Yvette was startled. Before she could react, Xavier sat back down on the sofa and looked at her. "I'm unwell. Stay here and take care of me.""Will you let my friend go if I take care of you?"Xavier grunted in agreement. His voice was hoarse and raspy."Alright," Yvette agreed. She wanted to approach him anyway, so this would tie in well with her plans.Xavier leaned back on the sofa, and his stomach ached slightly. He hadn't eaten anything since going abroad last night."Ms. Snyder, you haven't forgotten how to cook, have you? I'm hungry.""I'll order some food for you." Yvette took out her phone.She was about to place the order when he frowned and stopped her. "I want to eat your cooking.""If I cook, you'll have to wait for at least an hour or two," Yvette explained."I can wait." Xavier's intense eyes looked intently at Yvette without looking away. Yvette felt very uncomfortable under his stare. "I'll go and cook now then."Xavier looked at her slender figure, and he
Xavier was in no mood to continue eating. He was too annoyed. How had he never realized how sharp-tongued Yvette was?The sky outside had grown dark, and after a low rumble of thunder, lightning flashed in the sky.Yvette turned on her phone to see that it was already 8:00 p.m. Usually, she would call Viola at this time and also check in on Zachary.A tall figure blocked the light in front of her. Xavier had suddenly appeared behind her. "What are you looking at?"Yvette immediately put her phone away and turned back to look at him. Xavier's complexion looked much better, but his eyes were still sharp."Have you finished eating? Can I go home now?""Why are you in such a rush to get back? Did Claude contact you?" Xavier asked in a measured tone. Yvette felt like he was hinting at something. "What do you mean by that?He was speaking so strangely today. Why did he keep mentioning Claude? At that moment, Yvette's phone rang. She glanced at it and saw that it was Claude calling.
"Is it fun to toy with me? Did Claude teach you this?" Xavier asked, his eyes reddening with each word.As the heavy rain poured outside, Yvette's ears grew damp. She could hear a slight rumbling.She stopped pretending to have amnesia. "I just wanted to say goodbye to the past and start anew."Xavier laughed. He tightened his grip on her wrist and moved closer to her."You wanted to say goodbye to the past by faking your death? Did you ever think about how I would feel?" Xavier touched her cheek with the other hand and found her trembling. "Are you afraid of me?"Yvette bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood before she finally spoke. "I'm begging you, Xavier. Give me my son. He's not yours; he's mine and Claude's son. I beg you, give him back to us."Something seemed to snap in Xavier's head when he heard Yvette say Noah wasn't his son."If I remember correctly, it had been less than a month or two since we decided to divorce when you got together with Claude, right? "Did
It wasn't just because the Snyder family had tricked him into marrying Yvette, but also because Yvette had faked her death and spent the past years abroad with Claude!Yvette's eyes were filled with pain as she uttered, "You know the incident back then had nothing to do with me.""But you were one of the people who gained something from it, weren't you?" Xavier's voice was laced with anger.He was furious that Yvette only thought he was angry that she had taken advantage of him through their marriage. She never mentioned faking her death, Claude, or the children. Yvette couldn't find the words to respond.After a prolonged silence, Xavier went to the balcony and lit a cigarette again. In the cold wind, he couldn't stop coughing as his eyes reddened and he grew warmer.He himself didn't understand why he was doing this to keep Yvette with him.Perhaps it was out of resentment.He felt resentful that he had spent four or five years searching for her, only to find that she was wi
Not wanting to listen to Xavier anymore, Yvette slammed her cutlery on the table. "I'm full." She stood up and started to walk away.Only then did Xavier realize that she was mad. He quickly got up and grabbed her wrist. "Why are you angry?" he asked.Yvette pulled her hand away. "I'm not angry. Mr. Lane, you're absolutely right. My friend and I are the ones who lack skills. Otherwise, your people wouldn't have been able to throw her in jail for a day."Clearly, she was angry.Xavier had to lower his pride and explain, "I didn't know that the lawyer Daphne had mentioned was your friend."Yvette listened in silence.For the first time, Xavier was at a loss for what to do. He could only try to placate her. "Tell me how I can make up for her being locked up. Should I have someone apologize to her?"Yvette was surprised to hear this but didn't get a chance to respond as a cough came from the door.Mark was standing there with shock written all over his face.The air around Xavier
"My apologies, sir." Mark had always known his place. He had only spoken up this time because he didn't want Xavier to have any regrets in the future.After all, he was the one who knew best just how much Xavier had changed during the years Yvette had been missing.Xavier didn't blame him. After Mark left, Xavier returned to the room.Yvette had just received a call from Kiki, who informed her that she had been released late last night."Yvvy, did you meet up with Xavier?" Kiki asked. She had sensed that something was off since Yvette hadn't answered her calls the night before."Yes, I talked to him about it yesterday," Yvette admitted without hiding anything."Did he give you a hard time?" Kiki asked anxiously."He didn't." Yvette saw Xavier coming back into the room. "I'll talk to you later." Then, she hung up the phone."Who called?" Xavier asked as he strode into the room."My friend, Kiki," Yvette replied. As she stood up, she looked at Xavier and asked, "Where's Noah? I
"You mean Xavier brought Noah here?" Kiki was stunned when she heard about Noah."It's true, but I don't know where he's taken Noah." Yvette's eyes were filled with worry. "And he already knows I was faking my amnesia. I'll be living at his place from now on, so I need you to take care of Zac. You mustn't let Xavier find out about him.""Don't worry, I'll make sure to hide Zac well," Kiki confidently assured her.Suddenly, she thought of a possibility. "Yvvy, do you think he's fallen for you? Why else would he want you to stay at Dewberry Manor?" she asked.Yvette was taken aback but quickly dismissed the idea. "Daphne was right about one thing—if someone doesn't love you, they never will. Why would he start liking me just because I was gone for a few years?"Kiki mulled over it for a moment, still feeling frustrated. "Xavier is such a jerk. He doesn't love you, yet he's keeping you tied down."Yvette patted Kiki's hand. "Let's not talk about this anymore. It's Friday today; le
Malcolm's disdain for Daphne likely stemmed from his mother constantly telling him that Daphne wanted to have Xavier's child and compete for the future head position of the Lane family.Zachary put down his book and looked over with his beautiful eyes. "What's the plan?"At that question, the two other boys looked at each other, wide-eyed.Malcolm moved closer to Zachary, pouting slightly. "Zac, what do you think we should do?"Zachary knew they didn't have any plans at all. However, he had already thought of one.He leaned in and shared his plan with the two boys, who listened intently, getting more excited by the minute.Just then, a little girl came over to the trio. "Zac, what are you guys talking about?"Malcolm gently pushed her aside. "Go away. Don't disturb us men when we're talking business."The little girl pouted, almost on the verge of tears.…Meanwhile, a minivan drove down the road. Daphne had just finished touching up her makeup when her assistant, Laura Win