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?"
Before Stephen could say anything, Yvonne instinctively covered his mouth with her hands. "I'm enjoying the beautiful fireworks. Don't spoil my mood," Yvonne warned.She fixed her eyes on the fireworks as she avoided Stephen's eyes.However, she was too distracted to watch the fireworks. With a frown on his face, Stephen stared at Yvonne for a moment. His steely gaze pinned her in place. Yvonne was lost in thought when Stephen suddenly grabbed her wrist. Since the children were on the terrace as well, Yvonne didn't want to make a scene. Hence, she followed him. Stephen closed the glass doors and pulled the curtains, blocking them from view. He pressed Yvonne against the floor-to-ceiling windows and pinned her hands above her head. She looked at Stephen sternly. "What are you doing?" "Even if I spoil your mood, I still have to say it. Yvonne, I like you. I was going to tell you five years ago, but you left before I could do it. Now, I won't give you a chance to avoid it
After the holidays, Yvonne struggled to tell Elvin that she was going on another business trip. However, Elvin seemed to have figured out Yvonne's thoughts. During breakfast, he asked, "Mommy, are you going on another long trip?"It had been less than a month since Yvonne's last departure.Elvin had already known that Yvonne wouldn't be able to keep her promise, but he held no grudges against her.He looked at Yvonne with clear and bright eyes. "Mommy, you don't need to worry about me. I won't be upset. You can do whatever you want. I can't do anything to help you, but I don't want to hold you back either."Yvonne was shocked. She didn't expect a five-year-old child to be so understanding.She ruffled Elvin's hair and chuckled. "Thank you for understanding, sweetheart.""Then, as a reward ... could you tell me what the bad man said to you that night?" Elvin asked tentatively.Yvonne immediately frowned. "Kids shouldn't ask too much about adult matters."Elvin shrugged his sho
Thomas looked up at Katie. He didn't recognize her at first. Instead, he pushed her away with his hand."Don't block me!"Katie was shocked, but she quickly reached out and grabbed Thomas' arm. "Dad, it's me, Katie!"Upon hearing Katie's name, Thomas snapped out of his daze. He seemed excited. He tightly held Katie's hand with his one functioning hand."Katie, why are you here? I thought you didn't want me anymore!""I ..." Katie noticed the empty sleeve on the other side of Thomas's arm and couldn't help but feel heartbroken. "I've been a bit busy, so I couldn't visit you. Do you still remember the mining area you used to work at? I've taken over and am now in charge.""I remember." Thomas nodded repeatedly.Seeing his reaction, Katie hurriedly asked, "Do you also remember who owns that mining area?"Before she could finish her sentence, Thomas reacted as if he had seen a ghost. He pushed Katie away in a panic. He trembled all over."No ... I don't know ..."Thomas shook h
On the day of the meeting, Katie carefully applied exquisite makeup. She wanted to leave a good impression on the new boss.Standing outside the office door, Katie wore what she believed to be the most appropriate smile. Then, she respectfully pushed the door open and entered the room.The next second, Her smile froze on her lips.Katie's eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"Yvonne sat on the couch with her long legs crossed elegantly. She radiated an air of authority. She raised her eyes to meet Katie's, her red lips curling into a smirk. "Aren't you here to meet me?""You ..."Katie's mouth hung open for what felt like an eternity. The new boss she had been eagerly waiting for turned out to be Yvonne!Seeing Katie's surprised expression, Yvonne seemed quite satisfied. "That's right, I'm the new boss of the mines!"For a fleeting moment, Katie wished to close her eyes and return to the past.This reality was even scarier than a nightmare!"Aren't you here to
"It's ... It's impossible ..."Katie shook her head relentlessly. She had been running the business so well. How could she have incurred a loss of 84.5 million dollars?Yvonne's smile deepened when she saw Katie's pale face. She felt satisfied.Since Katie had taken over the mines, she had been eager to expand the market domestically. She had transformed from a gem dealer to a jewelry dealer within a few months.During this time, Katie had focused entirely on the domestic market, leading to a backlog of accounts in the mines.There was no doubt that she would be surprised to see such a substantial figure.Yvonne tapped her fingers on the table. "The accounts are clear and detailed. If you don't believe it, you can find a trustworthy accountant to look through them again."Hearing this, Katie glared at Yvonne fiercely. "I don't have any money! Take my life if you want to."Seeing her being stubborn, Yvonne smiled. "You better assess where you are when you say something like that
In the following week, Yvonne stayed at the border mining area to handle some affairs. She had just taken over the entire mine. There was still a lot she needed to learn. She had to thoroughly grasp the situation to effectively plan for the upcoming projects.This morning, Howard hurriedly entered the office. "Ms. Miller, I got it!"Yvonne looked up. "Yes?""A woman called Emma Bass had contact with Mark back then. She had illegally immigrated to the border and settled here. I've arranged for her to come and meet you."Listening to this, Yvonne stood up excitedly. "Great! Arrange a meeting at a nearby restaurant. There's nothing good to entertain her in the mining area.""Sure, I'll take care of it."Howard was about to leave but suddenly remembered something else. "By the way, Katie returned to the country last night. She spent several days in the mine and at the market. I don't know what she's up to.""There's not much she can do in my territory. She's only passing the time
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