Stephen reached out and straightened Yvonne's head. "You're not an old mule. You're the prettiest horse ever.""And you don't tie me down. You help me roam free," Stephen said seriously.Right at that moment, Gwen coughed.Yvonne's ears blushed. She subconsciously pushed Stephen away and turned around to face Gwen. "Gwen, when did you get up?""I woke up at a bad time." Gwen looked at Stephen before looking at Yvonne. "Why is Claude involved too?""It's a long story. Why don't you—""I want to hear about it now," Gwen interrupted Yvonne. She didn't sound as weak as the day before.Yvonne explained roughly, "Chuck was someone Claude and Leonard arranged. They intended to get him to trick Mark and find the opportunity to join forces with me to go up against Mark."At the mention of Mark, Gwen's face paled a little. Yvonne changed the topic immediately. "No matter who Chuck belongs to, I won't let him off the hook that easily. "Claude will definitely not let things end just
Although Gwen seemed to have calmed down, Yvonne was still worried. She hired a few nurses to look after Gwen.Gwen listened to Yvonne's arrangement without saying anything. She sat in bed, engrossed in her own thoughts.Yvonne knew that Gwen still needed time to digest everything, so she didn't force her. She sat for a while before leaving the room.Stephen followed behind her. "Are you planning to use Chuck to sow discord between Mark, Claude, and Leonard?" Yvonne stopped in her tracks. She turned back to look at Stephen. "How did you guess it?""Perhaps I understand you well?" Stephen retorted with a smile.Yvonne rolled her eyes at him. "You don't understand me well. You're just as smart as me. Perhaps …"Even smarter than me.But her pride wouldn't let her finish her sentence.In a short time, Stephen had already guessed what she was thinking. He must have thought about her plan a few times.In the past, Yvonne had thought that Stephen had just been speculating. But in
After Yvonne had a call with the nurse from the hospital at night, she saw Elvin staring at her with a serious expression.Yvonne extended her arms and beckoned Elvin over. "Come here. Let me hug you."Elvin looked up at Yvonne after she pulled him into her arms. "Mommy, is something making you upset?"Yvonne had been so busy dealing with Gwen the past few days that she hadn't been home.After she had come home that day, Elvin had observed her carefully and noticed that she seemed to be feeling down. She clearly had something on her mind.Elvin cupped Yvonne's face and asked, "Mommy, did the evil man bully you?"For a moment, Elvin and Stephen's faces overlapped in her mind. Stephen had also cupped her face earlier that day.His image popped into her head, making her shudder. She took Elvin's hands away and said, "He didn't bully me. A lot of things have happened recently, and I feel a little helpless.""Really?" Elvin was unconvinced as he took a closer look at Yvonne. "Is i
Yvonne accepted the envelopes and extracted two invitations from within. They were for Claude's upcoming birthday banquet. "One of these invitations is for Stephen. My grandfather invited him too," Jane informed her. With a charming chuckle, she continued, "I told you I'm going to have plenty of chances to meet him. Look, my opportunity has arrived." Yvonne frowned. With a hint of displeasure in her voice, she replied, "I have received the invitation and will attend the banquet punctually next weekend." "Sure," Jane acknowledged.After Yvonne drove away, Jane smirked to herself in satisfaction. After all, she couldn't guarantee that Yvonne would just be attending a simple birthday banquet.…Yvonne reached the hospital and bumped into Caleb in the corridor. Before she could ask anything, he handed her a document. He smiled slightly. "This is the evidence I obtained online. It should be enough to destroy Chuck’s reputation." Yvonne accepted the document and looked at C
Yvonne's laughter bubbled forth."Help you? Mark, you're reading too much into it. "I just didn't want your presence to become a nuisance for me. After all, even catching a glimpse of you makes me feel angry about what happened with Gwen."Besides, this is, at its core, a competition between you, Claude, and Leonard. Why should I shoulder the blame for their quarrels? I'm certainly no fool."She glanced at Mark's retreating figure and continued, "Of course, if you choose not to heed my advice, you can always confront them directly. "It's really none of my business."Mark remained silent for a long time. He seemed to be deep in thought, questioning if he could trust Yvonne's words.Yvonne, on the other hand, had little interest in debating further. She walked past Mark and strode away without looking back.Still feeling the discomfort from being choked earlier, Yvonne cleared her throat. She was about to go to the bar and get a glass of cold water to soothe her throat.As fat
When Yvonne saw the photo the care worker had sent her, she immediately recognized Gwen's handwriting. Every single word seemed to have been written with unwavering determination."Yvonne, I'm sorry. I can't stay. I owe you too much. I have to find a way to make it up to you. "Don't worry. I won't try to take my life again. Until I make everything up to you, my life is yours."Yvonne looked at the message for a long time until her sight became blurry. She realized that tears had welled up in her eyes.She wiped away the tears and smiled bitterly at her phone. "I don't need anything from you, silly girl."…Gwen had left just like that.Yvonne didn't have anyone look for her. She knew that Gwen would keep her word. Since Gwen had promised that she wouldn't take her life, she would surely be living peacefully somewhere in the world.This time, Gwen was truly trying to hide from her. So no matter how much Yvonne tried, she wouldn't be able to find her.Yvonne took a few da
"Do you really care that much whether Mark comes or not?" Leonard asked in retort ambiguously."I'm just casually asking. After all, I haven't seen him in quite a while. I thought we could use this occasion to meet." Yvonne smiled and asked, "You two don't want us to meet?"Leonard smiled. "Of course not. What we want to see the most is you two coexisting peacefully. This would help Emerald Group grow better.""How generous of you two." Yvonne smiled, yet every word was like a jab at them.Their smiles faltered a little. Claude waved his hand. "Alright, let's not just stand here. You two have come a long way. Get some rest in your rooms.""Thank you, Claude." Yvonne nodded and followed the house staff into the mansion.When Yvonne and Stephen left, Claude dropped his smile. "What is on with that girl? Is she really planning to come at me because of Chuck Jensen?""She's not capable of that." Leonard said pensively, "But we shouldn't underestimate her. I always feel like
Yvonne finished unpacking. As she left her room, Stephen coincidentally opened his door too. Yvonne leaned against the door. She asked with a light smile, "Do you want me to give you a massage?"Stephen said calmly, "You heard?""Yes. It looks like Ms. Ford really has feelings for you. If not, she wouldn't have come looking for you so quickly." Yvonne smirked. "You sure have your way with the ladies."Stephen ignored her teasing. He changed the subject. "Are you heading out to look for Chuck?"Yvonne was surprised. "How did you know?""Just a guess."Stephen walked over to Yvonne. He had initially thought of asking her to go for a walk with him. They could use the excuse of having a tour of the place to see if they could find out where Chuck was. Unexpectedly, Yvonne had the same idea.Stephen said pensively, "Jane said that they sent Chuck over to Claude, but that doesn't mean he would be hiding here.""I know." Yvonne stopped smiling. "Anyway, I'm just going for a w
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