as she wondered if Stanley's cousin had mistaken her and Yvonne as the bar waitresses.Before Yvonne could react to what had happened, Rachel followed the short-haired woman into the private room immediately.The woman soon sank onto the spot next to Stanley while whining to him coquettishly, "Why did you drink so much, Stanley? Don't you know that alcohol is detrimental to your health?"Stanley shot the woman a dazed glance. "Why
However, Olivia wasn't scared of Yvonne at all. Instead, she stood up with the intention of fighting back.With her hands folded in front of her chest, the woman smiled mockingly at Yvonne. "I know Stanley has a crush on Rachel. Young men like him love beautiful women. It's very natural for him to have that sort of preference. Then again, if a certain someone thinks that she can marry into the Smith family just by relying on his meager feelings, then it's a huge mistake on her part. She's nothing but a mere starlet. It's best for her to give up while she can.""What gave you the idea that she's just 'a mere starlet'?" A cold voice rang from the couch.Everyone was surprised when they heard the question. They turned around to look at the source of the voice.Caleb leaned against the couch. Even though he wasn't sitting the most elegantly, the way the light was cast down on his gorgeous looks, which had a strong hint of brutality, made him look exceptionally attractive and enticing.
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