“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
Naomi did not reply. She pushed the door open and chased Francisco.When Francisco arrived at the car park, he saw something through the reflection of the window, and his hand froze. He turned his head around to look at Naomi. “Is there anything I can help you with, Ms. Topaz?”Naomi was panting heavily. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and straightened her back, “I’m sorry, Mr. Boucher. We didn’t mean to pry into your private matters. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”Francisco looked at her and replied, “I’m not a petty-minded person. What's more, these rumors may not be just rumors. What if they're true?”Naomi was stunned.Francisco smiled at her faintly and continued. “You’re too gullible, Ms. Topaz. You think I’m not that kind of person, but what if I really am that kind of person? What would you do when you find out, Ms. Topaz?”Naomi lowered her head and clenched her hands together tightly. “My instinct tells me that you’re not.”He looked at her fixedly and
Sandy knew the rift between them was about her having had abortions before, and he couldn't accept that fact.She bit her fingernail as she thought, ‘He can “accept” a woman like Pearl, so why can’t he accept me? Besides, he should suspect Pearl for today's incident, right? After all, Pearl has done something like this to frame other people before. So, it makes sense to pin the blame on her.’Meanwhile…Tanner asked the security to pull out the surveillance footage on the corridor to investigate the incident about Sandy. The footage was fixed on the appearance of the three men after they left, and he asked his bodyguard to check their identities.When Tanner came out of the monitoring room, he pulled his phone and saw there were a few unread messages. He frowned deeply and deleted all of them without checking on them.Then, another message came through.Pearl did not dare to go home because of the marks around her neck. She stayed temporarily in a hotel and asked her assistant to
Pearl rolled over and opened her eyes when her back was facing him, her lips pressing into a fine line.Tanner hugged her from the back, and when he noticed that she was trembling, he turned her around. Her eyes were tightly shut, but a drop of tear flowed down from the corner of her eyes. He wiped it off with his finger and said, “I’m sorry. Let's take a step back each, shall we?”She opened her eyes and said in a hoarse voice, “It wasn’t me.”Tanner looked at her. Honestly, he did not suspect Pearl at all. He was just taking advantage of that to give himself a reason not to let her go. “No matter if it’s you or not, I’m not letting you leave my side.”He released her and rose up to get himself changed. It was only when he left the room and closed the door with a slam that Pearl closed her eyes.When Tanner exited the hotel, he received a call from his bodyguard. “Mr. Hannigan, we’ve found the identities of those people. They’re loan sharks.”He stood beside his car. “Loan shark
“Sandy, if you told me the truth just now, I would believe that you had your own reasons, but you chose to lie to me again. How am I supposed to know that you’re not lying to me now as well?”Tanner lifted his head and forced himself to calm down. “You even made Pearl your scapegoat. Sandy, you’ve changed.”Sandy’s chest began heaving up and down heavily. She clenched her fists tightly, and tears were falling down from her cheeks like broken beads. “I’ve changed…” She lifted her head to look at Tanner and asked, “Is it me, or is it you who have changed?”Tanner did not reply.Crying, Sandy shouted, “Ever since I got pregnant, you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder. You are the one who made me feel like I might lose you. I don't want that to happen, so do you think I'd dare to tell you the truth?”She gradually broke down emotionally and shouted, “Tanner, I'm a woman, and a woman's intuition is always right. Since when did you change your attitude when facing Pearl?”Tanner was
“Maybe you're right. You were perfect in my memories. It's exactly because Pearl is the exact opposite of you that I still chose you after you returned. I thought I still loved you. Even now, I can't tell how I feel about you. Do I still love you? Do I feel guilty about you? Is the person I love the perfect Sandy from the past or the woman before me?”Sandy sat silently on the bed. After a long while, she said in a hoarse voice, “So you don’t love me anymore.”Tanner parted his mouth and replied, “What if this is the bitter truth?”Sandy did not say anything anymore.Neither of them spoke for a long while. In the end, she laughed and wept. “I get it now. We can never go back to what we once were.”“I’ll help you to settle your debt.” Tanner turned around and walked away. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and said, “Sandy, this is what I owe you.”He left the ward afterward.Sandy broke into tears as Tanner slowly disappeared from her vision. If she could go back in time, she wo
“Daisie.” Leah and Morrison walked up to her with wine glasses. “You look so pretty today.”“Thank you,” Daisie said with a smile.Leah lifted her wine glass. “I propose a toast. Morrison and I wish you a happy marriage.”Daisie clinked glasses with her. “Same goes for you and Morrison.”After the toast, Cameron walked up to Daisie with Waylon. Behind them were Freyja, Colton, Maisie, and Nolan.Maisie raised her hand and caressed her on the cheek. “You were great earlier today.”She giggled. “Really?”Nolan added, “You’ll forever be our dazzling pride, so yes.”Daisie grinned as if she was still the little princess of the family.Nollace came over. “Dad, Mom, a toast to the both of you. Thank you for letting me have Daisie’s hand.”“Consider yourself lucky.” Nolan snorted softly, picked up his wine glass, and clinked glasses with him. “You’d better treat my daughter well from now on.”Nollace glanced at Daisie. “Don’t worry. She’ll forever be my one and only.”Maisie chuck
In order to make way for the wedding carriage, other vehicles had been forbidden from accessing the route from the palace to the cathedral.Daisie looked out of the carriage—the streets were crowded with citizens, and they were all there to witness this grand scene.Nollace, sitting on the side, was wearing a double-breasted dark blue military jacket. He looked tall and broad, and there were two St. Patrick’s Stars on his epaulets, one on each side, a full set of medals on his chest, and other complicated decorations.He held the back of Daisie’s hand and smiled suddenly. “You have sweaty palms.”Daisie looked back at him and responded with a trembling voice, “I’m nervous.”He lifted her hand and kissed the back of her hand. “I’m here, so don’t be nervous. Just take it easy.”Daisie’s gaze landed on his wedding jacket. “You look nice in this uniform.”Nollace chuckled. “And my bride looks stunning too.”Arriving at the cathedral, Nollace was separated from Daisie. Accompanied b
“By the way, where’s Cameron?” asked Morrison.Waylon replied, “She’s accompanying her father on a stroll. I’m going to go meet them already, so I’ll leave you to yourselves for now. You can do whatever you want with your free time.”After saying that, he got up and left the couple.Morrison shook his head. “He’s changed now that he has a wife.”“You’re speaking as if you haven’t changed.” Leah got up instantly and left the restaurant.Morrison put his cup down and caught up to her immediately. “Hey, why would you leave me behind? Wait for me.”Maisie and Saydie came out of the private room and ran into Nolan and Quincy in the corridor.Quincy nodded. “Mrs. Goldmann.”Maisie stopped in front of Nolan, and Nolan grabbed her by her hand. “Have you finished catching up?”“Of course. Didn’t you want to go to the Hathaways’ villa with Dad in the afternoon?”Nolan smiled. “I was waiting for you. We’re just going over to have a meal together.”Quincy walked up to Saydie’s side and
Daisie grinned from ear to ear. “Then I’ll wear this crown on my wedding day, which can be considered an endorsement for my mom’s jewelry company and design.”Nollace hugged her from behind. “You can do anything as long as you like it.”…The members of the Goldmanns arrived in Yaramoor two days before the wedding and stayed in the hotel arranged by Nollace. The royal family had reserved the entire hotel for receiving distinguished guests from Zlokova who came to attend the wedding.Members from the Bouchers and the Lucases showed up, and Sunny was also present.There were also some familiar faces from the Zlokovian entertainment industry. Hannah, Amy, James, and Charlie, who were close friends with Daisie, all came.Leah and Morrison were also on the invitation list.When Maisie came to the restaurant, the waiter led her into a private room.As soon as she saw the man sitting inside, she smiled and exclaimed, “Godfather!”Strix slowly turned around.She had not seen him for
The rest of the people laughed.The night came, and the entire city was shrouded in a mist of neon light. Daisie and Nollace returned to Taylorton after having their dinner.Her hair was wet as she got out of the shower. Nollace took over her towel and helped her to dry her hair.She sat in front of her dresser and looked at the person behind her through the mirror. There was a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she said, “Nolly, I’m really looking forward to our wedding.”“Really?” Nollace gently dried the soft tips of her hair. “I’m looking forward to it too.”“I can say that my life is perfect now, right? Since I can marry and walk down the aisle with the man I love the most.”He laughed out loud and leaned down to her ear. “You know what? All the wishes in my life have come true as well.”Daisie turned her head around. “What are your wishes?”“Marry you, give you a wedding, and have our own kids.”She was stunned. Slowly, her face turned red due to her embarrassme
“Yeah, it’s true,” replied Zephir.“It seems like you’ve finally become more mature after coming back from your vacation.” Naomi patted his shoulder. “I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.” He smiled at her but did not say anything.…Soon, it was the end of the month. Their vacation had come to an end, and they returned to Bassburgh.Maisie and Nolan were waiting for them in the courtyard. After getting out of the car, Daisie ran up to them. “Mommy! Daddy!”She hugged both of them.Nolan petted her head and smiled helplessly. “You’re an adult now. You should stop acting like a kid.”She smiled back at them and said, “But I know I’ll always be your kid in your eyes.”Maisie chuckled and looked at the other people. “It seems like you guys had a lot of fun. Anyway, come in first. We should eat together tonight.”Freyja and Cameron went to look for their kids after they went into the house. Charm and her two cousins were staying in the same room. All of them were sl
Nollace looked at them. “What a coincidence.”“Morrison and I were here earlier than you guys,” said Leah. “We only found out that you guys were here when Daisie posted a photo on her Facebook page.”Daisie pulled Leah to the seat and said, “Then you should stay a few more days with us.”After Morrison took his seat, Waylon introduced him to Freyja and Daisie. “She’s my sister-in-law, Freyja, and she’s my sister. Her name is Daisie.”“I’ve seen them before at your wedding,” said Morrison. “Your sister is my wife’s classmate. She has told me before.”“Since when did I become your wife? There’s a chance I may not marry you in the future,” said Leah.“We’re already engaged. If you don’t want to marry me, who else are you going to marry?” Morrison frowned, causing the crowd to break out in a burst of laughter, save for Daisie.She looked at Leah in disbelief and asked, “Engaged? When did you get engaged, Leah?” Leah cleared her throat and replied, “Well, I forgot to inform you abo
The stall owner said, “$10 for three chances.”“$10 for three chances only? That’s expensive,” commented Freyja.The stall owner raised his head and said, “I’m the cheapest around here. Other stalls offer $15 for three chances.” Daisie tugged at Freyja and said, “Let's just give him the money. It isn't easy for them to set up a stall here anyway, so let's have some fun.”After that, she gave $20 to the stall owner and said, “Please give us six hoops.”The stall owner gave her six hoops. She had her eyes set on a bracelet. Although she knew it was fake, it was rather beautiful. She held a hoop and threw it toward the bracelet.However, she did not get it.She threw another two hoops at the bracelet, but her attempts failed, much to her chagrin. She had only three hoops left.Seeing that Daisie was prepared to give up, Cameron took over the rest of the hoops in her hand and said, “Leave it to me.”She squinted and aimed at the bracelet. After that, she threw the hoop at it an
The night of the old town was silent. The air was filled with nothing but the humming of insects. There was a lamp hanging outside of the tent on the grass. The atmosphere was quiet. Daisie was tossing and turning in the sleeping bag as sleep just wouldn't come to her. Suddenly, an arm appeared across her waist as she was brought into a chest. “What’s the matter? You can’t sleep?”“Yeah…” She buried her head in his chest and said, “I want to go to take a leak, but I’m a little bit scared.”Nollace kissed her forehead and said, “I’ll go with you then.”Both of them came out of the tent. Nollace took a flashlight and led Daisie to a row of trees in the distance. Daisie turned her head and said, “You wait for me here.”Nollace nodded. “Just shout my name if you need anything.”She walked into the forest and stopped in front of a tree not far away from Nollace.After she had done her business, she hastily got out of the forest and held tightly to Nollace’s arm. “Alright, let’s go