Half an hour later, Yvonne walked out of her room. She signaled an attendant over. "Go and get the gown I wore for the party the other night from the dry cleaners."Stephen had just stepped out of the elevator at this moment. He overheard Yvonne giving out the orders. After the attendant left, Stephen went up to Yvonne and asked, "Is Katie in your room?""How did you know?" Yvonne was stunned. She hadn't told him about her plan."Noah has been looking for Katie. Some people have been talking. They couldn't find her on the ship, so they think she might have fallen into the sea." Stephen sounded calm. "I'm guessing this is an act that Noah is putting on. He must have killed Katie last night. And you seem to be waiting for him to act."Upon hearing that, Yvonne laughed. "Sure enough, nothing gets past you, Mr. Anderson.""Did you find out anything from Katie? Is she willing to be a witness against Noah?" Stephen asked."She doesn't know much." Yvonne sighed."She only knows tha
Late at night, under the starless sky, the sea was pitch black.Noah was drunk. He stumbled back to his room. He opened the door and was just about to turn on the light when someone gently held his hand.He jumped. "Who is it?"That person said nothing. In the darkness, he saw the shimmering black dress. He remembered that dress clearly. Yvonne had worn that shiny black dress at the party. Her figure had looked so charming that he still had constant dreams about her.Under the influence of alcohol, he grabbed the woman by the wrist and pinned her against the wall. He didn't even look at her face before kissing her violently.Surprisingly, she was cooperative. Noah buried his head in her neck and kissed her. "Yvonne, why all the pretense? You still come to me in the end."At the thought of how Yvonne was Stephen's woman, he became rougher.He tore off her dress. She moaned a little. It was extremely exciting in the silent night. Noah could no longer hold back. He picked her up
After leaving the room, Yvonne got her men to send Noah to the medical room to get a checkup. She also prepared a speedboat to send him back to shore. By then, someone from Hope would be there to pick him up.After her men left, Yvonne looked at the room pensively. Chills ran down her back. When Katie had touched her abdomen, it was as if she were pregnant with a child. It had been terrifying.From what Katie said, she was going to make sure Noah could never have any more children. Then, she was going to use his only child to return to his side.From then on, her position would be different than it had been in the past.Yvonne finally realized why Katie had wanted to borrow the gown. Noah had mistaken Katie for her!In the midst of excitement, he had been shocked and even received a kick to the crotch. Yvonne guessed that even if she didn't do anything to him, Noah would be traumatized. He would find it difficult to get together with a woman anymore.Yvonne had to admit that
By the time Noah came around at the hospital, it was already night. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious. He thought he was still on the ship."You're up?"Noah got a fright. He turned to look at the source of the voice and became terrified instantly."Y—you … H—how …"Soon, he recalled the incident the night before. He frantically tried to sit up, but an excruciating pain shot through his lower body. He no longer dared to move.Katie reached out, wanting to press Noah down, but he shoved her away."What did you do to me?" Noah barked.Katie paused for a while before gently smiling. "I only gave you the punishment you deserve. After all, I almost died thanks to you.""You …" Noah's eyes reddened. He glared at Katie."Are you a human or a ghost? How could you still be alive?"Katie smiled and asked in retort, "You were too ferocious in bed last night. Are you still unsure whether I'm a human or a ghost?"Noah became infuriated. He clutched Katie's neck and squeezed
The men Yvonne had arranged to follow Katie reported the news of Noah's infertility to her.When she heard the news, she was leaning against the railings on the deck. Stephen was standing next to her.Yvonne looked at Stephen innocently. "I never thought that Katie would be so ruthless. If Noah really has no children in the future, it has nothing to do with me.""Hmm," Stephen responded. He took off his jacket and put it around her. "The sea breeze is quite cold. Do you want to go back?"Yvonne shook her head. "No. If I head back, I'll have to deal with them again. I've drunk quite a lot tonight."After the meeting, many of the guests had gone to the third floor to relax. They had invited Yvonne a couple of times. Out of obligation, she had drunk a few rounds with them.She had finally found an opportunity to leave by coming out to the deck to answer a call. She had sobered up thanks to the fresh air.Stephen stood next to her. "Alright, I'll stay with you."Over 6 feet tall, S
Yvonne entered and realized she hadn't asked the woman's name. "You are?"The woman smiled gently. "I'm Ms. Long's assistant at Excel Pharma. You can call me Lina. Ms. Long wants to meet you."Yvonne nodded. "Alright, lead the way."She deliberately let Lina walk ahead of her. Thinking about the kiss once more, she rubbed her temples and touched her blushing face. She shook her head violently. She must have gone mad! How could she have kissed Stephen? She should drink less in the future! Alcohol was the culprit!Just as Yvonne was lost in her thoughts, Lina stopped in her tracks. "Ms. Miller, this is Ms. Long.""Hello, I'm Annie Long." A slender, fair hand reached out to Yvonne.Yvonne looked up to see a woman smiling at her. There was an air of maturity in her smile. Yvonne immediately discerned that she was a tough woman.Yvonne had heard of Excel Pharma. They were one of the oldest pharmaceutical businesses in the country. They had started off with alternative medicine. H
"I have an older brother and a younger one. When my father decided to pass the business on to me, it caused quite a huge controversy. But I've managed to handle it for the past two years."Annie chuckled as if trying to seem relaxed.Her assistant, Lina, could no longer hold back. "Ms. Long, you didn't have it easy! I know it better than anyone else. Please don't blame me for saying this, but your brothers are too much!"Lina had been working for Annie ever since she had joined Excel Pharma. She had personally seen how Annie's brothers had constantly made things difficult for her.They always spoke about how Annie was inferior to them because she was a woman. They thought that their father had made a huge mistake in choosing her as the heir to the business. They even planned to take Excel Pharma back for themselves after their father's death!Who on earth would eagerly hope that their father would drop dead and covet their sister's business?Hence, Lina was furious when she hea
"Although I'm the owner of Hope, my grandpa, Jim, has been the one managing it all these years. I'll have to ask his opinion on such a huge matter." Yvonne smiled and asked, "I wonder if you could give me some time?"Annie was surprised. She frantically replied, "O—of course! I'll wait for your reply all day long."Seeing how a tough woman was being nervous like a little girl, Yvonne smiled even wider. Annie was a really interesting woman.After Yvonne left, Lina moved closer to Annie. "Ms. Long, I didn't mishear, right? Ms. Miller is really interested in working with Excel Pharma?""Hmm." Annie nodded. As she looked at Yvonne leaving, she couldn't help but feel touched.Lina was elated. "Amazing! I saw Chuck Jensen of Well Spring Pharma approach Ms. Miller as well. I was worried that she would look down on us. Who would have thought that she would be willing to give us a chance?""Yes, I was quite surprised too." Annie was lost in thought. She had met with many people in the
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