Wilson said, "You're incredibly capable, I know, but this isn't urgent. You treat yourself like some kind of Iron Woman, but I don't want my best team member burning out.""Alright, I'll head over tomorrow.""See you tomorrow."After hanging up, Serena found herself lost in thought. Over the years, she had grown used to working her ass off. Justin never cared about her, and she barely took care of herself. Now, being at Quade Group, where someone actually cared about her well-being, it felt like leaving Farrow Corporation might have been the right decision.It was still early, and Serena was not in a rush to head back. She texted Willow instead."Willow, what kind of food does Mr. Quade like?"The answer she received caught her off guard. "Desserts." Serena decided to stop by a nearby mall, where a cake shop she liked was located. The place had always been one of her favorites, and she often visited.Before working as Justin's assistant, Serena had once dreamed of owning her
Candice stared at Serena for a moment, waiting for a reaction. However, Serena seemed unfazed by her taunts.Instead, Serena simply looked at her and asked, "Are you done?"She turned to the manager. "Can you pack me another one of these cakes?"The manager hesitated, glancing between the two women, but eventually handed over another cake.Candice's smile faded slightly. "Serena, why waste money buying another one? Here, take your cake back."She handed the bag to Serena but let go before Serena could grab it. Then, with a loud splat, the cake hit the floor, breaking apart into a mess.Candice covered her mouth with a dramatic gasp. "Oops! My bad. But it's not a big deal. This cake shop is about to be mine anyway, so I'll have them send over a few more to make it up to you."For the first time, Serena reacted. "You're buying this bakery?""That's right."Candice's smile widened with satisfaction. "I'm not really cut out for office work, so Justin told me to find something I li
Serena used to bring Justin a small cake from Indigo every week. She even learned how to bake, trying to create something special just for him.As the thought crossed his mind, Justin's eyes instinctively drifted to the small cake on his desk. He froze."Is this from Indigo?" he asked sharply.Candice blinked. "Yeah, I thought you liked it...""I don't like it. Don't buy it again," Justin said, leaning back in his chair, his mood souring for reasons he didn't want to admit.His gaze settled on Candice. "Why are you wearing a hat?""I-It's nothing," Candice muttered, fidgeting and pulling the hat down further.Justin's eyes narrowed. "Take it off."Her hesitation only fueled his suspicion. "I said, take it off. Now." Candice reluctantly walked over, her steps dragging. Justin stood, reached out, and pulled the hat off her head. His expression darkened the moment he saw the sticky smear of frosting in her hair."What happened?"Candice bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes.
Candice's smile fell. "Why not?"Justin pressed his cigarette into the ashtray, his brows furrowed. After a while, he replied, "This bakery isn't well-known, and the cakes aren't great. Pick a larger chain. You could franchise something better—I'll fund it, and it'll be much more profitable.""But I want this one," Candice insisted, her nails digging into her palm as she forced a smile. "Didn't you say I could make my own choices?""Pick another one," Justin stated firmly, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.Candice lowered her head slightly, hiding the bitterness and resentment in her eyes beneath her docile expression.Just then, a knock sounded at the office door, and a client stepped in. Justin stood, gently moving Candice off his lap. "You should head home. I've got work to do."With that, Candice left quietly. ...After a long day of meetings and a client dinner, Justin finally wrapped up his work. By the time he finished, the sky had already turned dark. Suddenly,
Arthur flashed Candice a polite smile. "Don't take it to heart. Mollie's always been like this.""It's fine," Candice responded softly, her demeanor obedient and composed.Arthur turned to Justin with a calm grin and added, "Mind if I borrow him for a minute?""Go ahead," Candice said, moving to sit quietly on a couch nearby.Mollie ignored her, and Joseph was too preoccupied with singing, leaving Candice scrolling through her phone alone.Justin loosened his tie and sat down next to Arthur. "What do you want to say?"Arthur poured him a glass of Burgundy. "Are you really done with Serena?"Justin's expression hardened. "You can't break up if you were never together. Serena and I were never a thing.""Then why keep her hanging on for so long?" Arthur asked.Justin's irritation flared. "That was her choice. She stayed because she wanted to."Arthur sipped his wine thoughtfully. "We've known each other forever, so I'll be straight with you. 19 years—she's spent nearly a quarter
Mollie rolled her eyes. "Mind your own business."Joseph said, "As someone who's been on the receiving end, I'm giving you fair warning—Wilson is even more dangerous than Justin. Don't think you can get close to him easily.""As long as he's not blind like Justin, I'm fine," Mollie retorted, glancing at Candice from a distance, her irritation bubbling up again."I still can't figure out what Justin's thinking," Mollie muttered. "My friend, Lynn Campbell, is so much better than this girl, but he wouldn't even consider her.""Lynn?" Joseph frowned. "Oh, come on. At that party, she was throwing shade at Candice the whole time. I don't like her.""Shut up!" Mollie shot back. "She likes Justin. Of course, she'd feel jealous seeing another woman by his side. You guys just don't get it!"Joseph shrugged and went quiet. Fine, maybe he did not get it. But at least his moral compass worked—he knew good from bad. ...After his talk with Arthur, Justin grew unusually quiet. He did not bot
Mollie slammed the car door shut, and the Maybach sped off into the night. Meanwhile, Candice stood by the curb, frozen in place for a long while.Not far away, Joseph had watched the scene unfold, and a flicker of pity crossed his face. "Mollie's temper can be a bit much. Candice looks pretty pitiful—I should give her a ride home."Arthur stepped in front of him, stopping him with a firm hand. He said flatly, "Don't get involved.""What's the deal? You're usually all about being a gentleman," Joseph asked, puzzled.Arthur's expression darkened slightly. "Candice doesn't need your help. She's no innocent little bunny.""And how would you know that?" Joseph challenged.Arthur smirked. "Because I'm good at reading people. For example, I knew right away you're an idiot. Nailed it, didn't I?"Joseph was rendered speechless, wondering what he did to deserve that....Mollie dropped Justin off at his villa and made sure the housekeeper, Wendy Moore, was ready to take care of him. Wh
The next morning, Serena woke up early to prepare breakfast. Her fridge was stocked with fresh vegetables and some meat, so she decided to make a pot of hearty mushroom soup. Once everything was carefully packed into a thermalware food jar, she headed to the office.As she approached the crosswalk near her building, a Range Rover suddenly sped out of nowhere, grazing past her. Serena instinctively stepped back, narrowly avoiding harm, but her bag was not so lucky. It hit the car, sending the food jar flying, and the soup spilled across the pavement.The Range Rover screeched to a halt, and the driver rolled down the window to toss out a wad of cash onto the ground. The driver barked, "We're in a rush. Mr. Jenkins says this is your compensation!" Serena slowly walked over, picked up the money, and approached the vehicle. Just as the driver prepared to step on the gas, Serena raised her hand and slammed the cash right into his face.She said firmly, "I've already taken a picture of
Just as Thomas was about to dunk Serena underwater again, a loud bang cut through the air, followed by Thomas' piercing scream. He clamped a hand over his right shoulder where crimson blood bloomed across his shirt.Serena looked up at the towering cliffside to see Wilson aiming his gun in Thomas' direction. She watched as Wilson shrugged off his jacket and dived into the lake. Behind him, several men took their positions on the cliff.Tears pricked Serena's eyes. She kicked Thomas away and swam toward Wilson with as much force as she could.Thomas snapped to his senses and immediately pushed forward to swim after Serena. However, his wounded shoulder hindered his swimming. "Stop! Come back right now, damn it!"Less than 50 yards separated her and Wilson, yet Serena felt as if they were worlds apart. After what felt like ages, a strong arm finally pulled her into a warm embrace. Wilson held her close and murmured, "I'm here now. You have nothing to be afraid of."Serena breathed i
Despair flashed in Mollie's eyes. Suddenly, someone gripped her wrist. She turned to see Serena staring at her evenly and whispering, "Head southwest."With that, Serena nudged her away before darting out of their hiding place and bolting in the opposite direction."Shit!" Thomas swore upon seeing Serena. He leaped down the hill and ran after her.The blood drained from Mollie's face. She clenched her jaw and ran southwest like Serena told her to. As she ran, tears streamed down her face, and she prayed that Serena would get away safely.…"Damn it! Stop running!" Thomas roared as he pursued Serena.Serena was barefoot and practically flying through the woods. She had always been strong, and her stamina was second to none when it came to running. However, biology became her biggest hurdle, and it didn't take long for Thomas to catch up to her.He pulled her back by her hair and flung her to the ground, using inertia to his advantage. She hit the forest floor and felt her head s
Mollie said weakly, "Go on without me, Serena. I'll only hold you back."Serena hauled Mollie to her feet and reassured her, "We must have shaken them off after running for so long. I can hear running water somewhere. Maybe we'll find a stream where we can clean your wounds."Mollie could tell Serena did not intend to leave her behind. Tears welled up in her eyes.Seeing this, Serena asked, "Why are you crying?""I just feel bad because… I was so mean to you, yet you're risking your life to save mine. I'm a terrible person!" Mollie sobbed."Don't say that about yourself. Compared to your mother and Justin, you were practically nice," Serena comforted her. Indeed, Mollie hadn't done anything terrible to Serena save for a few acerbic comments here and there.Mollie was speechless as she considered Serena's words. She then said, "You sure know what to say to make people feel better.""Come on." Serena looped her arm through Mollie's and gently but firmly guided her forward. Sure
"Don't touch Mollie!" Serena struggled to shield Mollie."Out of my way!" Carl snapped, shoving Serena hard enough that she staggered to the side, lost her footing, and hit her head on the rocks. She blacked out after that.The skinny man's eyes glittered as he said, "How delicate. Hey, Carl, now that you've knocked out this one, can I have her? You already have Ms. Farrow over there—""Get in line!" Carl barked, cutting him off."What the hell? Don't tell me you want dibs on the other one, too!" the skinny man protested."I'm not letting you get a taste of that beauty first! I'm calling dibs on both of them!" Carl snapped.The skinny man was about to say something when Carl silenced him with a deadly glare. A vicious smile curved his lips as he said before leaving, "Fine, have your fun. I'll take my turn after you."Mollie glowered at Carl with wide eyes. "Get away from me! Don't you dare touch me! I'm the young lady of the Farrow family!""What makes you think that'll stop me
The woman's helpless sobbing prompted the other women to start crying and begging for mercy, too. However, their captors couldn't care less.Mollie leaned against Serena, her skin hot to the touch, and rasped, "Serena, let's… run.""We can't," Serena whispered."But if we don't run, we'll be sold off into a rural village in the mountains and never come out again," Mollie countered urgently."I know," Serena said quietly, but now was not the time to make their escape. They wouldn't get far if they ran now.The chubby guy hauled up the woman cowering at his feet and growled, "Stop crying and get your ass up! We're leaving now!"The woman, weakened and howling, refused to budge. The chubby guy grew incensed and slapped her hard across the face. In a violent fit, he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against a tree trunk.Blood trickled down the woman's face as she slumped onto the ground. She looked half-dead.The whip-thin man watching this from the side chuckled. "No n
Kayden stood before Wilson and reported the latest updates, "Mr. Wilson, we've sealed all the waterways. We're also carrying out a blanket inspection on all moving vehicles on the expressways, but we've yet to find Ms. Judd.""Got it," Wilson replied as he pulled the car up to the side, his cigarette dangling between his lips. The storm in his eyes matched his foul mood.At that moment, his phone rang. He answered it and heard Andrew announce, "We've caught a suspicious vehicle passing through the surveilled area!""I'm on my way." Wilson hung up and sped toward the police precinct.Andrew showed Wilson the latest lead he found. "The van has raised alarms before, and the driver is our suspect. He goes by the nickname 'Whistle', but his real name is Thomas Garcia. I sent my men after the van after we determined the route. If our hunch is correct, Serena should be in that van now.Wilson stared at the footage of Thomas as if the latter were a dead man.Andrew continued, "And have y
The bus hadn't been moving for that long when it suddenly braked, and there was a loud rattling as everyone in the cage bumped against one another. Serena hit her head on the metal cage and saw stars.Someone asked anxiously, "What is it? Why's the traffic piling up ahead?""I'll go check it out." Someone opened the door and got out of the bus. Moments later, he returned and grumbled, "Bad news—the expressway up ahead is blocked. They're inspecting vehicles and paying special attention to vans, pick-up trucks, and buses like ours!""No way. Why would the cops suddenly make a fuss about vehicle inspection? They didn't do it before!""I don't think they're cops…" someone demurred."Could the Farrows be behind this?" The hooligans threw dirty looks in Mollie's direction.Mollie's eyes lit up. Justin had come to rescue her! The other women in the cage grew hopeful, too.The chubby guy grimaced at Thomas. "I told you to leave that Farrow woman alone, but you wouldn't listen! What do
Serena stared at her. "Because of what?""My… My head hurts," Mollie said.Serena turned to look and was shocked. The back of Mollie's head was covered in sticky, dark blood. No wonder she was so pale. Serena had thought it was just from fear, but it was clear she had lost a lot of blood. Still, considering how much she had bled, the fact that she was still so alert meant she wasn't in immediate danger. "Someone must have hit you on the back of your head. You're bleeding.""I don't remember… I don't even know how I got here…" Mollie curled up inside the cage, tears streaming down her face. She had never suffered like this before. Growing up, she had always been able to avoid trouble just by revealing her identity. Now that she was really in danger, she was falling apart. "Serena, what do we do? They're going to sell us. We'll die in some foreign country…""Don't be scared," Serena reassured her."I just want to go home." Mollie sobbed."Stop crying." Serena tried to comfort h
"Instead of losing your mind here, why not figure out a way to find her? Justin, I don't have time to deal with your tantrums!" With that, Wilson got into the driver's seat and sped off.…The van was moving fast, rattling over every bump in the road. Serena felt like she was going to throw up.After what felt like forever, the van finally came to a stop. A burly man yanked her out roughly. That was when she realized they had stopped at an abandoned food factory. Wild grass had taken over the place, and several similar vans and buses were parked nearby.Other women were dragged out of the vans. Some were unconscious. The ones who were awake were crying and pleading for help—except for one. A woman in a black jacket was thrashing wildly. The tape over her mouth had come loose, and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. "You bastards! Do you even know who I am? I'm the eldest daughter of the Farrow family! You have no idea what you're getting yourselves into."Let me go right