In the end, Yvonne never bothered replying to Noah's messages. She could tell that he was just looking for excuses to meet up with her. Anything that could spark a scandal tended to happen in private meetings, not to mention that Noah was still seeing Katie. If Yvonne were to get involved with him even for a second, she would definitely get dragged through the mud.Once Yvonne was done discussing the details of the foundation with Regina and the others, she returned to Miller Villa on her own. She recognized the Maybach parked outside the gates from a long distance away. Surprised, Yvonne stepped on the gas pedal and drove toward the Maybach.Just as Stephen got out of his car, a sports car slowed down to a halt in front of him. It had sped in his direction so quickly that it caused a whirl of dust and grime to fly behind it. When Yvonne wound down her car window, she almost choked on the smoke and dust. She coughed a few times before finally asking, "What are you doing here?"At th
Yvonne frowned at Stephen, having realized that she could no longer predict his next move. He must have sensed her gaze, seeing as he turned around to look at her inquisitively right away.Forcing herself to remain calm, Yvonne asked casually, "So, the Anderson family knows about El's background now, huh?""Yeah. I told them the news," Stephen replied honestly. He even sounded quite righteous for some reason.Annoyed, Yvonne retorted, "Why did you leak the news? Aren't you going to marry Ariel soon? How does spreading the news benefit you anyway?""Hazel received the news from an unknown source. She told everyone that you had a child out of wedlock. She even said that you gave birth to a—" Stephen didn't want to say those two words, so he decided to skip that part. "That's why I admitted to being the father."Stunned by the revelation, Yvonne asked immediately, "Have you ever taken into consideration how Ariel would feel if she were to hear about the news?"Stephen remained nonch
That evening, Stephen walked out of Miller Villa while carrying Britney, who was fast asleep in his arms. The little girl continued to hug her doll tightly as she slept."Sorry for the disturbance." After he nodded slightly at Yvonne to convey his apology, he got into his car right away.Yvonne stood in the glow of the setting sun while watching the Maybach cruise away. She spent a few precious seconds regaining her senses before realizing that Stephen had brought his illegitimate daughter here to play with her son.Not only that, but he'd also maintained a respectful distance from both Yvonne and Elvin. Was it truly something Stephen Anderson was capable of doing?Regardless, this incident was just a false alarm. Stephen wasn't here to look for Conan at all. Yvonne heaved a sigh of relief before closing the door behind her and heading into the villa.Meanwhile, Elvin was typing away on his laptop in his room. He wore a pair of headphones as well. One could easily tell how serious
After Julian answered the phone call, he turned to report to Stephen. "Conan has gone to visit Camille, but we can't capture him because there are people protecting him."The moment Stephen had found out about Conan's return to Qynea, he'd arranged for two groups to carry out different missions. One group was in charge of tracking him down, whereas the other group would stalk Camille. Just as expected, the men ended up locating their target.Stephen looked up slightly. The light shadows cast by his thick eyelashes made his beautiful eyes look even more mysterious and unpredictable. Julian could only swallow dryly. "What should we do now?" he asked."Are those people Curtis and his subordinates?" Stephen asked.Julian nodded in response. "Yes." It was then that he remembered having driven past a nice Volksagen on the way to Miller Villa earlier, causing him to slap his head in realization. "Conan's hiding out in Miller Villa! Mr. Anderson, should I make arrangements for our men to—"
Meanwhile, Camille bawled her eyes out the moment she returned to the living room at Anderson Mansion. Charles was comforting her softly with an arm wrapped around her shoulders. "Don't cry. It's not a serious—""How can I not cry? This is all my fault! Why did I marry you in the first place? Now, my own son can't come home even if he wants to! Not only that, but he has to constantly worry about his own life as well!" Camille turned to look at Philip with reddened eyes. "Dad, you have to help Conan! He's your grandson as well! You have no idea just how much he's suffering right now!"The woman continued to lament about Conan's suffering. "When Conan had been sick, Stephen didn't bother letting him off the hook! After that, my dear son spent five years abroad just to hide from his own brother! Even though things have already come to this point, Stephen is still dissatisfied! What the hell does he want? Is he really planning on killing his own brother?"Poor Camille screamed the last
Yvonne had just returned from the design department at Miller Jewels when she bumped into Noah, who was holding a bouquet of flowers. Several secretaries' eyes were glued to his form from their positions in the secretarial office. When they realized Yvonne had started to approach them, they quickly returned to their respective cubicles.Yvonne glanced at the flowers. "What is the meaning of this, Mr. Noah?""I texted you, but you never replied to me, so I dropped by for a visit." Noah handed the bouquet to Yvonne. "I didn't want to come here empty-handed, seeing as I'm visiting you. I hope you like the flowers."However, Yvonne had no intention of accepting the bouquet. Instead, she stared into Noah's eyes. "Thank you for the flowers, but I'd prefer it if you could stop doing things that only make people misunderstand our relationship.""It's just a bouquet of flowers. There's nothing to it." Noah chuckled softly in response. "Our relationship is as professional as it can be. I'm n
After Yvonne handed the bouquet to Hayden, she invited Hazel into her office. Of course, she specifically instructed Noah to wait outside. Hazel followed Yvonne into the office angrily. The reason she'd come to Miller Jewels was to warn Yvonne to stay away from Noah. Unexpectedly, she'd ended up catching both of them in the act.It was a good time for Hazel to drop all pretenses and officially make things clear once and for all. She wanted to prevent Yvonne from looking for more opportunities to continue pestering Noah in the future.With that thought in mind, Hazel grabbed a chair and sat down. She even slammed her bag heavily onto the desk to intimidate Yvonne into silence. However, the latter didn't seem to mind her act of dominance at all. A smile curled her lips as she said, "Now that we're the only ones in this room, we can finally start negotiating properly."Negotiating?Hazel's expression darkened immediately. "What right do you have to negotiate with me? Who the hell do y
"I think she has a point," Noah started in a relaxed manner. "I also wish to know how much you value me."Hazel was taken aback. "What on earth are you talking about?""It's nothing. I'm just suddenly a bit curious." Noah slowly straightened up his tie. However, his serious expression suggested that he wasn't joking. Since Yvonne wanted to blackmail Hazel, he didn't mind helping her. If Yvonne wanted money, so be it. Noah even considered it an act of sincerity on his part. To him, giving her money was way easier than giving her love.Hazel stared at Noah in disbelief and wondered, "He's my beloved son. Why … why is he acting like a different person? He's always remained logical in a relationship. He'd never been as unprincipled as he is now. He's siding with an outsider, for crying out loud! Did Yvonne give him some sort of love potion?" Hazel didn't utter a single word more as Noah drove her back to Anderson Mansion.Hazel was like a lost soul, even pushing away Noah's hand w
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