Xavier quickly walked in. Pretending not to see Yvette, he placed the gift bag down.Yvette asked suspiciously, "What are you doing with my stuff?" She walked downstairs and glanced into the bag, noticing the box was still there. "Did you look at it?" she asked again.Xavier stood still. "No. I can't see."Yvette didn't believe him. He had clearly taken it outside and probably had someone else look at it for him. "Do you want to know what's inside?" Yvette tried to trick him.Xavier's sleek eyebrows were slightly arched. "No."Yvette didn't get angry. She sat down and opened the bag herself. "Your brother's gift is quite valuable. It's a gold pendant. I decided to keep it. Is that okay?"Xavier silently listened to her deliberate deception, unable to call her out on it. Even though he thought there was no need to be jealous of what Yvette had done as a child, he begrudgingly responded, "Fine."Seeing his expression, Yvette understood that he knew what was inside. Not only had
Xavier wanted to explain that nothing had ever happened between him and Daphne. However, since he was still pretending to have amnesia, he replied, "I don't." He closed his eyes. "Let's sleep."Yvette shifted slightly out of his embrace, feeling uneasy as she tried to fall asleep. Since she had to go to the hospital for a prenatal checkup tomorrow, she needed to rest well tonight.…Meanwhile, Zoey finally felt some peace as she lay in her hospital bed at Tirion Hospital.Lawrence had already sent people to investigate who had assaulted her. However, the Yandell family had made many enemies since their return, making it difficult to pinpoint the culprit.Yara was still angry about the incident during the engagement party. However, she rushed to see Zoey as soon as she heard what had happened. "Zoey, are you okay?" she asked.Zoey couldn't bother to give her the least bit of respect. "Do you even need to ask? Are you blind?"She had previously been willing to show Yara some respe
Zoey now finally understood why Lawrence had married Yara, and why the latter cared more for her than Gemma. She thought Yara was merely trying to curry favor with her at first, but everything made sense now. She also understood why Gemma, who was already over 50 years of age, had only one daughter.Looking at the shredded paper in the trash can, Zoey stood up and frantically flushed the pieces down the toilet in the bathroom."I am the daughter of a businesswoman, not the daughter of some useless artist."To her, dancing was merely a form of artistic expression. Even becoming a world-renowned dancer was not as practical as being a businesswoman. Besides, with Gemma's means, she could use her money to make anyone a famous dancer. Rather than Yara, who was now just a housewife, Zoey believed only Gemma deserved to be her mother.Having sorted out her thoughts, Zoey called Yara back in. Her face returned to its usual pretense of warmth. "Mom, I've thought it through. From now on,
Despite thinking that, Noah still had to keep up appearances. "You're the one who's dead. Daddy isn't dead!" Then, he cried, saying, "You're a bad person."Xavier, already disliked children, especially the one in front of him. He felt impatient just listening to Noah cry. "Stop crying," he warned."No!" Noah continued to fake crying. There wasn't a single tear in sight.Xavier couldn't see that Noah was pretending to cry anyway. Worried that Yvette might get angry when she came out after her checkup and saw what was going on, he repeated, "Your father isn't dead.""But you cursed Daddy!" Noah cried louder.Xavier grew even more exasperated. "Stop crying. I was just joking."Noah was surprised that his bastard father would lower himself like this. He glanced at the wall clock and realized that it was almost time for Yvette to return from her checkup. It seemed that this bastard father was actually afraid of Yvette. He decided to use this to his advantage."You're an adult. Adul
Yara was standing impatiently on the snow. When she finally saw Yvette, she came to a slight pause. Her gaze quickly shifted to Noah with a hint of confusion. Who was this kid?While Yara didn't know Noah, the latter had already investigated her and immediately identified her as his maternal grandmother. Anger flashed in his eyes as he clenched his fists."This hag almost got Mom killed! I must teach her a lesson," he quietly promised himself.Yara noticed the resentment in the child's eyes and was puzzled. Why would such a small child look at her with such hatred?Not giving it much thought, Yara quickly approached the trio.Yvette instinctively stood in front of Noah. "Noah, you and Xavier should go inside. I need to take care of something."Xavier heard the unfamiliar footsteps but didn't know who they belonged to.Noah wanted to avoid causing trouble in front of his mother, so he said to Xavier, "Mister, let's go back inside.""Okay." Xavier nodded. Once inside, he asked No
Yara's face turned beet red as she stared at Yvette in disbelief. The once-obedient and gentle daughter had actually dared to strike her. Yvette's hand trembled as she lowered it. "Madam Yara, I suggest you watch your mouth. If there's a next time, it won't just be a slap," Yvette warned, her voice shaking but firm.Yara stood frozen, her mind reeling from the shock. She recovered quickly, though, and lunged at Yvette, intent on retaliating. However, several bodyguards swiftly intervened, pinning her down on the snowy ground. The once-dignified socialite was now a picture of disarray, her luxurious image shattered."Let me go! Let me go! How dare you stop me from hitting my daughter?" Yara screamed.The bodyguards wouldn't possibly let her go without Xavier's orders to release her.Yvette couldn't help but find the situation ironic. Normally, Yara would never admit Yvette was her daughter, but now, just to justify hitting her, she claimed their relationship with conviction.Cl
Yvette and Xavier immediately separated, their faces flushed with embarrassment. "Noah, why are you up?" Yvette asked. Her face felt like it was on fire.Noah wasn't as innocent as he appeared. He knew his bastard father was trying to get close to Yvette again. Yvette was too naive; he couldn't let her be deceived again.Noah walked down the stairs. "It's too boring upstairs. Mr. Xavier, can you come play outside with me?""But it's late—" Yvette began to say, but Xavier interrupted, "Sure."As a man, how could he not sense Noah's hostility toward him? Xavier didn't like the brat at all. However, since Noah was Yvette's son, Xavier had to be with Noah if he wanted to keep Yvette by his side. Otherwise, he would've thrown both kids into the river to feed the fish by now.Yvette felt warm inside as she watched the father-son duo go out for a walk together. She didn't realize that as soon as they were outside, Noah bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, and formed it into a ball
Viola was worried about how Xavier might treat Noah, she gave Xavier a gentle reminder."Don't worry," Xavier responded. He wasn't going to make things difficult for a child.In the bathroom, Noah took a bath as he pondered how to prevent Yvette from staying involved with Xavier. He decided to take a proactive approach.At bedtime, he tightly grasped Yvette's hand and asked, "Mom, can you sleep with me tonight?"Seeing Noah, who had been shy about bathing earlier, Yvette didn't hesitate to agree. "Sure!"Noah was pleased and happily got into bed. After the lights were turned off, he cuddled up to Yvette and asked, "Mom, where's Mr. Lander?"Yvette was wondering about that too. Since their last meal together, she hadn't seen Claude. "I don't know where he is; he's probably busy with work," she replied.Noah felt it was more complicated than that. Claude used to contact Yvette, no matter how busy he was. Why the sudden silence? Was something wrong?"Mom, I really miss Mr. Lander.
When Yvette heard what Jeremiah said, she shook her head, saying, "I always thought he didn't love me, but it was only after he repeatedly put himself in danger to save me that I realized he had feelings for me."I originally planned to stay with him just because of the kids, but somehow, over time, I started to like him a little."As Jeremiah listened, his gentle eyes held indecipherable emotions in them.What Yvette was talking about could be summed up in a few words—she developed feelings over time.He suddenly started coughing heavily."Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Yvette asked.Jeremiah waved his hand. Once his coughing had eased a bit, he picked up his flask and took a sip of warm water. "It's nothing, just an old issue," he said.As he spoke, the driver drove into the estate.This area was quite remote, with people stationed all around. If there was any sign of activity or disturbance, Jeremiah would know about it immediately."This is it. Let's go,
"Understood. I'll go over right now," Yvette replied.After Yvette followed Jackie upstairs, Marlene scoffed. "How shameless. Has she forgotten that Jeremiah is Xavier's brother?"Jeana also came over to snoop around."Marlene, why bother getting upset over someone like her? She's long lost all sense of shame."Marlene was in a great mood after hearing someone else criticize Yvette alongside her."Jeana, don't worry. In a few days, I'll speak well of you in front of Grandpa. Since Xavier is divorced, he needs a woman by his side to take charge."Jeana looked gratefully at her, "Thank you, Marlene."Right now, Jeana felt especially grateful, but she didn't realize that soon, she would deeply regret it.…Meanwhile, Yvette arrived at the CEO's office on the top floor. After knocking and receiving permission, Yvette entered the office.Jeremiah was sitting in front of his computer, deeply engrossed in his work. When he heard her enter, he looked up at her.Yvette dressed simply
After Xavier was taken away, Tristan and Mark frantically searched everywhere but couldn't find Jeremiah, that lunatic.The main problem was that they were both seriously injured and could only rely on their subordinates to find help."If something happens to Xav, I will never forgive myself." Tristan felt especially guilty, wondering why he hadn't been more cautious.He had been too arrogant.Mark, being a bit more rational than him, said, "Mr. Shaw, since we haven't heard any bad news about Mr. Lane, I assume everything is fine with him.""What do you mean?" Tristan asked."If I were Jeremiah and wanted to frame us for Mr. Lane's death, I definitely wouldn't drag it out," Mark replied.Both of them were currently in a lot of pain, and even simple conversations were very difficult for them.So, after talking for a bit, they took another break.Unfortunately, Mark's phone kept persistently ringing. He saw that Lillian was calling, but he didn't dare answer. He was worried that
Jeremiah gradually tightened his grip. Once Xavier died, he could claim that Tristan and Mark were responsible for secretly harming Xavier.No one knew what kind of surgery they had performed on Xavier, only that it ultimately led to his death."Xavier, don't blame me. If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself. You just had to fight with me over everything," Jeremiah said as he covered Xavier's mouth and nose. "When I met Yvvy, I thought I finally had something you didn't, but even she was taken away by you."It's bad enough you took her from me, but you won't even let me move on! Do you have any idea how much it hurts to see you two together every day, especially knowing she's pregnant with your children?"Jeremiah's eyes were slightly reddened."Now, it's all good. With you gone from this world, I'll take good care of Yvette for you."He seemed to have deliberately emphasized the word "Yvette". He didn't know if Xavier was aware of it, but it just felt incredibly satisfying!
Yvette saw that the call was disconnected and decided not to worry about Xavier anymore.…On the other end, Mark stood outside the ICU ward. Up until now, Xavier still hadn't woken up.Tristan came over and checked all the indicators. "There's nothing wrong, so why hasn't he woken up yet?""Mr. Shaw, do you think Mr. Lane might never wake up?" There was a look of concern in Mark's eyes as he asked that. He couldn't believe that the person he had always followed would leave in such a way."Don't overthink it," Tristan said, giving him a pat on the shoulder.Suddenly, there was a noise from the outside."Who are you? This is a private hospital. No one else is allowed to be here.""How can you resort to violence?"There was the sound of things clattering, followed by the cries of pain from those in a fight.Tristan frowned. "Who is it? Do they have a death wish?"Mark was also in disbelief. Shortly afterward, they finally saw clearly who was approaching them.Jeremiah was s
Over at Snyder Residence, Yvette was woken up early by Kiki, who also informed her that there were negative rumors about Zoey circulating online."Yvvy, see, I told you that the media wouldn't easily let Zoey off the hook."Yvette read through them again.However, these news stories disappeared not long after they were published.While eating breakfast, Kiki frowned and said, "The speed at which trending articles change is just too fast.""That's the benefit of having money," Yvette said.Even the children knew about the trending articles being removed.Zachary had originally wanted to hack in further to make Zoey's news trend more frequently. Unfortunately, it seems they had figured out about the hacking attempts, so they fortified their firewall and posted someone to monitor the situation.If he hacked in again, there was a chance he might expose himself.Zachary decided to back off and settled for teaching Zoey a small lesson.…Yara was to be laid to rest today.Yvette
"We've found her, and we're currently figuring out how to obtain her biological sample," Elijah replied.Zoey was really anxious. She said, "Great. Once you've got it, come back as soon as you can.""Okay."Zoey hung up the phone and laid down to rest, but she just couldn't fall asleep.If Xandra really was Gemma's daughter, given Gemma's doting and overprotective nature, she would want to give half of everything she owned to Xandra.No, it wasn't just half. By then, Zoey might end up with nothing, and everything would go to Xandra.Zoey had a rough night and didn't sleep well, but fortunately, Elijah sent a message saying everything had been arranged. They were coming back today, so they could move forward with the examination earlier than planned.Just as things got settled over at Zoey's, online articles started trending elsewhere."Zoey Yandell is suspected to be the biological daughter of Yara Cadwell.""Zoey Yandell is unwilling to acknowledge her biological mother in or
"Fine, then. What a pity," Kiki said as she put down her phone.Yvette reassured her, saying, "There's nothing to feel bad about. What happened today was a warning to Zoey that I'm not someone to be messed with."Kiki nodded, saying, "Yes."They all understood that as long as Zoey was the Zelnik family's daughter, she would always have someone to protect her.Kiki said, "Gemma treats her adopted daughter so well. If she had her own kids, they'd definitely be happy too.""Yes, indeed."Yvette admired Zoey for having such a supportive mother who stood by her no matter what happened.Kiki asked, "Yvvy, have you ever thought about finding your biological mother?"She suddenly realized that many parents who abandoned their children might have done so because they had no other choice, or perhaps they did so for other reasons.Yvette shook her head. "I don't want to be disappointed again."Parents who could abandon their daughter at the orphanage probably didn't love her very much.
Kiki nodded and said, "Yes, it's them. They're incredibly arrogant. Just thinking about it still makes me really angry."Yvette picked up her phone and made a call. A bodyguard that was stationed nearby answered her.Kiki overheard her telling the person on the phone to isolate a few of them and beat them up."What do you mean?"Kiki still didn't understand what was happening.The driver started the car and drove them to a secluded location.Kiki then realized that all the people who had previously pushed her were now being cornered and beaten up."Yvvy, this is...""I can tolerate it if they bully me, but I can't stand it when they bully you," Yvette said, enunciating each word clearly.Kiki felt moved. She hugged Yvette tightly, saying, "Yvvy, you're amazing! My true love!"Yvette couldn't help but laugh. "Dummy. You're my best friend. You stood by me, so of course, I'll stand by you."She was no longer the person she once was, with nothing to her name. Yvette now had weal