"Elvin, you don't understand the adult world yet. Go and have your dinner. I'll—""No!" Elvin shrugged Yvonne off and looked at her angrily. "I already said I don't like that evil man. Why won't you listen to me? Why must only children listen to adults?"Yvonne was a little embarrassed in front of Caleb. But she was more angry about Elvin's words. With a darkened gaze, she said, "If you don't want dinner, you won't get it."Then, she ordered Lloyd. "Take Elvin to his room."Lloyd frantically went forward and grabbed Elvin's hand. Even he felt awkward, let alone Yvonne.Elvin still looked indignant when he was taken away. Yvonne looked at Caleb and smiled bitterly. "I'm sorry for that."Caleb looked upstairs and said gently, "You should probably find an opportunity to talk to Elvin properly about Stephen.""There is no need. I don't want anything to do with hi—""Is that so?" Caleb interrupted her, looking serious.Yvonne was a little taken aback. She didn't know why she felt a
Jodie led Yvonne to the side of the van. "Ariel is inside alone. Go in. I'll keep an eye out."For the past two days, the paparazzi had been stalking Ariel like crazy. They had had to go through many detours after leaving the hospital to avoid the paparazzi who were tailing them.Jodie was tense. She was afraid that more things would happen. Seeing how nervous Jodie looked, Yvonne could imagine what a hell of a situation they were in at that moment. They must have been hounded to death by the paparazzi.Yvonne opened the door and got in the van. The lights in the van were dim, but she could see that Ariel's face was as pale as a sheet. She looked rather lifeless in the dark corner.Yvonne jumped. "You …"Ariel shook her head. "I'm fine." In order to sound more convincing, Ariel forced a smile.Yvonne furrowed her brows. She never thought that a heiress like Ariel could end up in such a haggard state. Ariel said cautiously, "I just want you to say that the things online were n
In her ward, Ariel had just finished breakfast. She was looking much better.Jodie said with a smile, "It seems like a huge weight is off your shoulder.""Hmm, after meeting with Yvonne yesterday, I'm feeling much better."Right at this moment, Katie entered and overheard what Ariel said. She was instantly infuriated. "So it was Yvonne who told you to go up against me! Ariel, have you gone mad? Don't you know who the enemy is?""No, I'm thinking as clearly as ever." Ariel said indifferently, "This time around, I finally see people for who they are. I guess ending up in the hospital was worth it.""You …" Katie was infuriated. "You've been brainwashed by Yvonne! I've already said it! I was doing it for your own good! Everything was going well, you—""I can't afford this kindness from you." After a night of thinking, Ariel felt extremely peaceful at that moment. She no longer wanted to be used by anyone."Katie, if you want to go up against Yvonne, do it on your own. Don't use
On the one hand, the mines at the borders were shut down. On the other hand, Katie had a huge number of pre-orders online.Everything had always been smooth sailing for the studio. Katie had never expected that the first problem she would encounter would be so tricky.She had three consecutive urgent meetings because of that. All the staff agreed that the studio was a newly founded jewelry brand. So they couldn't fail their customers. It would be a big blow to their reputation.After a discussion, they finally decided on a plan. They would first buy a batch of gems from a gem supplier in the country to get through the crisis.Katie would personally go to the border to understand the situation after that.However, they needed a lot of money to purchase the gems. At the same time, the costs would increase.The business was making a small profit to begin with. After the crisis, they probably would have made quite a significant loss.Seeing that the staff were all a little hesitan
Katie relayed the key points of the meeting to Noah. When she finished, Noah questioned, "Do you still need money?" Katie lowered her head and avoided his gaze. "As the end of the year is approaching, the local gem dealers don't have much stock. Since we need it quickly, they might … "Noticing Noah's anger, Katie changed the topic. "But don't worry! We just need to get through this period. "Once we finalize a deal with the new owner, we will be able to recover this sum quickly. You know that our pre-sale volume this time is very promising. This proves that our brand still has great potential … ""That's enough." Noah didn't want to listen anymore. He had lost his appetite. He felt nauseated just looking at the food on the table. "I can only give you one million dollars, not a penny more." With that, Noah turned to leave. But Katie grabbed his hand. "How is one million dollars enough? Noah, you … "Noah warned coldly, "Katie, don't push your luck." He was warning her that s
"Of course not." Yvonne leaned against the door and met Stephen's gaze. The light reflected from her eyes shimmered radiantly. "After the holidays, Katie would definitely go to the border. By then, I will settle accounts with her … " Yvonne raised an eyebrow and smiled cunningly. "Do you want me to help you catch a big fish?" "What?" Stephen was taken by surprise. His attention was fully focused on Yvonne's smile. He hadn't heard anything she had said just now. "Noah is supporting Katie. If something happens, she will definitely go to him first." Yvonne paused for a moment. "Of course, Noah probably wouldn't care about her, considering his personality. But Katie is no fool. I believe she has a backup plan." At this point, Yvonne asked, "What about the investigation regarding Mr. Anderson Senior falling into the water?" "There were no footprints of another person by the lake, so the police concluded that Grandpa had slipped and fell into the water. However, I doubt this ma
It was the holidays. The Miller Villa was brightly lit and filled with a celebratory atmosphere. Yvonne had brought in a private chef to prepare a delicious spread for the table. Although Elvin had a proud personality, he was still a child. He couldn't resist the festive vibe of the holidays. He played with Lloyd in the living room. His rosy cheeks made him look adorable. As it was time for dinner, Yvonne called for Elvin and the others to wash their hands. At that moment, the doorbell rang. Yvonne dried her hands and quickly opened the door. A large pot of narcissus flowers appeared before her. Britney was holding the flower pot with both hands. Stephen had another hand supporting the flower pot underneath as well. Britney peeked out and greeted Yvonne sweetly, "Happy holiday, Aunt Yvonne!" Her heart melted at Britney's words. With a smile, she replied, "Happy holiday to you too." "Daddy says we are to have dinner together." Britney laughed happily. Yvonne was puzz
Yvonne snorted and said, "Did you think I would look forward to your surprise and fall for the suspense?" As she spoke, she turned her face away while sipping her tea. She pretended to be disinterested. However, once her curiosity was piqued, it was difficult to suppress the anticipation. Yvonne lost interest in her tea. She put down the cushion and ran over to Elvin to play with the firecrackers. In the soft glow of the lights, Yvonne's smile looked radiant. She wanted to light the crackers, but she seemed a little afraid of it. With one hand on her ear and the other dragging Britney, they ran away before the firecrackers exploded. Yvonne and Britney clapped enthusiastically when the firecrackers went off. At that moment, Stephen felt the woman before him right now was the true side of Yvonne. She was meant to have such a brilliant smile. "Mr. Anderson." Curtis' voice interrupted his thoughts, and Stephen snapped back to reality. Turning to him, Stephen asked, "Yes?"
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