Linda opened her eyes, staring at the door that was tightly shut.Henry had really left her to chase after Tina!-By the time Henry got downstairs, John had already carried Tina into his car and sped off as Henry watched.Henry hurried into his own, and Andy floored the gas pedal to give chase.As Irene rushed to the restaurant, she just happened to see John carrying a drugged Tina into his car.Her eyes turned red in jealousy—that bitch!After all, she was eavesdropping on Madam Barnes and knew that Madam Barnes had arranged a blind date for Tina.But it had to be John Levine, the man she had loved for years!She really wanted to rush at Madam Barnes right then to scream that a slut like Tina did not deserve John! After five years and after Henry had fucked her so many times, even having that bastard with him, how could such a slut deserve John?!However, Irene's mother stopped her, as Madam Barnes was amnesiac.If she told Madam Barnes and caused a stroke, her uncle and H
Moreover, Irene would hate Tina even more after this anyway.-Meanwhile, the Rolls-Royce Ghost started chasing down John's Maybach as soon as a red light turned green.In the backseat, Henry's rage had shot well over the limit, and he ordered icily, "Cut him off."He had lowered his window, and the rage in his eyes could burn all things as he watched Tina in the backseat of the other car.After all, Tina knew she could not control herself, but she followed John anyway!He had locked her up, but they called it even after he let her lock Linda up for several hours, but that was still not enough to satisfy her.Now, she was even using that blind date to annoy him!She had ignored his warning this morning and now ended up drugged. But instead of reflecting, she left with John to piss him off!Was she not worried that he would really dump her for good?!"Yes, Mr. Barnes."At Henry's order, Andy floored the gas pedal to overtake John.John scowled but handily steered off.It
John's eyes widened in clear shock, and Andy seized the moment to pull his hand off Henry.Tina's eyes widened too. It took all her self-control to stop herself from closing her eyes as Henry kissed her.Instead, she turned aside and away from those awfully tempting lips, growling through her teeth, "Get… off me!"Half of Tina's body was still in John's car.Fuelled by rage, she pressed his hand against Henry's muscular chest despite being enfeebled while leaning her body backward to put some distance between them.However, her palm just happened to be on his chest, and she suddenly felt something.Ba-dump, ba-dump…Strong, rhythmic heartbeats pulsed against her palm and sent her nerves in disarray.Every beat was an invitation, but she clenched her knuckle right then, stopping her hands from losing control, even if restraining herself was killing her.However, Henry never budged. In fact, he leaned in again, his cool lips by her ears as he whispered just loud enough for both
Moreover, Tina wanted to annoy Henry.Knowing that his possessiveness was gnawing and he would never abide with another man touching her, she struck him, her spite burgeoning.However, he caught her as she was enfeebled, but she did not care and swung her other hand. He caught her other wrist too, and holding both her hands with a single hand, he pinned her against the door and took off his necktie.Then, tying a dead knot around her hands effortlessly, he finally stopped her.But Tina was not about to let up—even if it was pointless, she was like a porcupine that raised her spikes in clear resistance.Even as Henry's chest heaved, the rage in his eyes flared even clearer, and his hand tightened around her waist, ready to snap her in two.Tina cringed in pain and gritted her teeth as she struggled even harder, shrieking hysterically, "You're a piece of shit!"A raging storm brewed in Henry's eyes, but it calmed considerably as he saw Tina's bipolar reaction.She was doing her
Once Tina found Henry's lips, she immediately kissed him as if finding a spring of comfort, refusing to pull away.Henry's expression darkened and gulped—no matter how bewitching she was, he could not do anything to her.Turning to Andy up front, he growled, "Hospital."With that, he pulled her over to him again and made her sit on his lap, holding her chin as he kissed her viciously.Even if he could not do anything to her, he did not let her go, kissing her until she was losing breath each time before letting go, and kissing her again before she really caught her breath, rinse and repeat.It was only when the Ghost arrived at the hospital that Henry really pulled away, leaving her lips swollen.Though Andy stopped the car, it was only with Henry's gesture that he finally opened the door for them, keeping his head down throughout to stop his eyes from wandering.In fact, he would stuff his ears if he could too, as he knew how possessive Henry was.Given Tina's state, he woul
The viciousness in his eyes barely withheld, Henry growled, "Bring me Martin Levine."How dare that man drug Tina!-Back in the hotel room, a drug-fueled Martin did not even wait to drag Irene to bed and pin her on the floor.Rip—"No!!!"Irene's clothes were torn to shreds as she screamed. She had been proud and pampered since a child, convinced that only John deserved her, and she certainly could not bear Martin's touch!"Let go of me!" she screamed as she struggled violently, slapping him across the face!Caught off guard, the slap struck Martin squarely across the face, while Irene started clawing his cheeks as well.This time, he caught her.His eyes were red like a beast that had lost all sanity.Moreover, he got more violent as Irene struggled too.Smack! Smack! Smack!He slapped Irene without holding back at all, leaving her stunned and collapsing on the floor, unable to fight back anymore.Hence, for one full hour, Martin had her as much as he wanted on the fl
Later, the hotel staff rushed Martin to the hospital when they found him bleeding all over.After he tormented Irene for so long, she struck him with all her strength but only broke his skin and knocked him out.And once he had it bandaged, he was cursing and vowing to find that bitch who had hit him as he left the clinic.He had just stepped out when someone restrained him and clasped a hand over his mouth, dragging him to a corner of the hospital, where a towering figure stood.The air around him was cold, and there was a tiny spark amid the darkness.As Martin was thrown to the man's feet, the man looked down darkly and murderously at him.Even though Martin had been cursing and ranting, he was immediately silent as he noticed the danger from the projected bloodlust.As he looked up and met Henry's icy glare, he felt a chill down his spine as he muttered, "M-Mr. Barnes…"This was the one man he should not mess with!Bone-chilling terror seized Martin even as he started push
At first, Irene despised Linda too, as she saw Linda as being no different from Tina—rats who emerged from the slum and having no right to have her dear cousin Henry.To her surprise, Linda was different from Tina, as Linda protected Irene when it mattered despite her initial abuse.That blade that missed Irene missed Linda too, just before Henry arrived to save the day.However, it would have stabbed into Irene's heart if Linda had not pushed her out of the way.And despite saving Irene's life, Linda never called in the favor or asked for repayment.In fact, whenever Irene messed up and Henry was ready to punish her, Linda would always take her side, defending her—just like now, patting her back with a look of sympathy. "Come on, it's alright. Just get in the car."As soon as the door shut, she was bawling even as she told Linda everything.Through it all, Linda was watching her with a look of sympathy, quietly shedding a tear with Irene—she was sisterly through and through, on
Jimmy had already been transferred to a ward when Tina arrived at the hospital he was in.She ran into his teammate on the way there, who was going out for a smoke in the fire escape stairs, and paused when he saw Tina.Tina was gasping as she ran all the way there and asked him gingerly, "Is Jimmy alright?"Why a traffic accident, and at this time?She did not dare to think how devastated Jimmy would be after he had worked so hard for years but still could not accomplish his dream."He's safe, but one of his wrists is thoroughly hurt," the teammate said somberly. "And the doctor is saying that it's disabled."He was like a brother to Jimmy and knew better than anyone how hard Jimmy had worked to get gold.But now, Jimmy could not even compete with his wrist disabled.Tina staggered backward at the news, the rim of her eyes reddened as tears soon covered her face.It took her a long while to stop crying and wipe the tears off her face, compose herself, and head inside.The do
But as Rory really grew on Henry, he could see that she really thought of him as her father, and he treated her as his daughter in turn.Nonetheless, Jimmy snorted. "What does Rory Cook have to do with me? Who do you think she is? Why should I sacrifice my dreams to save her? You want me to donate my kidney to her? Not in this lifetime!" And with that, he took Tina's hand and turned to leave.As Linda saw that Henry was not stopping them, she promptly tugged on him. "Are you just going to let him go?! What about Rory?!""No." He shook his head. "Jimmy is competing by the end of the month. Stop obsessing over him—I'll get Rory another donor."Jimmy's words just reminded Henry about the tournament, and that Jimmy was not representing himself but the whole nation.Rory's life mattered, but saving her should not come at such a cost.Linda's lips twitched, as she really wanted to argue.So what if Jimmy had to give up on the tournament?It was not like he was going to win gold—eve
Thud!Thud!Linda only bowed just three times, but she was at once dizzy and bleeding from her forehead."Linda!" Henry cried as he rushed to her side.Just as he dropped to a couch, she promptly dropped limply into his arms, blood flowing freely down her head as she rasped, "Henry… Calm down, I'm alright."Her face was covered in blood and tears—it was a gruesome sight."For Rory's sake, I won't just bow—I'm willing to die for her if I have to." Even so, she tugged feebly on Henry's arm, while continuing to prove how deeply she loved Rory as she turned to Tina. "Can you let Jimmy save Rory now? I've already bowed as you demanded…"Henry's face dropped at those words.Glowering, he gently reached down to pick up Linda from the floor, but she refused and stayed on her knees, tears covering her face as she cried, "Haven't I bowed enough? I can keep going, as long as you promise to save Rory!"Linda was ready to keep bowing as she finished, but Henry caught her, stopping her fr
Linda did not think that Tina could completely ignore the mob's outrage, even turning the tables on her!If Linda refused to bow, that meant she did not love her daughter.Even if that was a fact, she could not let it show in front of the public!Her jaw clenching so hard she could crush her own teeth, Linda had no choice but to slide off her wheelchair with considerable difficulty, breathing, "I'm begging you, Tina."The same thing had happened two years ago, but the roles were reversed—Linda had been on her feet, while Tina had been prostrating herself and begging.Tina would never forget the day Linda threatened her with Sophie's ashes, and how it ripped her heart apart because she really thought it was Sophie.She had not hesitated to kowtow until her head bled as Linda demanded, but Linda scattered Sophie's ashes anyway.Her heart was left in pieces then.Even if she later found out that the ashes were not Sophie, her heartache and the way Linda humiliated her was never fo
Tina and Jimmy were just leaving the hospital when a figure steered her wheelchair toward them, grabbing Tina's hand as everyone watched, crying and begging, "Please, Tina, I'm begging you—you have to help Rory!"She's dying, and she'll be dead without your friend's kidney!"She's only seven! She's just a child—please, take pity on her! Don't be so cold-blooded and stop your friend from donating his kidney! A feud between adults shouldn't hurt the kids! Rory is innocent!"Linda was smart—she actually mentioned that they had a feud.And for most people, whenever they thought of a feud between two women, they would immediately presume it was a love triangle—that the women were after the same man.That was why Linda would take the moral high ground and coerce Tina into relenting through emotional blackmail.Still, Jimmy himself pried Linda's fingers off even before Tina spoke. "Don't touch Tina with your filthy hands, and quit your slander! I'm the one who's refusing to donate my ow
"I didn't want to worry you, but I really wanted you to visit."Mommy told me not to catch a cold, but I sneaked out because you never came."I'm sorry, Daddy. I know you're busy and can't visit all the time, but I just…"Rory trailed off, barely catching her breath.Just watching that left Henry's heart bleeding and unable to scold her at all. "It's my fault I shouldn't have left the hospital—I'll try to stay with you as much as I can from now on, okay?"Rory shook her head. "It's alright, Daddy. I know you're busy—but just visit when you have time, okay?"In contrast to her capricious nature when she was five and always bugging Henry to keep her company, Rory appeared even more mature now.Henry smiled and nodded. "Okay. Just be good, Rory—close your eyes and sleep. Leave the rest to Daddy, okay?"Rory nodded, leveling a worshipful gaze at Henry with her clear, innocent gaze, having complete faith in him as he said, "I believe you, Daddy. You're my hero—you'll save me, right?
Henry sped all the way to the hospital and arrived outside the emergency room to find Linda covered in tears in her wheelchair.Her tears gushed even more when she saw him and called out to him helplessly, "Henry…"Henry went up to her, his expression worried. "She was fine this afternoon, wasn't she? Why is she suddenly in critical condition?""I-I don't know… She was just fine before she slept… then, she suddenly had a fever and a low heart rate… I quickly called the doctor, and he said she's in critical condition and asked me to sign the notice…"I didn't… I… I'm afraid Rory will die… I….""Rory's going to be fine."Seeing that Linda was spouting nonsense, Henry patted her back to calm her down, but his eyes were worried even as he stared at the doors of the emergency room.He was really worried that Rory would die too.He did not want to lose Rory too after losing Sophie.And Linda seized the moment to sneak into his arms…-There was no telling how long had passed when
After all, Linda was really worried that Rory might die."I told Jimmy Jones," Henry admitted."Why?!" Linda cried out in disbelief. "We agreed not to tell Tina, didn't we?! Why did you tell her?! What is Rory going to do, now that Jimmy is refusing to donate to her?! Do we just watch her die?!""I won't let anything happen to Rory," Henry replied quietly. "Don't worry—I've sent my people on a nationwide search for a suitable donor. Rory is going to be fine."However, Henry's promise did not calm Linda down at all.But no matter how upset she was with his decision, she did not dare to let it show and fought back the frustration burning within her."I trust you, Henry," she sobbed, sounding helpless as if she was completely reliant on him.Henry then offered a few more words of comfort and told Linda not to tell Rory—she was seven and knew enough about death now, and he was worried that it would worsen her condition."Don't worry. I'll keep it a secret," Linda replied.Once Hen
Personally, Henry hoped that Tina would not extend their feud as adults to Rory.But if Tina decided to go through with it and stop Jimmy from donating, Henry decided that he would not push her either.There was still time, and Henry would be doing everything he could to get a suitable donor.To no surprise, his words left both Tina and Jimmy's faces dropping, with Jimmy throwing the pen as far as he could in disgust.He had almost donated his kidney to the daughter of the woman who murdered Sophie!Hell, he could consider donating to Rory if Rory was innocent and Linda was the only rotten one there.But Rory had already learned to frame Sophie even when Rory herself was just a child, hurting Sophie repeatedly.That apple was really rotten to the core, and Jimmy was no saint who would save someone so undeserving at the price of his own health."Donating to Rory Cook?! Not in your lifetime!" Jimmy bellowed as he picked up the papers and tore it into shreds.Then, he took Tina's