"Is this the so-called software you wanted to talk about?" Even though Caleb was mocking Yvonne, he still headed in Stanley's direction obediently.Yvonne just chuckled softly. "If I'd told you that you'd be meeting Stanley here, you'd have fled in that sports car of yours.""Correction. I would've run over him before fleeing from the scene." Caleb went along with the flow smoothly. He and Yvonne traded glances before smiling at each other.As Stanley watched their interaction, he had an inexplicable feeling that the atmosphere between them was starting to become amorous."Don't tell me you came here to plead on behalf of your cousin."Stanley quickly snapped out of his thoughts as soon as he heard Caleb's voice. He shook his head hastily while replying, "No. I'm here to apologize to you. I had a little too much to drink that night, so I wasn't able to stop Olivia in time. I—""Then you should be apologizing to Rachel instead. Why did you seek me out?" Caleb sat down and crossed
Yvonne drove home that evening. She saw Stephen, who was standing outside Miller Villa, from afar. She slowed down her car right away so she could grab her handbag, which was on the front passenger seat, and throw it to the back.After all, it had files on her prenatal case that she'd just created at the hospital earlier that afternoon, as well as a copy of the nuchal translucency report.Her baby was doing fine, not to mention she only had to go through the procedure of the nuchal translucency ultrasound once. It was a good thing that Yvonne didn't have to worry about her pregnancy.After parking her car next to Stephen, Yvonne wound down her car window as she looked at him. "You seem to have so much free time on your hands, Mr. Anderson."Stephen bent down while gripping the edge of the car window tightly. "Curtis is your subordinate, right?"Yvonne had already been prepared for the question, so she was able to plaster a genuinely confused expression on her face. "Who's that?"
Since it was an emergency, Yvonne quickly washed up before driving toward Miller Jewels immediately.On the way there, she looked through the shopping apps while waiting for the traffic light to turn green. As she scrolled down the search page, she discovered that there were at least a dozen shops selling her company's design drafts.Other than the official jewelry brands with chain outlets, there were countless independent workshops that managed online retail stores in the country. Those online stores took over a huge chunk of the market thanks to their beautiful and cheap designs. They tended to copy the designs of the official jewelry brands, but they used different materials to craft the jewelry so that they could sell it at a lower price.Even if Miller Jewels were to sue them for plagiarism, it wouldn't be effective against the online stores. At most, the shopping platforms would force the stores to stop selling the products.However, the damages and losses Miller Jewels suff
"Nope."Yvonne shook her head in response. "I was able to keep the others under control at the meeting just now, but I won't be able to stop them from gossiping about you. You'll have a hard time working here from now on, so you might as well take the time off and rest at home.""I'm not going home! I'm also responsible for the leak, so I need to stay here and help out with the investigation!" Nicole's eyes started to redden as she hung her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Ms. Miller. It was my fault for not keeping a close eye on the drafts. The company suffered a huge loss because of my mistake.""Traitors who are the closest to you are the hardest to defend against. If we do have a traitor in our midst, you wouldn't have been able to protect the drafts, no matter how hard you tried." Yvonne looked at Nicole at that moment. She had a feeling that there was more to the incident than met the eye. For some reason, a bad premonition kept clouding her heart."Don't think too much about it, Nic
Once Yvonne located Nicole's apartment, she rang the doorbell. However, no one came to open the door for her, even after she'd waited outside for a long time.A bad feeling washed over Yvonne immediately, prompting her to turn around and motion for Lloyd to do his thing. The latter stepped forward to work his magic. A few loud bangs later, he was able to bust the door down.The apartment was plunged into total darkness as the lights weren't turned on. Then again, Yvonne could see a faint outline lying in front of the doorway of the balcony.Alarmed, she bounded toward the figure immediately. Once she got close to the figure, Yvonne was able to smell traces of blood permeating the air, which made her heart skip a beat out of anxiety.Lloyd, who'd trailed in behind Yvonne, finally located the light switch. The moment he turned it on, the entire apartment was flooded with light right away.Nicole instinctively raised a hand to shield her eyes from the bright light due to the photosen
At first, Nicole didn't really want to open up, so she started by talking about the things that Yvonne had heard about in the past.Under Yvonne's guidance, Nicole gradually began to speak about her innermost feelings and thoughts."My parents have always thought of me as a waste of space. They think that women are supposed to marry into other families sooner or later, so there's no need for them to learn so much at school. Would you believe me if I told you that I was forced into a matchmaking session the moment I graduated from high school? They claimed that they'd be able to receive a nice sum of money from my husband's family once I got married. That way, my older brother could get married successfully."Nicole continued, "I didn't listen to them at all. Instead, I ran away from home one night and traveled to the city before finding a job there in order to earn tuition fees for my university classes. I didn't ask my family for even a penny; instead, I gave them a portion of my o
Nicole's family home was located in a rural village, which was a three-hour drive from Northerna City. When the Porsche Panamera drove into the village, its appearance attracted many villagers' attention. It was their first time seeing such a beautiful car drive into the village. Those who were curious followed the car, hoping to see which family the car owner would visit.At that time, the Princetons' house was shrouded in a joyous and celebratory atmosphere. There were banquet tables set outside the house as well as a nice buffet section.The Porsche's tires trampled over the bits of confetti on the road as it slowed down to a stop.Someone yelled, "Carl, a VIP has shown up outside your house! Wow, you're pretty amazing!"The moment Carl and Dorothy Princeton heard the villager's exclamation, they rushed out of the house. Nicole's brother, Roger Princeton, trailed behind them as well.It was apparent that Roger kept up with the times, seeing as he was able to recognize the luxur
Yvonne sidestepped calmly in order to avoid the stick that was about to land on her. Immediately after that, she countered by aiming a strong kick at Roger's stomach.Having received the brunt of the attack, Roger's anger was fueled even more, leading to him lifting his stick and slamming it down on Yvonne.The next thing he knew, a flying kick came out of nowhere and slammed into his body. As a result, Roger and his stick flew away from Yvonne. He landed on the ground heavily and couldn't get up for a moment.Carl and Dorothy panicked upon seeing their son's sorry state. They quickly stood in front of Roger protectively."Beating people up is a crime! I'll call the cops on you!" Carl exclaimed.Dorothy added, "You can forget about leaving this village now that you've beaten Roger up!"Yvonne couldn't help but laugh mockingly upon hearing the threats. "A lot of people have been watching the whole time, you know. Roger was the one who attacked me first. Our actions are considered
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