Yvonne was by the entrance of the coffee shop. She looked at the rainy sky, letting the cool breeze wash over her."Ma'am, do you not have an umbrella?" A server asked in concern. Yvonne turned to look at the server.He smiled and handed her an umbrella. "Take it. You're a guest of Ms. Doyle. We can't just let you go out in the rain. The weather around this time of year is usually quite bad. You should remember to carry an umbrella with you the next time you head out," he said kindly."Thank you." Yvonne accepted the umbrella and looked at the server leaving. A thought slowly came to her. She should pay her respects to her grandparents soon. But how was she going to face Truman this time?When she returned to Miller Villa, she headed straight for a room, saying she had no appetite for dinner.Everyone there noticed that something was off with her. Perhaps she had gotten into some trouble. Curtis and Lloyd discussed it among themselves for a long time but came to no conclusion.
Stephen said nothing further. He walked past Elvin and headed upstairs."I'm not done talking to you. Don't go …" Elvin was interrupted when Curtis came over and gave him a look. He said, "Since you think that Stephen made your mommy unhappy, you should let him deal with this. I'm sure you understand, right?"Elvin pursed his lips and muttered reluctantly, "Yes."He had called Stephen over because he understood. He couldn't bear to see his mother cooped up in her room all day without drinking or eating.Elvin looked upstairs, hoping that Stephen could properly cheer his mother up. If not, he would make Stephen pay!In her room, Yvonne heard a knock on the door. She popped her head out of her covers. "I don't want to eat. You guys go ahead."However, the knocks didn't stop. Annoyed by the constant knocking, she got out of bed and opened the door. She was stunned when she saw Stephen. "W—why are you here?""Elvin said I was the one who made you unhappy, so he got me to come and
The light rain poured continuously for more than a week.That day, it finally stopped. Stephen headed to Miller Villa to pick up Yvonne. He bumped into Elvin, who was standing by the door, staring at him.While Yvonne was packing up, Elvin warned Stephen sternly, "Don't you dare bully my mommy."After the last time Stephen had come to the Miller Villa, Yvonne had finally come out of her room and started eating.Although Elvin was reluctant, he had to admit that Stephen indeed had a way to cheer his mother up.Stephen looked at Elvin, finding him extremely adorable. Elvin was truly his mother's protector. He was just about to say something when he saw Yvonne coming out in a black dress. Elvin turned around and headed inside.Yvonne walked over to Stephen. "What did Elvin say to you?""He told me to look after you." Stephen turned around and opened the car door. He chuckled gently and said, "You brought your son up well."Yvonne was confused. "What?"Stephen offered no expla
"That child is the real Mark Miller, right?" Stephen asked."Yes." Yvonne nodded. "The real Mark Miller has been dead a long time ago. The Mark Miller now …"Perhaps he was just a substitute for Jennifer.Thinking about that, Yvonne furrowed her brows. "Do you think Mark knows about this?""You might have to ask him." Stephen looked at Truman's grave with mixed feelings."If Mark doesn't know about this, the truth might very well destroy him."If a child who had grown up holding a grudge was suddenly told that the grudge he had been holding was all fake … Anyone would lose it.Especially Mark, who was such an arrogant man. He might react in an extreme manner.Yvonne and Stephen had the same thoughts. They had decided that they wouldn't bring it up with Mark unless necessary.After all, no one knew what the consequences were for messing with a monster. No one could afford to bear the consequences, either."Let's go," Yvonne said, walking away.Stephen took one last look at th
After that day, the weather got better. The temperature rose once more.Yvonne rested at home for a few days before returning to Miller Jewels. She had just entered her office when Nicole came in."Ms. Miller, there's news about Katie Jewels again."Nicole handed the iPad in her hand to Yvonne. Katie Jewels' official social media had announced half an hour ago that they would be collaborating with Lexi Doyle. They said that they wanted the public to fully enjoy the true national style of jewelry.Yvonne furrowed her brows. So Katie had wanted to see Lexi at the art exhibition back then because of this?"Do you think that it's too much of a coincidence? Our new collection is focused on our national style. By announcing this, isn't Katie Jewels clearly trying to go up against us?" Nicole was furious. Katie Jewels had damaged the reputation of many jewelry brands in the industry with their so-called resistance to selling at premium prices.At that moment, they were going after Yvo
Soon, the server added another set of cutlery for Yvonne. Sensing the odd atmosphere in the room, he left quickly.Katie sneered. "I never thought that you would be so shameless, Ms. Miller. All just to snatch a deal."Yvonne smiled. "If you want to talk about shamelessness, who could compare to you, Ms. Jones? If you had any sense of decency, you wouldn't try to drag Ms. Doyle down with you."Katie's expression changed. "What nonsense are you talking about?""I'm just stating a fact." Yvonne put her hand on the table and leaned back in her chair. She looked relaxed yet domineering at the same time.She glanced at Katie teasingly. "Say, does Ms. Doyle know that the news of her collaboration with Katie Jewels has been published all over the internet?"Lexi was baffled. "What?""I see. Ms. Doyle doesn't know about it." Yvonne smiled. "It looks like someone had planned to act first and ask for forgiveness later."Katie was indeed in the wrong on this matter. She had intended to
Yvonne reacted quickly. She grabbed Katie by the wrist and snapped it back.Katie felt as if her joint was dislocating. She was in so much pain that she gritted her teeth. "Yvonne, let me go!"Yvonne smiled. "Let you go? Do you think I'm an idiot?"She cruelly added pressure to Katie's hand. A crack sounded, and Katie let out a miserable wail!Yvonne let Katie go, and the latter slumped to the floor. Yvonne looked at her icily with a smile. "Katie, treat this as a lesson. Just stick to your lane and do your business. Don't constantly think about trying to go up against Miller Jewels. Who the hell do you think you are? You're nothing to me."With that, she turned and left.Katie looked at Yvonne's back with reddened eyes. Suddenly, she felt discomfort in her stomach, and she hurled, puking all the tea that she had drunk a moment ago.She furrowed her brows and looked at the puddle on the floor. Her mind was in a mess.…That afternoon, Katie Jewels took down the news about th
Katie Jewels was the butt of the joke now. The next day, they were the gossip of the day for everyone in the industry, including Miller Jewels.The entire design department was talking about the incident that morning. Nicole brought coffee for Yvonne, wanting to chat with her about the incident. But she bumped into Yvonne on a call."Ms. Doyle, you're being too polite. To be honest, I had my own selfish reasons for stopping you from signing the contract. A great artist like you helping a competitor is too huge of a threat to me."Yvonne stayed on the phone and gestured to Nicole to place the coffee on her desk."Are you serious? If you really want to do it, it would be our honor."Upon hearing that, Nicole was reluctant to leave. She looked at Yvonne eagerly. Was Lexi Doyle going to work with Miller Jewels? That would surely piss Katie off to no end!"Sure, we'll have to talk in detail. I'll find some time to visit you."After a few more exchanges of pleasantries, Yvonne hung
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