"Are you asking for my help?" Yvette asked in return.Xavier was a proud man. Even when he needed help, he had to go about it in circles, not wanting to actually say the word "please".Xavier's thin lips pressed tightly together. After a long moment, he finally squeezed out one word. "Yes.""That's not how you ask for help. At least be polite. Try again—what do you want to ask me for?" Yvette seized this rare opportunity to make things difficult for him. It would be a disservice to the hurt she had suffered in the past if she let him off easily.Xavier now wanted nothing more than to dock Mark's pay for abandoning him with Yvette and leaving him on his own.He had mild OCD. Without washing up, there was no way he could sleep, especially since he was in an unfamiliar place. Besides, even if he didn't wash up, he would still need to use the bathroom.Yvette was clearly taking advantage of the situation."Please take me to wash up," Xavier uttered and immediately regretted it.H
"If you're in the same environment, not really. After all, you have a pretty good memory. Usually, I only need to spend about three days explaining things to you, and then you remember where everything is. You basically don't need my help." Yvette handed him the toothbrush. "Hurry up and brush your teeth. After that, go to sleep."Xavier didn't say anything further and started brushing his teeth. After finishing up with washing his face and brushing his teeth, he asked, "Can you step out for a moment?"Puzzled, Yvette asked, "Why?""I want to take a shower."Yvette muttered under her breath, "It's not like I haven't seen it before."Xavier quickly pulled her back. "What did you just say?""Nothing," Yvette immediately replied.Xavier assumed he must have misheard. He was about to let go when they suddenly heard strange sounds and splashing water coming from the next room."Mark, you brute! Get away from me!"It was Lillian's voice. Although her voice was faint, it was still
Tristan cleared his throat, and the noise from the room next door immediately stopped. He then dragged Kiki into his room.Kiki panicked instantly. "Tristan, you jerk! What are you trying to do? Don't make me call the cops!"Frown on his face, Tristan released her before closing the door behind them. "I'm not that desperate."Kiki let out a sigh of relief. It made sense. Tristan had never been interested in her. There was no way he would want anything to happen between them."Why did you bring me into your room, then?"Tristan sat down and looked up at her, suddenly becoming serious. "Kiki, no matter what, others still see us as an engaged couple. I don't want any more rumors circulating about me. If you like that pretty boy, Aaron, you can explain everything to Grandpa."Kiki finally realized that Tristan had misunderstood the situation."Are you crazy? There's no hot water in my room, and when I asked the innkeeper, he said there's a spare kettle in Aaron's room," Kiki explain
"Zac, you're the best!" Kiki cried, unceremoniously handing her small bag to Zachary.Noah also came over. "Kiki, I'll carry your water bottle.""My little sweethearts, you're amazing!" Kiki exclaimed.Yvette turned to look at her two sons. She found it admirable that they were already considerate toward women, even at such a young age. Then, her gaze shifted to Xavier, the grown-up version of them. His cold, reluctant expression clearly showed that he wasn't enjoying the mountain hike.Why were the father and sons so different?"Yvvy, come over here! This bunch of flowers is beautiful. Let's take a picture!" Kiki called out from a distance."Alright, I'm coming!" Yvette responded."Take it slow. No need to rush," Aaron reminded her.Yvette nodded. "Got it. Don't worry."Mount Maple wasn't very tall, and the path had been leveled out, making the walk easy. Though Yvette was pregnant, she had no trouble with the terrain. Aaron was about to walk over to her when his phone ra
There was nothing more frustrating than running into someone one disliked while trying to enjoy a fun and relaxing time.Yvette felt her mood plummet as she watched Jeana drag a suitcase toward them. How had Jeana even found this place?Jeana's legs felt like jelly because she had spent the whole night searching for Yvette and the others. If it hadn't been for Jeremiah, who'd had someone look into it, she might not have found Yvette until the group had finished having their fun and returned home."Yvette, I sent you a message, didn't I? Why didn't you tell me where you were?" Jeana asked, approaching Yvette and casting furtive glances at Xavier and Tristan.She was surprised to see Tristan there."I'm sorry; my phone must be malfunctioning. I didn't see it," Yvette replied. She had seen the message, but of course, there was no way she'd foolishly where she was having fun."Alright," Jeana uttered, pretending not to care. Her eyes lit up when she noticed Zachary, who looked just l
As Jeana and Tristan chatted excitedly, she didn't forget to keep an eye on Xavier. "Xav, are you cold? I can get you a jacket. It's really windy up here; you don't want to catch a cold."Xavier took a sip of his drink. "I'm not cold; it's fine."Seeing how indifferent Xavier was, Tristan chimed in again. "Xav, Jeana has come all this way to help. Don't turn her down."Kiki couldn't hold back at that. She walked over and hit Tristan on the back of his head. Was he trying to play matchmaker again, just like he had with Xavier and Daphne? Tristan turned around, a bit annoyed when he saw Kiki. "What was that for?" The most he dared to do was slightly raise his voice."Come here," Kiki commanded.Wondering what she was up to, Tristan was about to get up when Jeana interrupted them."Tristan, this must be your girlfriend. Compared to the women you used to date, you probably feel more reassured dating someone with her looks."Looks? Reassured?Was that supposed to be a compliment
"Everyone else hasn't eaten yet," Mark remarked. Ever since he'd found out Jeana was manipulative and not the sweet, innocent girl he'd once thought her to be, he felt disgusted whenever she spoke.Just how selfish could she be?"You two can grill some more, then. There's still plenty of ingredients left," Jeana said indifferently.Seeing that Ray and Mark weren't moving to grab any food, she decided to help herself. She placed all the grilled skewers onto two plates and was ready to take them away for herself.Mark stepped in front of her without hesitation and snatched both plates from her."If you want to eat, buy your own ingredients and grill them yourself," Mark said coldly. "As for Mr. Lane's portion, I'll deliver it to him. You don't need to concern yourself."At this moment, Yvette and Lillian got there with the two kids.Watching Mark's actions, Lillian finally forgave him for that time he'd privately had dinner with Jeana.She stepped forward, nudged the stunned Je
Kiki's mood instantly soured. "Tristan, why didn't you ask Jeana to help? Is she pregnant too?"Tristan casually replied, "She's a guest.""Guest? Didn't she come here to take care of Yvvy and Xavier? Why are we the ones serving her now?"Kiki was willing to help out, even for Xavier, whom she didn't like much, but she absolutely didn't want to serve Jeana."Why are you being so petty?" Tristan asked in return."Me, petty?" Kiki was furious. She was here getting covered in smoke and grease, while not far away, Jeana leisurely strolled under the maple tree, taking posed photos with a skewer in hand. Even Yvette, who was pregnant, was helping by bringing ingredients and making sure there was insect repellant in each tent.Kiki grabbed Lillian. "Lily, let's go. If he wants to be a lapdog, let him do it alone.""Huh?" Lillian was pulled aside before she could react, leaving a dumbfounded Tristan behind.Kiki called out to Mark and Ray, "Gentlemen, don't help him. We're all friend
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