Conan said calmly, "I want to see Stephen."Julian furrowed his brows. "Mr. Anderson isn't available to see you now. Please go."Conan was stunned. He asked stiffly, "Hasn't he been looking for me?""He was looking for you before." Julian didn't want to explain too much to him, so he chased him away. "Please leave. I won't let you see him."Conan pressed on. "What happened to Stephen?""Just go."Seeing Julian retreating, Conan immediately stepped forward, but the door was slammed in his face, leaving him bewildered. The night before, Conan had mentally prepared himself and thought about all the scenarios that could happen when he faced Stephen. He'd mustered up the courage to head over to Oceania Villa, only to … have the door slammed in his face! He hadn't even seen Stephen yet!Conan looked up with curiosity. What did Stephen mean by this?When Julian returned to the room, he saw Stephen was already sitting up and looking at the iPad. Julian was stunned and frantically ran
The entire Anderson family was in chaos, yet Stephen didn't show up at all. In a fit of rage, Philip took Charles and Camille to Oceania Villa.On the way there, Camille sent a message to Yvonne saying that Conan had been taken hostage by Stephen at Oceania Villa. When they arrived, it was already past midnight. Philip led the group, so no one dared to stop him. Julian retreated to the living area. "I've already said it on the phone. Mr. Anderson didn't see Conan, let alone take him hostage."Camille wouldn't listen to him and immediately yelled up toward the staircase. "Stephen. Come out now! You didn't have the guts to go to Anderson Mansion because you have a guilty conscience, right?"Stop yelling!" Tabitha went to stop Camille. "There's a child at home! You'll scare her!"Camille continued yelling, "Stephen! Come out now! Return Conan to me! What you're doing is evil, and you'll definitely get what you deserve!"Upstairs, Stephen put on a robe and walked out of the room w
In the end, Charles led Camille away while she continued to cry and yell. Before Philip left, he looked at Stephen for a while. "Stephen, remember, we don't kill each other in this family."There was no way Philip would have said this if he trusted Stephen.Stephen remained silent as he watched them leave. Julian went over to Stephen. "Sir, after I received their call, I went to the security room to check on the footage. I found out that part of the footage data is missing. Conan didn't appear in the footage. Do you think he could still be here?"Seeing how Stephen didn't respond, Julian lowered his head. "I shouldn't have gone to check on my own …""Go and find out." Stephen said coldly, "No matter what their intentions are for taking Conan away, they're trying to pin the blame on me."After all, Conan had vanished after coming to Oceania Villa. The people behind it must have prepared for a long time to have executed it so well. Those people weren't after Conan. They were aft
They were very close to each other, and their eyes met. Yvonne could see all the emotions in Stephen's eyes. The anger, disappointment, and grievances—all these emotions suddenly made the usually aloof and cold Stephen seem a little warmer.Yvonne was a little in a daze. She somehow found this version of Stephen a little adorable. At that moment, he looked like a huge dog who'd gotten hurt. Who could stand that?People with flawless skin were deceiving!She was just about to say something when someone knocked on the door."Stephen, are you inside? Can I go in?""Ms. Clarke, Mr. Anderson is still resting …" Julian was sweating profusely. Who would have thought Stephen's fiancée would come looking for him right after his ex-wife had just entered the room? They would be caught red-handed!Inside the room, Yvonne tried to break free once more, but Stephen grabbed hold of her hand tightly.Yvonne was baffled. He was still a sick person. How could he still be so strong?"Julian will
That night, it rained heavily in Northerna City.Just as Yvonne was still thinking of a way to contact Mark, the doorbell rang. Lloyd opened the door to see a figure lying on the ground outside the gates. He quickly went out in the rain to have a look. He flipped the person over and instantly exclaimed, "Ms. Yvonne! Curtis!"Yvonne and Curtis heard him and went over. When they saw who it was, they were stunned.Conan was passed out on the ground, and his face was covered in blood!Yvonne bent down to do a simple check-up. Just by touching him, she could feel there were a few broken bones. Who knew what other hidden injuries he'd suffered?"Call an ambulance!" Under such circumstances, he had to be sent to the hospital for a radiograph!…At the hospital, Yvonne stood in the corridor, watching as the medical staff took Conan for a CT scan. The breeze that blew by was extremely cold. She couldn't stop shivering.Curtis carefully put a jacket on her. "He'll be fine."Yvonne said
Yvonne still wanted to retort when Stephen's voice rang out nearby. "No need to look for me. I'm here."Everyone looked at Stephen coming over without any expression on his face. He stood next to Yvonne, protecting her subtly, and said in a low voice, "I didn't do this to Conan."Camille rushed over to him and raised her hand, about to slap Stephen, but he grabbed her by the wrist."I'd admit to it if I'd done it, but I didn't do it, so don't even think of putting the blame on me."Then, he shoved Camille back and cast her a cold glance as she fell into Charles' arm.Charles was furious. "If it wasn't you, who would have done this?""I'm still looking into it." Stephen said calmly, "I was afraid that those men would come after Yvonne and her son, so I arranged for people to guard Miller Villa. Tonight, they dropped Conan off and ran, but my men have already gone after them."Stephen had received news from his men, which was why he'd rushed over to the hospital. He was afraid tha
After making sure that Conan's life wasn't in danger, Yvonne and Curtis returned to Miller Villa.Stephen watched them drive off in the rain. Soon after, he received a call from Julian."Sir, our men lost them, but we checked the surveillance footage. The car came out of an abandoned factory. We found the weapons at the crime scene too."While talking to Stephen, Julian looked up at the metal chain hanging high above. He could roughly make out the blood stains on it. He felt a chill run down his back. "I've already contacted the police to come and collect fingerprints.""Hmm." Stephen looked at the gloomy sky, his expression matching it. He didn't have much hope, even though he was investigating it. Those men had done a thorough job. They wouldn't have left such obvious clues as fingerprints. Even if they had, he still might not be able to get to the most important person, the maniac who terrified Yvonne. …A week had passed,and Conan had recovered enough to finally communicate
That night, it was Camille's turn to head home to Anderson Mansion to rest.The moment she entered, Hazel approached her. "I heard Coonan wanted to see Yvonne alone?"Camille looked at her. "How did you know?" Hazel replied with a smile, "I have eyes at the hospital. I'm worried about Conan too, so I got someone to check up on him. I don't mean anything else by this."Camille didn't believe her. She looked away and ignored Hazel. Hazel continued, "Don't you think it's a little strange that Conan insisted on seeing Yvonne after getting beaten up? Could this have anything to do with Yvonne?"Camille was instantly infuriated. "Hazel, if you're mad that you lost to Yvonne, go after her on your own. Don't try to provoke me into dealing with her for you. Let me tell you, anyone could have hurt Conan, but not Yvonne!"Then, Camille left in a huff, leaving Hazel in a daze.What had happened? Why was Camille being so nice to Yvonne?…That night, hackers got into Hopeful Faith's pla
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