Late that night, Katie gently entered the mansion. She had just placed her high heels down when the lights in the living room switched on. Startled, she jumped."It's late. Where were you?" Noah questioned coldly.Katie secretly gulped. She pretended to be calm and replied, "I went to see a few clients today. We talked so much that I forgot about the time.""But I heard that you guys ended around 9:30 pm." Noah sounded even colder, as if he were on the cusp of exploding.Katie furrowed her brows. Which bastard had reported her to him?"Yes, we ended around that time, but my assistant had been drinking on my behalf the entire night. I couldn't just leave him alone, right?" Katie changed her shoes and walked over to Noah. She gave him just the right amount of a smile."I was the only sober one there, so I sent him home. He lives quite far away, which is why I'm only back now."Noah pulled Katie into his arms. He clutched her chin tightly. "Since when did you care so much about y
In her office, Katie had drunk half a cup of coffee when finally there was a knock on the door.Finlay timidly walked over to her desk. He didn't dare to look Katie in the eyes. "Ms. Jones, how can I help you?"Katie smiled. "There are only two of us in here. You don't have to be so formal with me. You can just call me Katie, like last night."Finlay was horrified. "Last night, did we …""Yes, we slept together." Katie seemed to be reminiscing about it. She licked her lips. "You did well last night. I'm very happy about it.""I …" Finlay was so shocked that he lost his balance. He had to support himself against the desk. He looked at Katie and pleaded, "I … I drank too much last night. Ms. Jones, you can punish me however you want, but don't fire me!""I'm praising you, right? Why should I be punishing you?" Katie got up and walked over to Finlay. "From today onward, you'll be mine. You can't betray me."Finlay was flustered. He slumped into the chair. "Ms. Jones, what do
"Yvonne, Mr. Jensen would like to meet you," Gwen said.Yvonne's heart sank, and her mood dipped. "Alright, give me the time and place." Chuck knew how to manipulate her. By having Gwen deliver the message over the phone, he was leaving Yvonne no way to refuse. Gwen knew exactly why Yvonne had agreed and felt a pang of discomfort. "I'll send the details to you." "Okay," Yvonne replied. Then, she asked, "Did Chuck pick on you?" "No. Don't worry about me." With that, Gwen hung up. As she put the phone away, a glass of red wine was pushed toward her. "Did Ms. Miller agree to meet?" Chuck asked. "Yes." Gwen took the glass. She didn't spare Chuck a glance as she raised it to her lips and downed it. Chuck chuckled. "As expected of Mark's assistant. You are quite useful.” Gwen tossed the glass into the trash can. The crisp sound of glass shattering echoed in the room. "I only deal with matters within the scope of my work. I suggest that you handle the rest yourself, M
Soon, the Long brothers reached the lakeside pavilion. They greeted Chuck and Yvonne enthusiastically. Smiling, Anson said, "Ms. Miller, we meet again. Fate seems to have its ways!" However, Yvonne ignored him. An awkward silence followed. The smile on Anson's face faded. He cursed inwardly. Who did Yvonne think she was? Chuck intervened, saying, "Please, have a seat and some tea." Anson smiled again. "Thank you, Mr. Jensen." As the Long brothers took their seats, the lakeside pavilion became a bit crowded. Chuck was about to pour tea for them, but Alvin was quick on his feet. He took the teapot from Chuck. "I have the lowest status here, so it's only right that I pour tea for you both. How could I let you do it, Mr. Jensen?" Yvonne frowned at Alvin's sycophantic behavior. These two brothers' personalities were worlds apart from Annie's. No wonder their father had entrusted Annie with Excel Pharma rather than his two sons. Anson took a sip of tea, barely registe
Yvonne tightly clenched her fists under the stone table before relaxing them. Her gaze was unwavering. "Mr. Jensen, I told you that this is a deal between us. Why bother getting Excel Pharma involved?"Chuck smiled. "I'm curious as to why a small business like Excel Pharma is a priority over Well Spring Pharma. Are you stalling, Ms. Miller, or …" He paused and lowered his voice. "Do you not want to work with Well Spring Pharma at all?"Yvonne gritted her teeth. It seemed like Chuck was determined to get an answer from her. "So this is how forceful you are when you do business, Mr. Jensen," Yvonne said. Instantly, tension rose in the air. The Long brothers became nervous as well. Were they on a battlefield? The standoff between these two titans in the pharmaceutical industry was too scary!Suddenly, someone called for help from a distance. "Somebody! Help! Call an ambulance!" The group turned around. They saw a man lying on the ground at the end of the corridor, while
"Your acupuncture technique is very similar to that of a friend of mine. I haven't seen it in many years," Chuck said pensively. Now that he thought about it, it had been almost 30 years. Time sure passed by quickly."Most acupuncture techniques are similar. Even if they have any differences, they're really subtle. Maybe you're wrong, Mr. Jensen." Yvonne thought about how old Jim was. There was no way he could be friends with Chuck.She secretly sized Chuck up. He looked just like a businessman, not someone who knew about alternative medicine.Chuck sensed the suspicion in Yvonne's gaze. He merely smiled. "I studied alternative medicine before I left the country. I understand quite a bit of acupuncture."Yvonne was stunned. "You've studied it before?""Do I not look like it?" Chuck asked before smiling self-deprecatingly. "I mean, you're right. I've been immersed in proper medicine for a long time abroad. I've given up on alternative medicine for some time now. "When I fir
The screen was covered in coding.Yvonne furrowed her brows. She looked even more confused. "Why are you looking at this?""Elvin wanted me to study it." Stephen said seriously, "He asked me to come over today. He said he had a mission for me. He wants me to edit this program.""You know how to write programs too?""No."Yvonne was baffled."But I can learn." Stephen looked at the screen once again with determination. "Elvin is right. If I want to get closer to him, we need to have the same language."Yvonne looked at Stephen for a while. He clearly wasn't joking!"I mean, this stuff is really complicated. Also, it's pointless for you to learn it. Aren't you just wasting your time?" Yvonne asked. "Elvin is just a kid. You don't have to take him so seriously. I'll go and talk to him right now. His fun has gone too far. How could he force you to do such a thing?"Yvonne was just about to head upstairs when Stephen pulled her back by the wrist."This isn't just fun." Steph
"You were the one who told me both Well Spring Pharma and Excel Pharma were interested in collaborating with you. That's why I chose to invest in the latter," Stephen explained."Out of these two companies, I would prefer it if you worked with Excel Pharma. "But I couldn't make it too obvious. That's the biggest reason I chose to invest in them. At least, they would be able to make a better offer to you."Yvonne furrowed her brows. She had never imagined that there was such a childish reason behind this generous investment. "What if I chose not to work with Excel Pharma? It could take a long time for your investment to yield returns," Yvonne said. Stephen chuckled and denied the possibility. "I've already investigated Excel Pharma. I was sure you wouldn't refuse Ms. Long’s offer." Yvonne rolled her eyes at him and muttered, "You say that as if you knew me that well—" "As it turns out, I wasn't wrong, was I?" Stephen looked at Yvonne with amusement in his eyes. Although
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