Xavier heard footsteps and looked toward the door. Yvette didn't call out to him but walked right up to him instead. "Did you injure Claude?"Xavier's breath caught in his throat. "Don't lie," Yvette pressed.Xavier felt a pang of guilt and responded in a muffled voice, "Yes.""Are you serious? You hit him?" Yvette couldn't believe it.Despite being visually impaired, he had managed to beat Claude—and severely at that. Yvette was furious beyond words, and she lashed out at Xavier, striking him hard on the shoulder.Xavier's brows knit together in shock. He hadn't expected Yvette to hit him over Claude. Though the punch wasn't hard, it bothered him. What was so special about that man? So what if he beat him up? Claude should count himself lucky Xavier hadn't buried him outright.Despite what he was thinking, Xavier didn't dare say it out loud. "Yvvy, guys butt heads all the time, especially since we're rivals in love. A bit of a scrap is nothing to worry about.""A scrap, you
As soon as Yvette got home, she handed the food she bought to Noah, telling him to have a snack first. Then, she busied herself in the kitchen, ignoring Xavier. Xavier had hoped her bad mood would blow over soon. But Yvette continued to ignore him during dinner.Noah noticed the strange atmosphere between them. It seemed like his bastard father had made Yvette angry. No one was happier than him. He thought it served Xavier right.During the meal, Noah deliberately made a show of things in front of Xavier. He served Yvette food and asked her to feed him. "Mom, I want some chicken, but it's too far. Can you feed me?""Sure," Yvette responded, attending to Noah the entire time.Xavier fumbled with his cutlery a few times and didn't manage to get any food. He ignored her, too. After dinner, everyone gathered to watch TV in the living room, but only Yvette and Noah talked.When Yvette went to the bathroom, Noah proudly taunted Xavier. "Mr. Xavier, now you see, I'm Mom's precious on
"Fine, we can discuss this further once you've apologized and made things right. Now let go; I'm going to shower," Yvette said.Xavier released her. His hand still bore faint bite marks from Yvette's teeth. After she left, he called Mark. "Have someone look into Claude. Find out where he is now."Mark was puzzled. Did his boss want someone dead tonight when it was such a happy festival?"We checked a few days ago, Mr. Lane. Claude still hasn't recovered yet. Should we go easy on him?"Xavier's next words shocked Mark even more. "Send men to protect him. Don't let him die.""What?" Mark thought he'd misheard."Yvette found out about Claude. She wants me to apologize and compensate him. Arrange to return some of the previous projects to him as compensation." Xavier spoke with reluctance. This was the first time he'd ever done such a thing.Mark realized Xavier wasn't acting out of kindness; it was all for Yvette. "Yes, I'll handle it right away.""Make sure to leave evidence fo
Yvette was somewhat worried. If she took Noah to Lane Mansion, she wasn't sure if some of the Lanes might notice something. Shannon, for one, had always kept an eye on Zachary.She was about to refuse, but Noah agreed in a flash. "Sure, Mr. Xavier! If you're taking me home now, does that mean you're going to be my stepdad?" Noah's big, round eyes were filled with curiosity.The word "stepdad" made Xavier's expression shift.Noah intentionally shouted, "My stepdad, let's go home!"Yvette nearly spat out the milk she was drinking. "Noah, don't call him that," she scolded.Noah toned down his mischievous behavior. "Mom, let's go with Mr. Xavier. I'm so bored staying at home every day. The doctor also said I should go out more to take my mind off things. Then, it won't hurt as much."Whenever Noah mentioned his illness, Yvette could never refuse him. "Alright."She thought that if Xavier could always remain this way, she would inevitably have to reveal the children's true parentage
Yvette and Noah stood outside. She was a breathtaking beauty, while her son was an adorable little boy. He looked like he had stepped straight out of a comic book.Someone sneaked a look at them, noting how much Noah resembled Xavier. Noah noticed the unfriendly glances and frowned slightly. As expected, there wasn't a decent person in his bastard father's family. "Mom, I need to pee," Noah said. "Alright, I'll take you," Yvette replied. With that, she led him to a nearby washroom.Once there, Noah said, "Mom, you should go back and wait for Mr. Xavier. Otherwise, he might not find us when he comes out. I remember the way; I'll come find you later."Yvette saw that the washroom wasn't far, so she agreed. "Okay, if you can't find me, just call." Noah and Zachary both carried smartwatches with them. "Alright." Noah nodded repeatedly and headed into the men's washroom.Meanwhile, in the main hall, most of Xavier's relatives were present. However, Jeremiah was nowhere to be see
Marlene's mother-in-law—Zayden's mother—was a low-class model who didn't deserve respect. But Shannon was different.She came from the Guetta family and had Guetta Group backing her, along with her powerful and wealthy brothers. They had connections on both sides of the law. It wouldn't take much for them to get rid of someone.Marlene had always resented the fact that she wasn't Shannon's daughter-in-law. If she had been, Malcolm would've long since secured shares in Lane Group. But despite the bitterness coursing through her, she couldn't show it. She gave Shannon a polite glance, then looked over at the elegant Zoey. Zoey smiled at her. "Marlene."Marlene nodded and walked away. As Zoey watched her leave, she felt a surge of joy. It seemed she wasn't the only one who disliked Yvette. She must make a covert effort to become friends with Marlene.Upon noticing that Noah wasn't around, Shannon asked Yvette, "Where's the child who came with you?""Noah went to the washroom,"
In reality, Noah would never do something that gross. He'd just spilled water on Xavier's pants by mistake. Pretending to wipe it off, he said, "Mom says being a stepfather is harder than being a real dad. Don't be mad at me. I'll wipe it clean for you."The crowd almost burst into laughter. Even the usually stern Clifford nearly lost his composure. But he kept his wits about him. Where had this child come from? Was he really Xavier's son?As Clifford was about to inquire, Malcolm, sitting next to him, looked shocked. "Zac, what did you call Uncle Xav?"Zachary?Noah dropped the act, his big eyes looking straight at Malcolm. "I'm not Zac; I'm Noah Lander. Mr. Xavier and Mom are together, so he's going to be my stepdad soon."Malcolm was stunned by this. The boy looked the same—so why wasn't he Zachary? He studied Noah closely. The only difference was that the boy in front of him seemed paler and didn't speak as seriously as Zachary.Upon hearing this, Clifford was even mo
Today, Lane Mansion was livelier than ever before.Malcolm's little face turned red as he angrily pointed at Noah.The others exchanged glances, shocked that Marlene had said such things to the child in private.Marlene felt embarrassed. "Malcolm, don't talk nonsense. I only said that Uncle Xav's wife isn't around, so they don't have children."Malcolm, a mere child, couldn't fathom the complexities of adult conversation. He promptly countered, "That's not true. Mom, didn't you say before that Uncle Xav wasn't normal and couldn't have children?"Marlene wished she could smack her son. "You misheard me."Malcolm didn't care. He ran to Clifford, grabbing his hand. "Great-Grandpa, chase this feral boy away. He's not one of us at all. He's only here to swindle me out of my rightful inheritance."He pointed menacingly at Noah. "I'm the future heir of the Lanes! Don't even think about it. I'll kill you if you try! Believe me!"Noah's mouth was covered as he watched Malcolm, the brat,
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