The surgery took more than six hours. Yvonne could barely stand after that.The doctor she met at the entrance came up to help her. With great respect, he said, "Why don't you take a break before going out?""I'm fine."After Yvonne gently pushed the doctor away, she looked back at Curtis. Her teary eyes were filled with guilt.Curtis was badly injured and paralyzed from the waist down. Yvonne tried her best, but she hadn't been able to save him.At that moment, she hated herself for being powerless.Curtis had risked his life to protect Caleb because of her order, but she couldn't even let him walk again. How was she supposed to face him when he woke up?After she left the operating room, Yvonne told everybody about Curtis' general situation.Lloyd took it the hardest. He grabbed Yvonne's arm emotionally and asked, "Ms. Yvonne, you're kidding me, right? You're so great. How can you not help Curtis? He loves to play sports so much. He'll go crazy if he can't stand up anymore.
Yvonne pressed her hands against Stephen's chest, trying to push him away with all her might. She glared at him. "Stephen! I'm warning you! I'll break your arms!"Stephen licked the corner of his lips, looking at Yvonne devilishly."If you talk some more, I'll kiss you even more.""You …" Yvonne was so furious that she was at a loss for words. She truly couldn't reason with this lunatic!"I had Julian check on the surveillance footage of the entire incident. The van was clearly headed for Caleb. The police arrested the perp, but he said that his brakes just lost control."Stephen said slowly, "Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence?"Yvonne said nothing, but countless thoughts were running through her mind.Caleb had only been looking into Mark's past, and Mark was going to have him killed! This was a warning. At the same time, it was also a clue.Mark's past was untouchable. That meant that it was very likely that it had something to do with Yvonne."What are you thin
That night, Yvonne only managed to fall asleep by hugging Elvin. Her sleep was disturbed by many dreams, each more absurd than the other.The following day, the ring of the doorbell woke Yvonne up. Opening her eyes, she felt as if a long time had passed. She collected herself before getting out of bed and walking out of Elvin's room.When she opened the door downstairs, Yvonne was stunned to see who it was. "Gwen, you …""If I were to come any later, who knows what trouble you would have gotten yourself into?" Gwen had immediately arranged for a private jet when she'd heard of the news yesterday. She was afraid that if she were to arrive any later, Yvonne would get herself into some major trouble.She walked past Yvonne and entered the house. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me and not be reckless? How could you get an outsider to check on Mark's past? Yvonne, you crossed the line!"Gwen was furiously nagging at Yvonne. Turning back, she saw that Yvonne wasn't saying a single wo
Before Stephen could press the doorbell, someone opened the gates. He said politely, "Mr. Anderson, welcome."It seemed like Mark had already known that he would come.Stephen followed the man into the mansion. Julian, on the other hand, had been held back outside the gates. He looked at Stephen worriedly. Then, he spoke into his wireless earpiece: "Everyone, stay on your guard."On the top-floor terrace, Mark was swirling a shot of alcohol in his hand while leaning against the railings. He casually counted the number of guards surrounding the mansion.When he heard footsteps approaching him, he smiled and said, "46 men. Who would have thought that the great Mr. Stephen Anderson would be so afraid of death?"Stephen stopped in his tracks behind Mark. "I'm not afraid of death, but it would be too stupid if I were to die because I didn't protect myself around a man like you."Mark bawled out laughing. "It's a great honor that you see me that way."He turned around, and their eye
"I want 15% of Anderson Group's shares."Stephen's expression changed instantly. He remained silent for a while.Mark sneered. "So, Yvonne still has a price in your heart. I thought it would be priceless. I was too—""Okay," Stephen interrupted Mark.Mark was stunned. Then, he chuckled. "You're one generous man!"Stephen glared at him coldly. "I hope you stick to your word. If not, not only will I make you pay, but you'll also have to pay back a thousand times more.""Of course, don't worry, Mr. Anderson." Mark stopped smiling, looking arrogant. "I'm not the shady type of businessman.""You better keep to your word." With that, Stephen walked away.Mark watched as Stephen left. He slowly drank the rest of his alcohol and sneered.As Stephen returned to his car, he was no longer that tense, but his stomach started to hurt. He clutched his stomach through furrowed brows.Julian could smell the alcohol. He asked worriedly, "Did Mark force you to drink?"After Yvonne had lef
Gwen had only dropped by for a short time; she had to return to Sardonia the next day. Knowing she couldn't make Gwen stay, Yvonne decided to drive her to the airport instead. Before leaving, Gwen brought up Curtis. "Don't blame yourself too much. Curtis would never blame you in his entire life. Yvonne, you tried your best."Yvonne couldn't understand the deeper meaning of her words. She only thought that Gwen was trying to comfort her. She smiled, seeming to relax. "I'll care for him. Don't worry. Once he comes around, I'll let you know."Gwen patted Yvonne on the shoulder. "Let me know if you need help. I'll help you secretly investigate Mark.""Hmm." Yvonne nodded. "Thank you, Gwen. Please be careful. If …""Don't worry. I've been in Emerald Group for so many years. I won't do things recklessly. You just look after yourself." Gwen looked helpless and said, "Forget worrying about me. It would be good enough if you didn't make me worry about you."Yvonne was amused. "It's t
Yvonne turned around to see a huffing Katie coming at her. She thought to herself, "Speak of the devil."Katie quickly walked over to Andy, as if wanting to stand up for him. She looked at Yvonne sternly and said, "So, you know?""About your collaboration?" Yvonne asked in amusement.Katie couldn't stand Yvonne's arrogance. She said with a frown, "If you're here to make Andy pay for this, you're being unreasonable. So what if he's your mentee? He's still the boss at QT. You're a nobody here. "He doesn't need to ask for your permission to work with anyone. You have no right to interfere with his decision."Katie thought what she'd said was extremely reasonable. Yet Yvonne found it funny. "So you knew that I was once Andy's mentor?In that case …" She deliberately paused and raised an eyebrow at Andy. "That means you should call me master too."Andy was exasperated. He glared at Katie. Could she not cause further trouble?Katie was infuriated. "Yvonne, how could you be so un
"Noah, look!""Do I need to teach you manners? Don't you know how to knock before entering?" Noah rebuked.Katie was stunned and froze on the spot with the contract raised in her hand. She didn't know how to react. "I—I just had good news I wanted to share with you. I didn't do it on purpose."Noah's heart was beating wildly. He looked at Katie coldly for a while. He collected himself and looked less grim. "What is it?"Katie immediately handed him the contract. "Have a look! This is the contract between me and QT. I'll be supplying them with the gemstones for a year."Noah furrowed his brows. So, what Katie had said in bed the other day hadn't just been something impulsive."Where are you getting the gemstones from?""Didn't I tell you that my father sent me some money?" Katie sat down and explained it to Noah with a smile. "I traced where the money came from and found my father. He was in the mining business at the border. He has great-quality stones. "My father isn't so
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