It wasn't even daybreak the next morning when the rooster crowed loudly, startling Hilda before both her alarm and biological clock went off. The voice control lighting that was installed around the neighborhood lit up at the sound of the rooster's crow. Hilda bolted upright with her heart beating fast and she was still bleary eyed as she turned to see that Luna was still sound asleep. Nathan, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. Hmm, that's early, Hilda noted curiously. She shuffled over to the bathroom but Nathan wasn't there either. Thinking that he had gone out, Hilda certainly did not expect to bump into him when she entered the kitchen. He was looking serious in an apron as he made breakfast out of the local specialties from the village. Hilda's eyes sparkled and she was fiercely determined to try Nathan's cooking. It didn't take long for the feast to be served. There were potatoes, cobs of corn, sandwiches, burgers, noodles and mac and cheese. Soon, the family g
Everything was going according to Sahara's plan. Now, even if Gianna did end up with Connie, she would never think of Hilda and her brother as anything but a pair of wicked twins. On the other hand, Sahara could soon find herself in the Bowens' good graces, seeing as she and Gianna were becoming such good friends. It would be even better if she could end up marrying either Arlo or Milo. Eventually, Hilda turned up as expected. She had flown over in a chopper, not wanting to waste any time. She could hardly wait to give Gianna two slaps across the face. Hilda was fuming, unable to comprehend how shameless Gianna was. "Miss Gianna." The bodyguard greeted in a low voice after rushing through the door. "Miss Hilda has arrived." Gianna was well on her way to becoming a young lady of the Bowen family and certainly that would have warranted her a royal title if they were in ancient times. She felt important as she indulged in the privilege of being escorted by the Bowens' security tea
Hilda was also beginning to understand Gianna. She was nothing more than a naive little girl who saw the world through rose colored glasses, and her delusions belied her sheltered upbringing. She'd never had to endure life's many cruel punches, and she was clueless as to how vicious mankind could be. She didn't know how ruthless it was out there in the real world. Hilda hadn't wanted to be too hard on her, but as of now, she had to be cruel to be kind. "So, Miss Dgoldz, it seems as if you're set on being with my mother." Gianna was determined. "You have no right to interfere with our plans." With a low chuckle, Hilda cast a fleeting glance at Sahara, who was practically buzzing with anticipation, and sneered, "Gianna, I think it's time you get that brain of yours checked." At this, Gianna was outraged. "Hilda, I suggest you watch that mouth of yours. I'm older than you, and you should show me some respect! You rude little wench! Just wait till your mother and I get together, I'll
Meanwhile, Sahara tried her best to console the shell shocked girl. "Hey, it's okay. It's all over now. She was only lying to you. She just wants you to think that you're not good enough so that you would back off on your own. She's jealous because she's a b*tch born out of wedlock, whereas you are a direct descendant of the Bowen family. She knows her life will be ruined once you get together with Connie, so she's doing everything she can to stop that from happening! How could Connie not like you when everybody else adores you?" The words were empty lies. Sahara knew that Gianna was worthless without shares in Smith Group. The girl had neither power nor authority, and she was only collateral for the Bowens to gain a powerful ally in Taadi. She was no better than a pawn. Sahara had managed to become a Damien by way of her many accomplishments. She didn't want to live in fear, so she did everything she could to expand her influence. She knew that it was meaningless to have only a tit
Taadi City was beginning to see cooler temperatures now that it was September, and the weather had finally turned cool enough for Jerome to begin property hunting. Given the importance of the matter, he had personally taken on the task of surveying properties in the city. After all, her final choice would end up as the location for Smith Group's branch in this country. There were only a handful of renowned metaphysics grandmasters in Taadi City, and Jerome had invited one of them to come along with him as he visited the properties. Presently, Samuel Fleming was making quite an impression on the passers by as he arrived at the scene on a hoverboard. He looked ethereal in his robes, the sleeves of which were flapping in the cool breeze, and his long, ebony hair had been pulled back into a neat ponytail. He had recently been meditating on Reverie Mountain before Jerome had called upon him for his expertise. Only important clients like Jerome could make him step away from meditation,
The agent drove them around slowly, traveling from Third Avenue to the ancient Imperial Palace. Choosing a house was a long process, especially for a major client like Jerome. He had been wandering around for several days now, but he had not found any houses that he liked. The agent had shown him the best houses of Taadi City, but there were still none to his liking. Even the ancient Imperial Palace did not catch his attention as the area was actually inferior to his place in Smith City. These few days, Samuel wandered around with him so much that his head spun, but for the sake of money, he continued to follow Jerome. After all, it was only a half day's work. Every day from two to six in the afternoon, he would just have to give a few comments to be able to walk away with several millions. On one of the afternoons, Samuel, who had been following Jerome around for nearly half a day, saw that it was already six o'clock, so he asked the driver to divert back to the Imperial so that
The Bowen family was rich, but Hilda's family had mines. Moreover, they were diamond mines and rare metal mines, so they were not inferior to the Bowens at all! Hilda strode over with her head held high. "Hilda!" As soon as she saw her, Gianna called out to her, her eyes full of delight. Then, in a stepmotherly voice, she said, "Oh, I bet you didn't see this coming, did you? Uncle Jerome loves me so much that he is personally helping me. Today, Arlo asked to meet with you to talk about your mother and I. I hope you won't stop us, otherwise..." She slammed the table as she said this. "Otherwise, I'll ask Arlo to stop his cooperation with you so that you'll suffer a great loss! Your brand is nothing without Smith Group. I'm advising you, stop criticizing. You're not worthy!" Before Hilda could speak, Gianna continued coldly, "And don't make unwarranted assumptions about the Bowen family's matters and judge us based on your malicious thoughts. You're no match for us!" Whew! It had
Arlo stopped brewing the tea and looked up at Hilda. Undoubtedly, he knew who she had meant by 'her'. Hilda wants to slap Gianna? And she wants me, her cousin, to do it? No matter how foolish Gianna was, she was still a part of the Bowen family. Slapping her would be a slap to his face! Arlo hesitated. "That's not a good idea." The corners of Hilda's lips curled up slightly as she turned her head toward Gianna. Behind her, Francis' hand shot out to slap Gianna across her small delicate face. The guy struck with no regard for gender, causing Gianna's nose to bleed on the spot. At once, the whole place fell silent. Upon seeing this, Arlo's mouth twitched. No one had dared to slap a member of the Bowen family before, much less in front of him! For several seconds, Gianna was stunned. She was dizzy from the slap, and her mind was blank. It took a while for her to come back to her senses, and that was when she let out an ear splitting scream. It was a good thing they were in a priva