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
On the same night, a screenshot of a group chat conversation was leaked online. However, the internet was being closely monitored, and it was intercepted before any of the netizens could see the screenshot.Caleb looked at the information his subordinates had submitted and saw that the IP address was from the internal management of Johnson Talent Agency. Meanwhile, Curtis had also managed to get leads indicating that the rumor originated from there. All the clues were clear.Caleb showed the screenshot to Yvonne and said, "They're probably thinking of spreading the news through the fans' group chat. Things like this are pretty common in the entertainment industry. There aren't any photos, so they rely solely on making things up." When Yvonne saw the name of the group chat, she clicked her tongue. "So it's really Ariel." "When did she find out that I have a son? But it seems like she doesn't know Elvin's true identity yet. That's why she's doing whatever she can to spread the ne
"What?" Ariel was so shocked that she almost shot up from her seat.If Yvonne hadn't held her down, everyone's attention would have been on them by now. "If you insist on making a big deal out of it, I can't stop you," Yvonne said calmly. "I'm just concerned that Stephen will end up being criticized for abandoning his wife and son. All the heat will be directed at the Andersons. As the instigator, I doubt you'll be having a good time either. " "You ..." Ariel suddenly grabbed Yvonne's wrist and squeezed the words through gritted teeth. "Don't try to scare me. You aborted your child with Stephen a long time ago. How is it possible ..." "You can go and ask Stephen about it. He took my son to a paternity testing center not long ago." Ariel's face gradually turned pale. It had never occurred to her that Stephen was the father of Yvonne's son. She couldn't believe it!"Don't worry, Ms. Clarke. I'm not interested in Stephen or the Andersons, nor have I ever thought of using my child
Nadia had given Yvonne an invitation card at the beginning of the month. Yvonne had also heard from Rachel that Bernard and Judith had spent a lot of effort and money to pave the way for Timothy in the city. A lot of influential figures in Northerna City were supposedly attending the banquet this time. Rachel tried hard to persuade Yvonne to attend it with her and Andrea, Stanley's mother, saying that Andrea had been wanting to know her.Yvonne couldn't refuse the warm invitation. Hence, she got ready that night and waited for them to pick her up. Andrea started praising Yvonne nonstop from the moment she saw her. "I've always heard Rachel talking about you. Now that I'm seeing you in person, I realize that she's actually been quite modest in her praises for you." Yvonne smiled. "You're flattering me, Mrs. Smith. Rachel often mentions you to me too. She's lucky to have such a good mother-in-law like you." "It's our fortune that Rachel was willing to get married to Stanley. I jus
"Children keep the family together; they're the hope for the future!""Look at how spoiled women are nowadays. They're afraid of getting married and giving birth. When they reach our age, they will understand how good it is to have a child."Yvonne spared a glance at Judith and clearly saw the hint of cunning laced in her eyes. "Tsk, so she planned this," Yvonne muttered inwardly. "Regina, if you hadn't been held up by that bastard, you probably would've had kids going to school by now, right? Just like ours." "Exactly. What a pity. You wasted the best time of your life, Regina." Although the women appeared to sympathize with Regina and sounded like they felt sorry for her, their biting remarks were harsh. Regina couldn't help but look displeased. "Why are you in a hurry to teach people how to live their lives? Do you even understand the lessons taught by the elementary school teachers?" A casual voice came through. Everyone turned to look at Yvonne. One of the women coul
"Bitch, it's you! Don't think that I hadn't been able to recognize you just because it was dark that night!" Benjamin gripped Nadia's wrist tightly. "Let me tell you; I have keen eyesight! Come to the police station with me now! I want to sue you for intentional injury!" "What do you mean by 'intentional injury'? At most, I was just sorting out trash!" Nadia retorted and seized the moment to kick him in his private parts. Benjamin howled in pain. He instinctively let go of her hand and jumped to the back. "Bitch ... You're going to pay for this!"Nadia made a face at him and turned around to run away. However, she bumped into a group of wealthy women who'd come by to check on the situation. Regina stopped her. "Didn't I tell you to get some beverages? Why did you end up in a fight with someone?""Aunt Regina, he's a jerk! He took advantage of my friend at Euphoria Smith last time. I'd taught him a lesson, but he still doesn't seem to regret his actions! He even had the nerve to
The door was suddenly pushed open, startling everyone in the room.Stephen stepped into the room, as composed as ever. "Since we're resolving a conflict between the Andersons and the Dawsons, how can I not be around?"Noah straightened up and said faintly, "It's settled now. I don't think there's any need for you to get involved."Looking at Benjamin, who was still bowing, Stephen said, "Is this a show of sacrificing a family member for the sake of justice? I didn't expect you to become more and more unprincipled, Noah." Noah frowned. "What do you mean?""I mean exactly what I said." As soon as Stephen entered, he completely overshadowed Noah. He wasn't doing anything to conceal the aggressiveness he emanated. The atmosphere, which had been relatively harmonious until a moment ago, was now filled with tension. Yvonne was rendered speechless. She wondered if this banquet was going to end up as a place for the Andersons to confront each other. "Yvonne, I feel like these two m
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