At the Vanderbilt mansion…A clear, loud slap fell on Leila’s face, putting her in a state of shock. When Stephen found out that Leila was behind Maisie’s abduction, he shook in anger while he barked, “You horrible woman! I’ve never treated either of you badly all these years, but you! How could you do this to Maisie while I’m still breathing!?”Leila trembled with her hand on her cheek. She never expected the plan with Nelson to fail. It was all because of Nolan!There was no point for Leila to explain herself, but she realized that Stephen was furious. “Listen to me, dear—”“What else do you have to say?” Stephen was utterly disappointed in her. “I’ve always thought that you were sincerely nice to Maisie, that you’re a good stepmother, but now I know that I had been too naive.”He finally understood why Maisie wouldn’t accept this mother-and-daughter duo. They were such cruel women, but he…He had sent Maisie away because of them!He had almost caused the end of his daughter
“What are you dissatisfied with?” Stephen never thought about things from Maisie’s point of view because he did not dare to do so before.He felt guilty for Willow and her mother, but he was also ashamed whenever he thought of Maisie. She resembled her mother too much, and he had been transferring his resentment toward her mother onto her. He was afraid that he would not be able to control his feelings for Marina de Arma whenever he saw Maisie in person.He had indeed spoiled Willow a little bit too much, but that was because others would always insult Willow due to her identity as an illegitimate daughter, and he did not feel good about that deep down.It was difficult to balance his love for his daughters and be unbiased.It was not Willow and her mother that he, as a father, owed the most, but Maisie!Seeing that Stephen was determined to divorce her, Leila slumped on the floor.‘But I will have nothing once I leave the Vanderbilts! I don’t want to go back to the time when lif
Nolan was very distressed as his young wife had kicked him out.‘I just wanted to help her get changed. It’s not like I was going to do anything to her. Was that necessary?“Mr. Goldmann.” Stephen came over slowly.Nolan adjusted the hem of his jacket, and his expression returned to being indifferent and cool. “Mr. Vanderbilt?”“Is Zee all right now?”“She’s fine, alive and well,” Nolan answered indifferently. He then thought of something and added, “You can go in later.”After Maisie changed into her clothes, Stephen opened the door, entered the ward, and placed the thermos in his hand on the table. “This is the broth that I asked the housekeeper to cook for you. This will help replenish your body.”“Okay, I’ll drink it later.” Maisie accepted it.Stephen walked up to the chair next to the bed, sat down, and slowly explained, “Zee, I’m sorry, I’m the one who harmed you. I didn’t expect that Leila would do such a thing to you.”Maisie could not help but be startled.‘Leila? M
At that moment, Willow received a call from her mother.Leila said something to Willow, and the latter’s face gradually turned pale. She could no longer sit calmly. “What? Dad wants to divorce you!?”Not only had her mother’s plan to set up Maisie fail, but her father was also planning to divorce her mother now!‘D*mn it! Why is that b*tch’s life so smooth!‘No, I mustn’t give up. I must secure my identity as the daughter of the de Armas. It doesn’t matter if there’s no bracelet, anyway. I have the DNA test result. I won’t be exposed as long as Dad and Grandma aren’t there.‘So what if Nolan knows about my plan? Didn’t he choose not to expose me?‘If he had told Maisie about my plan, Maisie would’ve come to the Lucas family to expose me. It seems that Nolan still has a soft spot for me because of the six years that we spent together.’…Nolan picked up Maisie and left the hospital. While they were on their way back to the Goldmann mansion, Maisie heard Nolan say that she should
‘I didn’t tell Father that I successfully located Marina’s daughter. Yet, Father actually got to know about it out of the blue and even wants to make it public…’Larissa turned her head to look at Willow, who was being surrounded by others, and her brows could not help but crease.‘Although the DNA results did prove that she and Louis are related by blood, and she has the bracelet too, I’ve always felt that something is not right.’As Louis slowly walked downstairs, the gazes of many ladies were fixed on him.The hearts of a lot of Bassburgh socialites had been shattered back then when Mr. Goldmann announced publicly that he was no longer available at the banquet for celebrities. Thus, apart from Helios, the bigwig of the entertainment industry, who no one dared to even think about approaching due to the pressure that originated from the hundreds of millions of fans, they could only aim at Louis, who was still single and available in the circle.Louis was known as Bassburgh’s Prin
Willow did not expect this woman to show up here.‘D*mn it! Is she here with Maisie?’A faint hint of viciousness flashed across her eyes.Louis subconsciously felt that Ryleigh looked rather familiar. Upon closer inspection, was she not the woman who had brought the two kids to the Michelin restaurant that day?“Ryleigh!” Mrs. Boucher was afraid that she would do something foolish and reminded her, “She’s Aunty Lucas’ niece.”“What?” Ryleigh was flustered.‘How is Willow Aunty Larissa’s niece? Could she be the daughter of the de Armas that the Lucases plan to announce tonight?’“Aunty, Aunty Larissa, are you mistaken? How could she be—” Russell pulled Ryleigh aside and interrupted her, “Keep quiet, don’t make a fool out of yourself!”Ryleigh flung his hand away. “Dad, why would you think that I’m fooling around? That woman is the illegitimate daughter of the Vanderbilts, and her mother is Zee’s stepmother, Leila Scott!”Ryleigh’s voice was not loud, but everyone who was on th
Louis did not even look at Willow.His gaze then landed on the two figures that slowly appeared from the crowd. Not only his but Larissa and Mrs. Boucher’s gazes were also attracted by them.“Mr. Goldmann? Why is he here?”“Is the relationship between the Goldmanns and the Lucases so close that Mr. Goldmann would attend the Lucases’ banquet?”“Could the person standing next to Mr. Goldmann be his woman?”Maisie wrapped Nolan’s arm and walked in beside him. She was wearing a dark green evening gown with naked shoulders—the waistline and split dress design made the whole dress look vivid.She had tied the long hair behind her into a fishtail braid, and the cold and indifferent yet unparalleled appearance made her look unforgettable for anyone who had seen her in person.And while she was walking beside Nolan, who looked exceptionally regal, charming, and attractive, it made them look like a match made in heaven.“Zee!” Ryleigh felt ecstatic after seeing Maisie appear from the cro
Larissa took a deep breath and calmed herself down. After all, it would be too awkward and embarrassing for things to go sour when there were so many people.“Mr. Goldmann, if there’s anything that bothers you, we can solve it later—”Nolan interrupted her, “Mrs. Lucas, are you telling me that you don’t dare to recognize the mistake that you’ve made?”Larissa’s hand that was holding the wine glass tightened once again.‘What am I hesitating about? It’s obvious that this woman looks a lot like Marina at first glance... The resemblance is uncanny.‘I should’ve known a long time ago. How could I not be suspicious?‘I still can’t find anything on Willow that resembles Marina after all this while, but I could only bite the bullet and take her in when the DNA test that Willow showed me extinguished my suspicions.’Willow completely panicked. Seeing that Larissa was still hesitating, she thought of something, dashed up to Maisie abruptly, and grabbed her hand while tears rolled down he