Francisco frowned and said nothing.‘I agreed to show up to the meal arranged by that woman named Lucy only because she said that they wished to extend their gratitude through a meal. It’d be rather rude if I were to say no to such a warm invitation.‘To this day, all of Lucy’s actions have been very deliberate. It’s obvious that she’s trying to make a couple out of Naomi and me. I’m not really sure if it’s Naomi’s intention or if she arrived at such a decision without Naomi’s authorization.’After his incident with Maizie, Francisco had been very wary toward all women.‘Nobody can guarantee that I won’t run into another Maizie.’At the hospital…Mrs. Hannigan was sitting beside the hospital bed and feeding Nathaniel congee. Because Nathaniel had just undergone a craniotomy and was still recovering, all he could do was basically lying on the bed, and he would need someone to raise the head of the bed if he wanted to get up.Tanner came in through the door at this time.Nathanie
A thorn seemed to have punctured Tanner’s chest, and he felt as if he could no longer breathe. He was silent for a moment and then stood up shakily. “Then take me back.”The pub manager came over and said, “Miss, please send Mr. Hannigan home. He’s drunk too much. We’ll get into trouble if something happens to him after he leaves the premises.”Pearl did not utter a single word. Pearl saw the coat he draped on the couch, picked it up, and followed him out when they were leaving the pub.Pearl was about to cover him with his coat back in the car when Tanner grabbed her wrist abruptly and called her out drunkenly but looked as if he was completely sober. “Pearl.”Pearl froze. She remembered suddenly that Tanner used to call her that in front of her parents a year ago. She smiled, but there was not even a hint of hilarity in her eyes. “Are you still playing your part? But the play has ended.”He did not speak another word.Pearl drove him back to the apartment building. She knew tha
Tanner put on his clothes and walked out of the room. Someone was making breakfast in the kitchen, and a pleasant scent wafted out into the living area.He walked over in a hurry, but what he saw was not the person that he had in mind, and his expression stiffened slightly.Sandy placed the fried egg on the plate, turned around to look at him, and smiled. “Have you woken up?”Tanner frowned. “Sandy... It’s you... Why are you here?”Sandy brought the breakfast to the table without any trace of emotion on her face. “Have you forgotten what happened last night?”‘What happened last night...‘Of course, I haven’t forgotten about that, but I clearly remember that the woman I came back with was Pearl. So how did she become Sandy after last night?’“Tan,” Sandy called his name and turned to look at him. “I waited for you all the time. I waited for you for one whole day, and you didn’t even come back to me.”Tanner’s lips were pursed into a single line.“I know. You can’t touch me now
Tanner stood next to the bed and looked at his father. “What about the child?”Nathaniel was quiet for a few minutes, but his expression didn’t change. “I can accept the child but not the mother.”Tanner seemed to know that was what his father would say, but before this, he would debate about it with his father, but now…Had Pearl influenced him or the ‘accidental’ child? He was in chaos. After he left the hospital, Tanner drove to La Pearla. The employees all knew about him and Pearl. On top of the scene at the wedding, the news was everywhere, and the people started chattering when he showed up.“Didn’t Mr. Tanner run away with that woman and left his to-be wife?”“Tsk! What’s the point of coming to see Ms. Santiago now that the wedding is over? Such an *sshole.”“What *sshole? I think Mr. Hannigan is the victim here. Other than Mr. Hannigan, who would be willing to marry her? I heard that he already had a girlfriend before he was forced to marry her, but the Hannigans wouldn
“Leave then.” Pearl looked up. “I’m not like your Sandy. I won’t lower myself to make you happy.”Tanner grabbed her by her chin. “You keep bringing her up. Are you jealous?” He inched forward. “Jealous that she’s cleaner than you or that she’s pregnant with my child?”Pearl had heard all the negative things about her, but these words hurt her more than any of them. Even if she didn’t care, they still hurt. She was finally numb to them, but Tanner was the one who kept walking all over her numb heart.Her eyes were dead and hollow, as if there was no soul behind them. She was quiet.Tanner noticed something and pressed his palm to his cheek. “I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean that.”He hugged her and gave her a little squeeze. “Let’s start all over again.”Pearl melted in his arms, but her eyes looked away, and she smirked. “Don’t you love Sandy? How could you start all over again with me?”Tanner frowned and didn’t answer.Pearl removed herself from his hug. “A dirty woman like me wi
“After three days, if I don’t see the money,” He put the knife under her chin, “I’ll post all those naked pictures of yours so that Mr. Tanner can see what his girlfriend would do for money.”Sandy’s shoulders were shaking, and the pain in her belly turned her pale. Lenny finally left with his men. Sandy noticed blood coming out between her legs and opened up her skirt to check. The pain made her drop to the floor in tears. She took a deep breath and crawled up to the couch to call Tanner, but Tanner didn’t pick up. …Pearl’s assistant walked out of the elevator and saw Tanner walking out with his jacket in hand and no tie. His shirt was wrinkled too.The assistant was surprised, but Tanner walked past her straight into the elevator before she could ask. She pushed the door open. “Ms. Santiago, Mr. Hannigan—” When she saw the scene, it made her freeze. Pearl was curled up on the couch with only her underwear on, her hair was a little messy, and she could see marks on her s
Tanner pulled his hand away and calmly asked, “What happened?”Sandy was stunned, and then a tear rolled down her cheek, looking delicate. “Would you believe me?”Tanner looked at her. She propped herself up meekly. “It… it was Ms. Santiago. She didn’t want me to have this child, so she sent someone to beat me up and caused the miscarriage. Tanner was still silent. Sandy sobbed. “It was all my fault. I shouldn’t have gone back to you. I shouldn’t have dreamed of becoming your wife. My poor child. He hasn’t been born and hasn’t seen the world yet, but he has already left. Tan, I’m so sad I don’t want to live anymore.”Tanner rolled his eyes and helped her lie down. “Take a rest, don’t be silly.”“Tan,” Sandy looked at him, “Would you leave me now that our child is gone? I’ve lost my son, so I only have you left.”Tanner looked at her calmly. She was still the woman he loved, the delicate woman who needed his protection, but he could no longer be sure whether her love and deli
However, was Sandy going to give up just like that? No1…Lucy and Naomi went to the cafe nearby to try out some newly launched cakes during lunchtime. “The cakes here are quite nice. A lot of people are talking about them on Instagram, and that’s how I was poisoned.”Naomi was curious. “What do you mean poisoned?”Lucy paused, “That means I wanted to try them really badly. When someone online recommends something so that everyone knows about it.”Lucy then tapped her head. “Don’t you go online a lot? I think you’re quite young, but there seems to be an age gap between us.”Naomi pushed her hair behind her ear and smiled awkwardly. “I’m not a fan of social media.”“That’s why.” Lucy took a scoop of cream. “But I can understand. A socialite like you probably is very strictly controlled by your family. It isn't surprising that you don’t have time to go online.”Naomi smiled but didn’t answer. She had no idea how to explain her past. “By the way,” Lucy looked around and leaned i