During lunch the next day, Katie woke up from her nap in shock. She was a little in a daze. She still remembered how terrifying Noah had looked last night. He had even asked her why her abdomen was still flat when she had been pregnant for two months.Suddenly, a knock came on her door, making her jump. She sat up. "Who is it?""Ms. Jones, it's me." It was Finlay.Katie sighed in relief. "Come in."Finlay entered with a muffin in his hand. He looked as pale as a sheet.Katie looked at him. "What happened?"Finlay placed the muffin in front of Katie and said timidly, "Ms. Jones, M—Mr. Noah sent this over."Katie furrowed her brows. "Why is he here?""H—he said that you seemed busy recently, so he came over to have a look. One of your secretaries said that you were taking a nap, so he didn't disturb you. He dropped this off and left."Finlay didn't know whether he was hallucinating because of his guilty conscience or perhaps Noah was onto him. It seemed like Noah had been
In the CEO's office at Anderson Group, eight employees had been tied up. One of them was lying flat on the floor. His head was placed on top of an indoor golf mat.That employee was trembling. A bodyguard stepped on his back hard and warned, "Don't move!"Stephen had just finished looking at some documents. He looked up at the employee on the floor and asked casually, "So you're one of Noah's men?""N—no. We are all employees of Anderson Group. W—we are your men," he replied nervously.Stephen sneered. "What you say is quite right." He placed the documents down and headed toward the employees. "Do all of you think so too?""Yes! Yes!" They nodded fervently, not daring to look Stephen in the eye. At that moment, Stephen was more terrifying than the devil himself.Stephen picked up a golf club and said slowly, "If all of you knew that you worked for Anderson Group, why would you ruin the peace at the office? "Since you were not instructed by anyone to do so, that means you were
That afternoon, Julian accompanied Stephen to pick Elvin and Britney up.The moment Elvin got in the car, Stephen immediately showed off his coding to Elvin. Elvin looked at him and asked suspiciously, "You've done it so quickly?""Yes," Stephen said calmly. "Do you need me to explain in detail?""No need." Elvin ran the program and coolly praised him. "Not bad. You've improved quickly.""It's nothing," Stephen replied."Dad is the best!" Britney happily yelled. She leaned over to kiss Stephen on the cheek.Stephen pulled her into his arms and looked at her dotingly. "Of course. There is nothing your dad can't do."Elvin furrowed his brows at this scene. He didn't know why, but he was annoyed. He climbed into his seat and looked out of the window, ignoring everyone.Julian was in the driver's seat. Stephen was never the pretentious type when it came to business. But Julian never would have thought that he would do that with the children.Stephen sent Elvin back to Miller V
"I've given it a lot of thought recently. My grudge against Chuck Jensen is all in the past. It shouldn't affect you or Hope Health Services. "Besides, Gwen is with Chuck, right? If the collaboration doesn't come through, who knows what Mark will do to her?"Jim sighed. "Back then, Gwen was the one who took you away. She took care of you at Emerald Group for so many years. How could you not pay her back? "I might be old, but I'm not unreasonable. I don't want to make things difficult for you, so do what you want to do."Yvonne furrowed her brows when she heard this. "But your grudge against Chuck—you can't just let it go. How could I disregard your feelings?""I'm fine," Jim said, pretending to be casual about it. "I have one foot in the grave. What's there to be petty about?""Grandpa, don't say that." Yvonne felt sorry. She held Jim's hand. "Be honest with me. What made you change your mind? Did Chuck talk to you privately?"Jim shook his head. "No. He would never dare
The next afternoon, Chuck arrived on time. He took his seat and asked Yvonne with a smile, "How rare of you to ask to meet me. I wonder if you've given our collaboration any thoughts?"Yvonne said icily, "Did you look for Grandpa privately?"Chuck pretended to be surprised. "Me? Looking for Sir Jim? As if I haven't had enough of his scolding."Yvonne looked at Chuck suspiciously. She had never had a read on him since the first time they had met.Chuck openly let Yvonne size him up. He even picked up his pot of tea. He asked casually, "From your question, does that mean that Sir Jim got you to come and talk to me about the collaboration?"Yvonne remained silent.Chuck poured the tea and gave Yvonne a cup. "Am I right?"Yvonne could see the mischief in his gaze. Her eyes instantly darkened. "I'll agree to the collaboration, but I'll be in charge of this project. You can't in any way go and look for Grandpa.""Of course. How would I dare to look for him?" Chuck was delighted
After leaving the coffee shop, Yvonne returned to Miller Villa, only to find Jim about to rush off."Grandpa." Yvonne stopped him. She saw the luggage in his hand. "Where are you going?""I have to return to Hope. The doctor caring for Mr. Anderson Senior called. He said that there was a reaction in his pupils. He might be coming around!"Jim suddenly remembered. "Were you meeting Chuck? Why are you back so fast?""I had nothing much to say to him. I chatted for a while and came home." Yvonne wasn't willing to elaborate further, so she changed the topic back to him. "Did the doctor say when he would come around?""We're not sure yet, but he will surely come around." Ever since receiving the call, Jim had been very excited. "If Mr. Anderson Senior comes around, it would surely be a good thing for Stephen."Yvonne furrowed her brows. "Grandpa, since when did you care so much about him?""I care about you." Jim smiled. "While I've been staying here, I've been talking a lot
After Jim and Curtis left, Miller Villa seemed much emptier.That night, after reading Elvin his bedtime story, Yvonne looked down to find him staring at her. She smiled. "Why are you not asleep yet? Are you missing Great Grandpa and Uncle Curtis?""No. I know Uncle Curtis has gone to get his legs treated. I hope he'll get better soon." Then, Elvin blinked. "Mommy, there's a performance at school next week. Will you come?"Yvonne was surprised. "Have you joined a performance?"Elvin furrowed his brows. "No. I don't like prancing around.""Then, why do you want me to be there?" Yvonne asked.Elvin shook his head, but he seemed hesitant. He bit his finger.Yvonne was curious. "Why did you suddenly bring up the school performance?""I …" Elvin furrowed his brows so much that his face was all scrunched up. "I was just wondering why all the adults like little children prancing about."All this time, he had observed that Stephen seemed to like Britney even more. On the way h
"What?" Stephen looked at Yvonne and thought for a while. "Bad news first.""Hope Health Services will be collaborating with Well Spring Pharma."Stephen furrowed his brows. "Why the sudden decision?""It was Grandpa's idea." Yvonne lowered her gaze. "I'm guessing that Chuck had secretly met with him. But Grandpa wouldn't tell me, so I didn't ask any further questions. I'm thinking of what I could ask and get out of Chuck the next time I see him."Stephen said nothing, seeing how Yvonne had already made up her mind. He asked, "What about the good news?""Your grandfather is coming around." She looked him in the eyes. "Grandpa returned to Hope last week. He gave me rather good news. Although Mr. Anderson Senior is still unconscious, his body is reacting well. They believe that he will come around soon."Stephen's gaze glimmered with delight. "Are you serious?"Yvonne nodded. "Hmm. When he comes around, Noah won't be able to spread any more nonsense."Stephen hummed in re
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