Luke and the others drove their cars to Misty Mountain. Misty Mountain boasted fantastic scenery. The mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, as though it was part of a fantasy dreamscape. Every year, it attracted tourists from many countries. Surrounded by several mountain peaks was a waterfall with a lake at the bottom. The water was clear and reflected the blueness of the sky, which was why it was called Azure Waterfall. The group of people went to the Cottage in the Clouds, a popular lodge located next to Azure Waterfall. It was built entirely with logs, though the interior was spacious and comfortable. The owner of the lodge was a young couple. They seemed to be loving toward each other. The male was tall and gentlemanly, while the female was beautiful and diligent. They were dressed in unique ethnic wear. They received Luke, Bianca, and the others with warm smiles. Even though they could see that the guests were dressed in luxurious clothes, they di
When Scarlett saw Jim, her grip on Simon's hand became tighter, and her clear eyes were fraught with unease. She even timidly hid behind the little boy, even though his height only reached her thigh. Jim was angry when he saw how Scarlett was trying to avoid him. However, he was not going to lose his temper in front of everyone, and so he glared at his precious son. Simon grinned at his father and clung to Scarlett's leg as though he was claiming dominance over her. At that moment, Jim had the urge to toss his son into the lake! However, he was also frustrated seeing how Scarlett was not keen to get close to him. His eager gaze was transfixed on her body, as though he was going to strip her clothes away with his eyes! Scarlett averted his hungry gaze and tried to strike up a conversation with Bianca to alleviate the awkward atmosphere. The two women standing together was a charming sight, even though they were pregnant. They were beautiful in different ways. Bianc
The adults were interested when the two little fellows said that they were going to spar. Even Luke and Bianca stayed to watch the show with the others. Soon, the two little boys started to trade blows. Lanie was well-trained in martial arts, and each punch and kick exuded power. Simon was not as well-trained, but he was used to brawling with other kids, and he was a more experienced fighter than Lanie. For a moment, no one knew who would be the winner. If they continued with the fight, they would not gain anything except for new bruises. "Stop fighting, boys. You'll hurt yourselves. Please stop…" At first, Bianca thought that it would be fun watching them play with each other. However, she soon became nervous when she saw that the two meant business. She wanted to go forward and pull them apart. Luke stopped her. He was quite interested in watching the children fight. The two boys had already disliked each other. Lanie thought that Simon was being a pest to his sister an
"You're Shania who was terribly ill last year?" Bianca ventured. The girl nodded happily, and Bianca smiled. "How are you recovering? Are your parents fine?" Bianca remembered that Shania used to be skeletally thin because of her illness. Now, she was spirited and energetic, totally different from what she was before. She should be in good health. "I'm so happy that you remember me, Madam! Thanks to your help, I went for surgery last winter, and my condition has been improving since. Look, I'm very healthy now." Shania twirled around in front of Luke and Bianca. Bianca could not help but laugh at how energetic the little girl looked. She pinched Shania's face and said gently, "Not bad. You look a lot better than before. There's so much color on your face now." "Thank you, Madam." Shania smiled shyly. She became curious when she saw Bianca's bulging stomach. "Are you pregnant, Madam?" "Yes, I'm bearing another life in my womb now." Bianca lovingly caressed her stomach.
Jim did not say a word. His face was scrunched up, and veins bulged on his temples. It seemed that he was trying to hold back intense anger! He continued to drag her deeper up the mountains! Scarlett was very tired. She wanted to suggest taking a rest, but she dared not. Instead, she tried to keep up. Suddenly, Jim pinned her on a thick and sturdy tree, and she shrieked in panic. "Ahh! Let go of me! What do you want?" Angrily, Jim pressed his lips onto Scarlett's lips, not giving her the chance to escape. "Jim, you're… you're hurting me…" Scarlett struggled and shoved timidly. Tears were welling up in his eyes. Jim ignored her protests. He continued kissing her overbearingly, drawing blood from her lips. Scarlett's eyes were filled with tears of humiliation and resentment, and they silently flowed down her cheeks. She stopped struggling. However, her piteous looks only made Jim angrier! Jim gripped so tightly that Scarlett's jaw was almost crushed to pieces. His eyes
Scarlett did not manage to save her baby. When Bianca met her in the hospital ward, she seemed paler and weaker than ever. Her face was ashen with despair, and her gaze was vacant as though her soul had left her body. "Scarlett…" Bianca felt sorry for the young woman. She gently held Scarlett's slender arm. "Don't be too sad. Take care of your body. Your health is more important, and you can still bear children next time…" "No, I won't. I won't ever bear children anymore…" Scarlett shook her head slightly. She was in despair. "He was the one who got rid of the baby. That's fine. That unwelcome life won't experience happiness anyway…" She was not fond of that baby at all. However, she eventually learned to accept the life in her womb and even anticipated its arrival. Scarlett thought that she would not mind losing that baby, but she did not expect it to hurt so much. Bianca was at a loss for words. She could see that Jim cared for Scarlett a lot and cared for the baby
Except on Bianca's first day at work, there were no further rumors about her going around in the company. She knew that it was all Luke's doing. Bianca knew that the only thing left for her to do was wait! She needed to wait for her innocence to be proved! As usual, Bella Sloan picked on Bianca and ridiculed her from time to time.However, Bianca was not at all bothered. She was not a cowardly woman. She used to simply endure it because Ms. Sloan was her boss, so she would avoid her if she could. However, since Bella framed her, Bianca had seen right through her. The news from Jason Doyle was enough to get Bianca excited. Everyone had a price. Jason finally found Mr. Yates after repeated verification. Mr. Yates was a witness who said he saw Bella open a bag with a white teddy bear outside the test venue. He later saw her take some documents out of the bag. At that time, because the test was about to take place, he had arrived late and was
Mavis stood up calmly and walked toward Bella with her chest puffed. Bella trembled and did not dare to move. She gritted her teeth and said, "Ms. Laviere, don't go too far! What do you want to do?" Mavis narrowed her eyes and replied, "Ms. Sloan, it's not what I want, but what you want." In Mavis' eyes, Bella was nothing more than an obedient puppy. If the puppy was behaving, she would reward her with snacks. If the puppy went against her wishes, she would give it up without a second thought. If it were not for the fact that Bella had helped her out a few times, she would not have even bothered befriending her. Bella yelled, "Mavis, don't think that I’ll be afraid of you just because you have something on me! It is what it is now. I'm not afraid of spilling! It’s okay for my reputation to be ruined, but Ms. Laviere, what about you? You’re all high and mighty in the company. If I tell the truth, do you think that people would still respect you?" "Oh?