Mockery flashed in Nyla's eyes. "You call being in his 30s young? That's more like being a man-child."If it weren't for Cindy constantly cleaning up Clark's mess, he wouldn't have become increasingly reckless, ultimately resorting to kidnapping others.Cindy continued to plead, "Ms. Kinsey… if you could just let Clark go—"Nyla interrupted her, "I won't let him off. He's currently in police custody, and kidnapping is a criminal offense that can't be dismissed.""All you have to do is write a forgiveness letter, and the judge will definitely show leniency," Cindy insisted."Would you offer that to someone who tried to kill Clark?" Nyla retorted.Cindy froze.After several seconds, she mumbled, "But… you two were once in love and married for a few years… Why act so ruthlessly? He just made a momentary mistake…""Save that for the police. Let's see if they'll believe you," Nyla said, turning away as she left.Cindy wanted to chase after her, but Cyrus stopped her. "It's pointles
Soon, Nyla noticed a person wearing a baseball cap and a mask, both items obscuring their face. The individual left a bouquet of roses at her doorstep and walked away.Nyla frowned and called Oliver, asking if he had sent her the flowers.His voice came through with a hint of laughter. "I've been busy with a merger lately. Looks like I have a rival."Nyla couldn't help but chuckle. "Rival? It might just be a prank.""I'm starting to feel the pressure," Oliver teased."Well, if you're feeling pressured, you should come over for dinner tonight. Buddy and I miss you," Nyla invited."From now on, you should split that last sentence into two," Oliver suggested.Nyla paused, then raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I miss you, and Buddy misses you too."There was silence on the line for a few seconds before Oliver's deep voice replied, "Alright, I'll be there at 6:30 p.m."After hanging up, Nyla's smile gradually faded. If it wasn't Oliver who had sent the flowers, then who was it? Or had the
Nyla was silent momentarily before saying softly, "Mr. Sumner, I need some time to think about this. I'll contact you once I've made a decision."After hanging up, she let out a soft sigh, her expression complex.Mason's safety was very important, but she didn't want to have any more interactions with Damon. Ever since the kidnapping incident, she had found it difficult to feel calm whenever she thought of him.She decided the best course of action was to distance herself from him.After pondering for a while, Nyla made up her mind.…In the evening, Oliver arrived just as she finished cooking."I could smell the ribs as soon as I stepped out of the elevator! Have you ever thought about opening a restaurant?" Oliver asked.Nyla smiled at him, raising an eyebrow. "With a way of talking like that, I should reward you by making sure you finish all the ribs without leaving a bite."Oliver nodded. "Deal!" Hearing the voices, Mason ran out of his room. When he saw Oliver, he immed
After dinner, Oliver suggested that Nyla take Mason to the living room to rest while he cleaned the table and washed the dishes.Nyla instinctively declined, "You don't have to. You're a guest.""I'm also your boyfriend," Oliver replied, raising an eyebrow. "As your boyfriend, it's only right that I wash the dishes after dinner. I can't let you do everything."Reluctantly, Nyla nodded. "Alright, I'll listen to you."Oliver tidied up the table, washed the dishes, wiped down the kitchen counters, and mopped the floor before heading to the living room.Nyla was playing with Mason, competing to see who could stack the blocks faster.Mason was quick, nearly finishing with no blocks out of place, while Nyla's stack was a chaotic mess, teetering as if it could fall at any moment.Oliver watched them with a gentle gaze. He asked, raising an eyebrow, "Nyla, do you want me to help?"Nyla looked up and met Oliver's smiling eyes.Just as she was about to respond, a loud crash interrupted
Nyla pressed her lips together before replying softly, "Mr. Sumner, please come in."Damon entered, holding Mason, and glanced at Oliver, who was standing in the middle of the living room."Mr. Raynor, I hope I'm not interrupting," he said.Oliver met his gaze without hesitation. "Not at all."Their eyes locked, and although both were smiling, the atmosphere felt tense, as if the air had thickened around them.Nyla placed the watermelon on the table and broke the silence. "Mr. Sumner, Oliver, have a seat."Oliver looked at her warmly. "Is it okay for me to be here while you and Mr. Sumner talk? If it's not a good time, I can step out.""It's fine. There's nothing to worry about," she replied.As Damon listened to their conversation, bitterness swelled in his heart, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on Mason.Mason exclaimed, "Daddy, you're holding me too tight!"Nyla and Oliver turned to Damon, who quickly loosened his grip on Mason and said apologetically, "I'm sorry,
Seeing the hostility in Damon's eyes, Oliver let out a light laugh. "Mr. Sumner, I don't mean to offend. I've watched Buddy grow up, so protecting him is my responsibility."Damon's expression remained cold. "I can protect my own son."After saying that, he turned to Nyla, his face impassive. "If you move in with Mr. Raynor, then Buddy can move back to the villa. If you and Buddy continue living here, I will send more people to protect you both. I won't allow anyone to take advantage of the situation."Noticing the heavy atmosphere, Mason fell silent, lowering his head and softening his breath.Nyla pressed her lips together.After a long moment, she finally said, "I understand. Buddy and I will continue living here."A bit of the frost in Damon's gaze melted away as he put Mason down and stood up. "It's getting late. I won't disturb you any longer."After saying goodbye to Mason, he turned and left.Oliver stood up and said softly, "Nyla, I have a meeting tomorrow morning, so
The next few days passed uneventfully, and Nyla's tension eased a little.Just after she and Mason finished dinner on Friday night, she suddenly received a call from Brandon."Aunt Nyla, can you bring Buddy to the hospital right now?" Brandon asked.Nyla paused for a moment before speaking. "What happened?"She wasn't particularly close with Brandon, so why would he suddenly ask her to come to the hospital? Could something have happened to Damon?The thought made her heart skip a beat, and her face paled."My grandfather passed away late last night. The lawyer came today to read the will, and he said both you and Buddy need to be present," Brandon explained.Nyla was shocked. She hadn't expected Richard to pass away so suddenly.She asked again, "Didn't he seem to be in good health not long ago?"Brandon sighed and spoke softly. "I'm not sure either. The doctor did say he was gradually recovering, but last night, he suddenly…"Anyway, let's not dwell on that now. If you're av
"Third, to my eldest son, Cyrus Sumner, I leave the legacy of my own selfishness and cold-heartedness, hoping he will make good use of these traits and find them beneficial."Fourth, to my youngest son, Damon Sumner, I leave only two words—Suit yourself."This will reflects my true intentions and has been notarized, giving it legal validity."Signed and stamped by Richard Sumner, dated August 19, 2024."As soon as Parker finished, Cyrus jumped up, his face red with rage."I don't accept this will!" he yelled. "There's no way my father would do this! He wouldn't leave me without a single penny!"Parker looked at him calmly. "Mr. Cyrus, this will has already been notarized. If you don't believe it, you're welcome to investigate. There are records on file.""No! This isn't fair! I won't accept this will! It's unfair, and I refuse to acknowledge it!" Cyrus cried.Furious, he turned to Anne, whose expression mirrored his displeasure."Anne, do you really think this will is real? Da
"I'm not doing anything special. What's up? Aren't you supposed to be in a business meeting? How do you have time to call me?" Valarie asked.Brandon replied, "It's all taken care of. My flight is tonight. Want to meet up?"Valarie raised an eyebrow. "What time will you be back in Saintornia?""A little after 11:00 p.m.," Brandon answered.Valarie shook her head. "That's too late. You've been on a business trip for almost a week. You should just go home and rest."Brandon chuckled. "But I really want to see you. How about this? I'll have my driver stop by your place. We can see each other briefly, and then I'll head home. Sound good?"Valarie considered it. His route home would pass by her neighborhood anyway. "Alright. Just call me when you're close. I'm about to have dinner, so I'll talk to you later. Bye.""Okay," Brandon replied.After hanging up, Valarie entered the restaurant.Stefan had reserved a private dining room, and by the time she arrived, he was already inside.
Michelle hung up after delivering her threat.Stefan stood frozen, his body tense with despair.No matter what he did, it seemed he could never truly escape the Snowdens.If it weren't for them, he wouldn't be able to pay for his mother's treatment. Yet, they were the people he hated most. He despised them.He also despised his mother, Lily. If she had never given birth to him, he wouldn't be trapped in this nightmare, stuck in the mud with no way out.And yet… she was the only person who had ever shown him kindness.That fragile thread of family—thin and fraying—still tugged at his heart, holding him back. Even though it hurt, he couldn't bring himself to sever it.…Valarie had just returned home when her mother called her over. She changed into her house slippers and sat beside her."Valarie, when are you and Brandon getting married?" Phoebe asked.Valarie frowned. "Mom, we haven't even discussed that yet.""You're not getting any younger." Phoebe huffed. "You rejected every guy we
The two of them were eight years apart, with different interests and personalities.Some of Stefan's behavior struck Valarie as incredibly immature. But more importantly, she had never seen him in a romantic light.To her, he was more like a younger brother—someone she felt protective of, but not someone she could ever like that way.He should be dating girls his own age, and she should get back to living her own life.With that thought, Valarie accepted the money.Valarie: [Thank you for everything these past few weeks. And… I'm sorry about today.]…Stefan stared at the message on his screen in a quiet park, his lips curling into a mocking smile.Just as Brandon had said—Valarie had only been using him as a distraction. Now that she was back with Brandon, she'd discarded him without hesitation.Taking a deep breath, he deleted the chat and didn't reply.They had always been from different worlds. Now, things were simply returning to how they had been before.Still, he coul
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Valarie cut Brandon off, her gaze sharp with accusation.Brandon hesitated, caught off guard for a moment.After a brief pause, he nodded. "Yes, I did. Because I don't like how much attention you're giving Stefan. If it had been any other server handling the bill, would you still be questioning me like this?""There's no 'if.' I chose to be with you again, which means I'm not holding onto anything with Stefan. So, there's no reason for you to single him out," Valarie replied.Brandon's expression darkened slightly. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then held back. "Alright. I understand.""Good. Let's go home," Valarie said, and the car fell into silence.When they finally arrived at the Weir residence, Brandon broke the quiet. "Valarie, don't you think… things between us aren't the same anymore?"They were supposed to be a couple, yet they tiptoed around each other—testing boundaries, afraid to say the wrong thing.Valarie pressed her l
"Alright. I'm about to board. I'll talk to you later," Nyla said.Valarie replied, "Okay, have a great trip."After hanging up, Nyla turned to Damon and Mason, her eyes glowing with happiness.She had dreamed for so long of taking a family trip together. Now, that dream had finally come true.…Valarie and Brandon walked into the restaurant.As they sat down, a server approached with two glasses of water."Good evening, sir, ma'am—" Before the server could finish, his smile faltered.Valarie hadn't expected to see Stefan here. A flicker of surprise crossed her face.Just as she was about to speak, Stefan quickly regained his composure, adopting his usual polite smile. "Good evening. May I take your order? We just received fresh salmon and sea urchin today. I highly recommend trying them."Brandon raised an eyebrow, a faint hint of mockery in his gaze. "We'll take your recommendations. And add an order of Arctic shrimp sashimi as well.""Certainly, sir. Would you like anythin
Michelle frowned. "What the hell are you talking about? I already told my assistant to handle it.""Then why was my mom kicked out of her hospital room in the middle of the night?" Stefan shot back.Michelle's voice grew cold. "Forget about that. I should be asking you. Besides taking a few staged photos with Valarie, have you made any real progress?""What more do you want?" Stefan asked.She smirked. "I want something that will completely ruin her. You know what to do.""Send me 250,000 dollars for medical expenses first, or I'm done doing your dirty work," Stefan demanded.Michelle let out a mocking laugh. "Stefan, you know I can have your mother thrown out of the hospital for good with a single word, right?"He had no right to threaten her.Stefan retorted, "Oh, I believe you. But if you do that, I'll make sure the whole world knows everything you made me do. When that happens, Brandon will never want anything to do with you again.""You!" Michelle clenched her jaw, her fa
"Yeah, I just got home. How's your mother doing now?" Valarie asked."Her condition is stable. Veevee… I need to ask you something," Stefan said.A flicker of surprise crossed Valarie's eyes. "What is it?"There was a brief silence before Stefan spoke again. "Never mind, it's nothing important. Get some rest. Goodnight."Before Valarie could respond, he had already hung up.She set her phone down, deciding to invite Stefan out for dinner in the next few days and have an honest conversation with him.…After the surgery, Michelle remained unconscious for a full day before finally waking up.The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Jayden sitting by her bedside."Michelle! You're awake!" Jayden exclaimed, relief flooding his voice as he quickly pressed the call button for the doctor.Once the doctor confirmed she was out of danger, Jayden exhaled deeply."Michelle, do you have any idea what I went through while you were unconscious? Please, don't ever do something so reckless a
The moment Brandon spoke, silence blanketed the room.Yale and Nolan both looked visibly uneasy.Jayden froze for a second, then his face twisted with disappointment. "Fine! From now on, we're strangers!"With that, he shoved Nolan aside and stormed toward the hospital entrance.Nolan frowned and turned to Brandon. "Brandon, Jayden was just upset. Did you really have to make it so final? How are you going to fix things later?""I don't plan to fix anything. Because of him and Michelle, Valarie and I fought countless times. Do you really think I should sacrifice my girlfriend for two so-called friends?" Brandon retorted.Seeing the indifference in his expression, Nolan suddenly regretted sending that message earlier. If he hadn't texted Brandon about Valarie being with another guy, none of this would have happened."I'm heading home," Brandon said before turning to Valarie, taking her hand, and leading her out of the hospital.Watching them leave, Nolan felt a surge of frustrati
A cold gust of wind blew through, and Brandon felt his heart sink.From the moment he first laid eyes on Valarie, he had made up his mind—he had to be with her, to marry her.He had pursued her for five years. They had finally gotten together, only to break up soon after.He had tried everything to win her back, but no matter what he did, she only seemed to drift further away.Was it really impossible for them to be together?"Valarie, you told me to stay away from Michelle for a month, and I did."Tonight, Jayden called to say that Michelle tried to commit suicide and is in the hospital being resuscitated. I still didn't go see her."I know I made a lot of mistakes before, but I've been trying to change. Can you give me one more chance?" he pleaded.Valarie remained silent for a long time. She knew she still had feelings for Brandon. When she met his pleading gaze, she felt herself softening.Finally, she looked at him and nodded. "Alright, but this is the last chance I'm giv