Half an hour later, Yvonne arrived at Hopeful Faith's studio.Conan had long been waiting for her by the entrance. When he saw Yvonne, it was as if he had seen his life savior. He quickly went up to her."Yvonne. I don't know where Chuck got the news from. He heard that Hopeful Faith was having a meeting today. He arrived at the meeting even before me."Yvonne hummed and headed directly to the meeting room. Conan followed behind her. Seeing her there, he felt much more relieved.At the meeting room, Yvonne pushed the door open to see Chuck sitting by the meeting table. Her gaze darkened. "Mr. Jensen, why did you come to Hopeful Faith without letting us know?"Chuck smiled and looked at Conan. He said in an ambiguous tone, "Turns out, Ms. Miller is here too. No wonder Conan had to stop the meeting at the last minute."Although Chuck spoke with a smile, Conan could still hear the mockery in his tone. Conan furrowed his brows. Was Chuck secretly trying to drive a wedge between him a
Chuck was still smiling. "Ms. Miller, I sincerely just want to collaborate with you. Don't overcomplicate matters. You'll make things difficult for me."Yvonne sneered, clearly not buying it."You know very well how this collaboration came about. I know whether you are sincere or not too." Yvonne leaned back. Her gaze was cold. "You keep playing all these games. Aren't you afraid that my patience will run out one day?"Chuck's smile faded a little. "Why do you have to make things so difficult?""If you want to maintain a good partnership, you should know where the line is." Yvonne tapped her fingers gently on the table. She enunciated, "Crossing the line won't be good for anyone."Neither of them was willing to back down.When they were silent at the same time, the atmosphere in the meeting room turned overbearing. Everyone else there didn't dare let out a single breath.Chuck looked at Yvonne and smiled stiffly. "You're way too serious, Ms. Miller."Yvonne smiled. "If you
Chuck left Hopeful Faith and returned to his mansion. He headed directly to the basement.Gwen was leaning against the corner of the cage, resting, when suddenly footsteps woke her up.Chuck kicked the food placed in front of the cage. "You're not eating or drinking! I'll see how long you can last!"Gwen opened her eyes and looked at him with icy contempt.Chuck got infuriated. He punched the cage so hard that it shook."Do you think Yvonne will come and rescue you soon?" Chuck sneered. "You can dream on! I've already gotten someone to use your ID to leave Northerna City. Even if Yvonne looks into it, she will only look toward the southwest. "She will never suspect that you're in my basement!"For the past few days, Chuck had been adding things to Gwen's meals so that he could deal with her easier. However, she hadn't been eating. To err on the safe side, he had to keep her locked up.Seeing the scattered food on the floor, he smiled. If she wasn't going to eat, fine. He d
Katie asked Yvonne to meet her at a coffee shop. She had cleared out the coffee shop beforehand. At that moment, she was the only one there as she sat in the corner booth.When she saw Yvonne entering, she stood up.Yvonne saw Katie's glare and smiled. "Here I thought you had some good news for me. It looks like you're here to interrogate me?""Yvonne, don't you play dumb!" Katie was furious. She questioned, "Why did you look for Finlay? What are you trying to do by interfering in my affairs?"Yvonne went in closer and asked with interest, "Your little Finlay has told you about it?""You!" Katie warned through gritted teeth, "Yvonne, if anything happens to me, you can dream of getting your evidence!""I know." Yvonne sat down and looked at Katie. "Which is why I wasn't planning on telling Noah. I just think having some leverage on you would make me feel better."Katie sat opposite Yvonne and slammed both hands on the table. She leaned forward domineeringly. "Stop with yo
"Finlay's girlfriend doesn't really know what happened, so she didn't come at me. That's why, Noah doesn't have any proof, even though he suspects me," Katie said. She could still remember how Noah had looked at her.Even now, her chin still hurt from Noah clutching it too hard.In order to prove her innocence, she had fired Finlay on the spot in front of Noah.After Noah left, she had secretly met Finlay and found out that Yvonne had looked for him.At that thought, Katie looked at Yvonne coldly. "What is the voice recording for? To threaten me?"Yvonne said distractedly, "It's just that you've been progressing too slowly. I'm a little impatient. If you want the horse to run, don't you have to whip it?""How dare you—" Katie was furious. "Do you think getting proof is that easy? Noah still hates me for ruining him. It won't be that quick to build trust. Just because there is no progress doesn't mean I'm not trying hard. "Didn't I send you a recording last time? At least it
Katie's heart skipped a beat. Seeing Noah closing in on her quickly, she was so scared that she retreated.Noah reached out and grabbed her by the neck. He pulled her forward. "Katie, you secretly met with Yvonne, yet you lied to me. What are you trying to do?"Katie looked at Noah's angry gaze in panic. How did he find out that she had gone to see Yvonne? She had been careful! There had been no one at the coffee shop!Did Noah send someone to follow her? Soon, he answered her question. "If I didn't get someone to keep an eye on you, I wouldn't have found out you're the woman who stabbed me in the back."Katie was exposed. She panicked. She subconsciously defended herself, "N—no. It's not what you think. How could I possibly—"Noah clutched her neck tighter. "How dare you deny it?""N—no. No." Katie spoke with difficulty, "I was forced. Yvonne wants me to investigate you."Noah furrowed his brows. He lessened his grip on Katie. "Investigate me about what?""She wants to col
Katie was perplexed. She looked at Noah, lost. "W—why?" She glanced at the knife."Don't be afraid. Noah raised his other hand, showing that he was cutting an apple. "I was just cutting an apple for you."Then, he continued cutting the apple while saying, "Continue meeting with Yvonne. Take this chance to get closer to her. I want to see what she is up to."Katie soon understood. He was trying to make her a double agent.Seeing the knife in his hands, she could imagine that if she shook her head, the knife would probably land on her neck instead of the apple.Thus, she pondered for a while before nodding. "Alright.""Good girl." Noah had finished cutting the apple. He placed the knife down and handed a slice of apple to Katie. "If you're always such a good girl, I won't make things difficult for you."Katie quickly accepted the apple with a lowered gaze. She didn't dare look Noah in the eyes.He reached his hand out toward her head. She was so frightened that she scrunche
At 4:00 pm on the dot, Yvonne arrived at the coffee shop.When she took her seat, she teased, "You really have to whip a horse for it to run."Katie pushed the ledger toward Yvonne. From the corner of her eye, she secretly snuck a glance at the figure under the tree outside the coffee shop.From the moment she had entered the coffee shop, that man had been pacing back and forth around the tree. It was most likely someone Noah had arranged to spy on her.So Noah was still suspicious of her."How did you get this ledger?" Yvonne's question pulled Katie's focus back.Katie looked at Yvonne flipping through the ledger. "Have a closer look."Yvonne looked at Katie dubiously before slowly flipping through the pages once more. She realized that a note was written on one of the blank pages."Noah has found out about me. He told me to give you this. "He wants me to gain your trust and help him find out about your plans and Stephen's as well. I think someone is following me, but I ca
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