On the way to the kindergarten, Ariel mulled over it for a long time before finally deciding to send Stephen a message. "I had an event near the kindergarten today. It's over now, so I can pick Britney up. Unless she refuses to see me, I'll take her back to Oceania Villa." Stephen didn't reply after reading the message. Instead, he raised his eyes and stared at SunnyLight Kindergarten in the distance. Julian sat with Stephen in silence. He'd started to sympathize with his boss for some reason. "What's the point of Mr. Anderson coming here just to catch a glimpse of Elvin? He can't even greet his son," he thought, feeling frustrated for Stephen."Mr. Anderson, actually ..." Julian said in a soft voice. "I didn't ask the center to cancel the paternity test. The result is out—Elvin is indeed your son. In this kind of situation, you can file a lawsuit and at least get visitation rights. That way, you wouldn't have to be like now, when you can't even ..." Julian trailed off upon rece
Ariel was playing house with Britney in the living room at Oceania Villa. When she heard Tabitha greeting Stephen, she turned around and looked over. Stephen had just given his coat to Tabitha in the hallway. Upon raising his eyes and meeting Ariel's gaze, he furrowed his brows imperceptibly."Daddy, come here quickly!" Britney called in a sweet voice, which was impossible for anyone to resist. Stephen walked over and sat cross-legged beside Britney, as usual. "Aunt Ariel is here with you today. Do you still need me to play with you?""Yes!" Britney held Stephen's hand and said, "I want to play with Daddy and Aunt Ariel!" "Alright." Stephen chuckled lightly and bent down to kiss Britney's head, no longer able to conceal the doting look in his eyes. When Ariel saw that, she was surprised to feel a pang of sourness in her heart. She cursed herself inwardly, wondering, "What's wrong with me? Why am I getting jealous over a child?" Britney was very energetic and insisted on pl
Yvonne was having breakfast in Miller Villa when she suddenly heard Lloyd's intimidating voice from outside the door. Then she saw Lloyd grab the back collar of a skinny man and kick another man in the foot before forcing him to crawl into the house. Yvonne stood up and walked over. "What's wrong?""I've been feeling like something is amiss whenever I take Mr. Elvin to school these last few days. Today, I finally caught these two jerks!" Lloyd thrust the skinny man in front of Yvonne. "They've been following us lately and taking photos of us with their crappy cameras!" The skinny man, Brandon Gray, was so scared that he trembled all over. "Ms. Miller ... It's a misunderstanding. W—we ..." "Misunderstanding?" Yvonne glanced at the broken lens of the camera and extended her hand. "What did you take? Show me.""We ... We didn't take anything in particular. It's just ..." Brandon hesitated, subconsciously holding his camera. Annoyed, Lloyd stepped forward and snatched the camera
"Are you sure that Yvonne had a child out of wedlock?" Jodie looked at Ariel and couldn't help but feel worried. "It's been a few days since the paparazzi received the news, so why haven't they found anything yet?" Ariel was surprisingly calm. "What's the rush? You know how the paparazzi do their job. They won't rashly post the photos online unless they've got something sensational." "You're right." Jodie smiled embarrassedly. "It's rare for us to get a chance to bring Yvonne down. I'm just eager to watch it play out."Ariel didn't respond and continued to touch up her makeup. After staring at her for a while, Jodie smiled with relief. "Ariel, I'm glad that you managed to figure it out. Kind people are always the ones being taken advantage of. If we continued to let Yvonne have her way, she would only get more arrogant. It's time to teach her a lesson." "I heard that Simone would be joining the dinner today?" Ariel asked suddenly. "Yes. She's interested in this web series to
The director stepped forward and explained, "Simone, be it the female lead's temperament or image, Ms. Clarke fits them perfectly, so ...""So how much is Anderson Group going to invest in this web series? Or should I ask how you're planning to curry favor with them?" Simone asked directly, not giving anyone an out. The director and the producer exchanged glances with each other, unable to argue back for a moment. "It's been a while since I had contact with you, Ms. Moore. I didn't know that you have such a strong bias against me," Ariel said softly. Simone found it ridiculous. "So you are aware that you haven't been working for a long time, Ms. Clarke? If I hadn't met you today, I would've even thought that you were planning to give up on your career and settle down as Mr. Anderson's wife. Did you not have a good time? Is that why you're out here again to fight for work with us?" She was aggressive, and it didn't take long for Ariel to be at a loss for words. "Forget it; I don'
After leaving Euphoria Smith through the back door, Nadia and her friends found themselves in a pitch-black alley. They continued running in a fit of panic and ended up at a dead end after taking a wrong turn. One of her friends was so frightened that she cried. "What should we do?" "Worst case, we'll just fight them!" Still holding a broken beer bottle in her hand, Nadia took a step forward and kept her friends behind her. Then she confronted the men who'd chased after them. "What do you want? We're living in a law-abiding society now. Don't think that you can run away from the consequences!" "Tut!" Benjamin spat on the ground. "You can't run away either! Don't forget that you hit my friend in the private room!" Nadia forced herself to remain calm. "That's because you couldn't keep your hands to yourselves! You guys are a bunch of bastards!" "You're quite a stubborn one." Benjamin reached out and rested his arm on his friend's shoulder while leering at Nadia. "I wonder if yo
The next day, Benjamin went home covered in dirt. He'd been grumbling and complaining nonstop since the moment he'd entered the house.When Hazel heard the noise, she walked over to find the source of it and immediately took several steps backward upon seeing Benjamin. "Ben, what happened to you? Did you fall into a garbage dump last night?" she asked, covering her nose. "No. It was a bitch ..." Feeling embarrassed to talk about it, Benjamin turned around and spat on the ground instead. "Damn it. They'd better not let me find them!"He'd asked Stanley for the surveillance footage before returning home, only to find that the surveillance system had been down for a full upgrade last night and nothing had been recorded. How could Benjamin possibly believe that? He'd gotten into a fight with Stanley on the spot. He suspected that Stanley knew the group of women, but he didn't have any evidence to prove it. Besides, Stanley was Stephen's friend. If Benjamin made a fuss about what ha
"I attended a party recently and saw Katie there as Noah's plus one," Simone said, recalling how arrogantly Katie had approached her that day, as if staking her claim on Noah. Simone thought it was absurd. How could she not know what kind of person Noah was? Katie was nothing more than a vice president of a perfume company, and her family had fallen from grace a long time ago. Simone couldn't figure out what made Katie think that she could act like that.Was it because of the sweet nothings Noah had told her at night? Simone had seen those tricks before. She thought that Katie was just like her past self; it was just a matter of time before she ended up doing what Simone had done back then.Simone was able to think about it a lot more clearly now. "Forget it. Who wants to get married into that despicable, wealthy family? I'd rather focus on my career. Besides, there are so many opportunities out there. Losing one doesn't bring any harm. I'd actually been torn between two script
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