When he noticed Grandma Granger’s hesitation, Guy pushed them away in pain and fell onto the sofa. He pitiably held his stomach and curled into a ball as he whimpered in agony, “Anti…antidote… Give me the antidote…” On edge and strung up, Grandma Granger turned to Anthony. “Mr. Bailey, I beg you: please give him the antidote. Please give it to him first!” Anthony remained emotionless as he glared back at Grandma Granger. “Give me Charmine’s antidote.” His tone was cold. He was not in the mood to negotiate at all. This trade had to happen. Grandma Granger looked at Guy who was on the sofa. She was so anxious that she wanted to cry. “But…I don’t have the antidote… I don’t have it…” “What are you saying?” Anthony glared at frigidly. Grandma Granger was terrified, but she had to fess up nonetheless, “I made Guy drink the antidote unknowingly… The antidote is in his body. If you want to let Charmine have the antidote, the two of them have to sleep together for a while. This
It was not easy for the Grangers to gain leverage over Charmine, and Grandma Granger wanted to utilize the opportunity they had and not let it slip away. Alas, she would come to regret such a decision… Just like Charmine’s situation, all of the doctors hired by the Granger family failed to treat Guy. Nobody managed to detox the poison from Guy’s body, and unless they obtained the antidote, Guy would have to suffer daily. Grandma Granger fell back onto the sofa. What other options did she have? What could she do? Meanwhile... Anthony drove aimlessly after he left the Granger mansion. His face was as if covered in thick frost while Grandma Granger’s words incessantly rang in his ears. “If you want to let Charmine have the antidote, the two of them have to sleep together for a while.” Charmine and Guy had to sleep together for some time… Sleep together for some time… Anthony’s large hand clenched tightly, so much so that his veins surfaced on the back of his arms. Ne
Upon reaching upstairs, Anthony saw Charmine zoning out with Chris in her hands and he walked toward them. “Momo, go draw in the art room.” Chris knew they both had things to talk about, thus he instantly gave them space. It was then Charmine realized Anthony had truly returned, though still in his torn-out clothes with his not-yet-cleaned wounds. She stood up, ready to find the medical box, but Anthony merely held onto her and pulled her toward him. Charmine fell onto his lap at the sudden loss of balance and Anthony’s pull, and she could smell the smell of blood on him. She frowned at the sight of his bloodstained knuckles with tears on them, and she asked, “What did you do?” “Met up with Guy.” Anthony did not intend to hide it. Anthony frowned. Why would he look for Guy? “Revenge,” he added. Charmine was speechless. That was too much. “What? Felt bad for him?” His low voice sounded displeased. “Of course not,” Charmine quickly explained, “I just feel…” G
Anthony stood up and walked to the bathroom, commenting nothing else on the matter. Charmine seemed relaxed, as if she did not care about the poison in her. Anthony could not do that, however. Even if he did not give her up to Guy, he had to think of other ways to help her! As Anthony left her side, Charmine’s gaze darkened as well. She could care less about the poison in her—it was just some migraine after all. Once it passed, she would feel alright. Alas, it seemed as though seeds of doubt had implanted themselves within Anthony, and it would only worsen if he was to see her suffering continuously. Charmine had to come up with something else for that, then. She went back to the room and took out the medicine books the doctor had given her. The Ultimate Seventy-Two Needles could cure any disease in the world. It should be able to detoxify her poison, no? She might have some leads on what to do next upon determining the source of the poison. The sky grew darker the
Charmine tried to push Anthony away. Her migraine was not going away anytime soon, and she might bite him again. They should not be kissing… However, the more she struggled, the tighter Anthony held her. His kiss was fervent yet gentle. He was trying to ease her pain, as if trying to make her feel better. Held flush against him, Charmine could not break free from his hold. Despite the sharp pain that plagued her head, Anthony’s kiss triggered the dopamine release in her head which alleviated a bit of her pain. With that, she endured the migraine this time and did not faint from the pain. After the migraine, she felt listless in his arms as the metallic aftertaste lingered on her taste buds. Looking up at Anthony, she noticed his lips were left with a bite-wound as blood oozed out of it. It was more difficult to stanch the bleeding on the lips. She frowned. “Don’t do that again.” “Compared to your pain, this is nothing.” Anthony carried her into his arms and placed
As Nial took Charmine’s blood sample to the medical laboratory, he mused to himself with mirth, “I’ll be able to locate her type in the blood bank once I analyze this sample. We’ll be able to cure Charmine!” Anthony stood by the side as he waited silently. No matter what her blood type was, he would find it for her. With Chris finally secured to be treated within a month with the red wolf bone capsule, Anthony could marry Charmine at last once she recovered. Just as he thought of that, Nial suddenly made a sound. “Hmm, it’s strange.” Anthony frowned. “What is it?” “Nothing. I’ll have a closer look.” Nial repeated the test once again, and then a second time, and then a third. Almost an hour later, Nial turned to Anthony and muttered, “Bro…it’s bad.” Anthony frowned. “What is it? Tell me.” “Charmine…Charmine’s blood type is very rare. She’s got the A3 subgroup...” Nial sounded as if he was in turmoil. Anthony’s face sank down. A3 subgroup? What type of blood was thi
As she suffered excruciating pain, Charmine bit her lips where blood oozed out. If he kissed her, she would surely cause harm to him and it would be severe. Anthony tried to reach out for her, but Charmine rolled to the corner of the bed. Balled up as her knees reached her head, she groaned in pain. Watching her in so much pain, his face stiffened and his large hand clenched tightly. He finally decided. He marched out and left. On the empty balcony, Anthony phoned Grandma Granger. Grandma Granger did not sleep a wink that night, in fear that Guy would have an outburst when she was asleep. He was her only grandson, and seeing him in agony crushed her badly. Suddenly, her phone rang. After picking up, she heard Anthony’s cold and harsh voice, “How long do they have to sleep together to be cured?” Grandma Granger halted. “What are you talking about?” Anthony’s tone was low with repressed anger. It took her a while to react as she quickly answered, “Only takes twenty-
Charmine thus stood up and went to the changing room. The atmosphere was unusually tense. Anthony watched her as his hands clenched tightly. As she quickly got changed, Charmine then put on a windbreaker and zipped up before leaving. “I’m leaving now, for real.” Her tone was meant to trigger and threaten him. She thought he would stop her, not for him to follow behind her instead! “I’ll drive you.” Charmine halted. He would drive her? Send her straight to Guy? What was all this?! “No need! I’ll go myself. I can’t go there with you, following around!” With that said, she pushed the door open and left, leaving Anthony alone in the room. The room’s temperature seemingly dropped drastically at that moment. The sound of her heels grew further away before they finally vanished. He stepped forward, wanting to chase after Charmine, but he instantly recalled Charmine’s pain-contorted face just as his hand landed on the doorknob. Anthony paused where he stood. Hi
There was an unnoticeable glint in Sonia's eyes. She nestled herself further into Harry's arms as she added, "Let’s go to Pares. We'll come back after I give birth to the baby.""Alright."Harry stayed by Sonia's side as he watched over her, cared for her, and talked to her until she finally slept in his care.He stood up tiredly and walked out of the room to sit in the living room.Thuck!Something fell out of his pocket.He narrowed his eyes to the source of sound and spotted a USB.Since when did he have a USB in his pocket?With a small frown on his face, Harry curiously picked it up and noticed the front side of the USB glowing. Something was carved onto its surface, too.[Granger].Was it Dior’s USB? Why was her USB inside his pocket?Harry’s clear fingers held on the USB tightly. He thought for a moment before he took out a laptop, turned it on, and plugged in the USB.A moment later, the screen showed what seemed to be peculiar surveillance footage with a descriptio
Dior was still lost in her storm of thoughts when a shadowy figure zipped past her and ran toward Harry.When she spotted this familiar figure, she reacted quickly and held onto him."Let go of me!" growled Guy. "How dare he slap you and misunderstood you? I have to beat some sense into him!"Harry broke free and chased after Harry.Dior, despite having lost all hope and life in her, mustered the last strand of her will to chase after Guy and reeled him back. "Brother, don't," she muttered, "spare your energy…" Her sorrow clouded her eyes as she mumbled, "He’s the man I love. Even though he hates me, I won’t allow you to hurt him. As for the explanation…"Dior smiled ironically. "Whatever. That slap decimated every beautiful daydream I have about him, anyway."She no longer expected anything from him.He had no trust in her, so what would it matter if she finally got him? He did not even love her, and he did not trust her either.Dior smiled elegantly, but her eyes were fille
Dior looked forward to that new shift.She watched as Harry made his way into the restaurant silently, unable to deter her mind from the daydreams she had of him, of the new chapter of their story they would have.He would apologize to her, trying to redeem himself, and kiss her dearly as he embraced her. Later down the line, they would have a child of their own, too.Harry's long legs walked in strides, his dark gaze trained on Dior.The bright light shone on Dior’s delicately stunning face, and she also wore a red dress.He remembered her wearing this back in Mount Village.He could remember how alluring she looked back then, how they stayed in the same room, how she put down her ego to treat him with so much gentleness.Harry’s cold face mellowed down, but recalling a certain memory, the vague wistfulness in him vanished and he sat in front of her.Dior looked at him fondly, like she always would. "Long time no see."Her eyes burned brightly as if she wanted to drink in his
Dior examined the footage the moment she received it.True enough, it showed Sonia and George talking about their little deal. It also showed how Dior was telling the truth while they both ganged up on her.Dior’s frail heart felt as though it was rejuvenated once more, feeling as though blood was once more pumped into her heart. Her dull eyes devoid of hope regained their lost luster once more.Not thinking twice, she dialed Harry's number with this evidence, though he had to be busy, seeing as he did not pick up even after the phone rang for a long while.Just as she was about to hang up, Harry picked up the phone."What do you want?"On the other end of the call was the voice that she had missed for so long. His low, hoarse voice sounded so cold and emotionless.Hearing his voice brought Dior back to the image of his handsome face, and her heart skipped a beat.She tried her best to restrain her fluttering emotions as she tried to speak calmly, "Do you have time? I’d like to
At Mount Village…Inside the elegant bamboo house was Dior, dressed in a beige dress. She sat in the front yard as she took sips of her wine.The sunlight shone past the leaves and illuminated her, yet she exuded an air of loneliness.She swirled the glass and could not help recalling the moments she spent with Harry.In the beginning, she was attracted by his looks; he looked so gentle and elegant.She gave him money, kept him company, and continuously showed up around him in hopes of conquering him.Alas, she ended up in this state.The time she spent with him in Mount Village was the happiest time she had ever had. They had lived inside the bamboo house together, where he took care of her and claimed her to be his woman.They even laid inside the same room.Everything was so beautiful.Cursed was her luck, however, that it was just an illusion. He had been using her from the start, while he chose to stay with the woman who lied to him and even hurt him!No matter how mu
"Although Susan was unhappy, she should've voiced out her displeasure instead of bottling things. Cheating is wrong, regardless. Furthermore, if she wanted a career, she didn't have to stay home and depend on her husband."Grandma Bailey halted.Was that what Charmine truly thought of?Grandma Bailey thought Charmine would find Susan too aggressive unto herself.Charmine glanced at Susan again and apathetically commented, "She doesn't want to make money on her own, but she wants to be rich while complaining about her man not making time for her and taking care of her? If a woman has no ability of her own and also blames others for her miseries, all she's worth is to sit quietly at home and wait for her husband to come home. She also has no right to cheat! This is how the world works."Charmine patted Grandma Bailey’s shoulder and held Anthony’s hand, her words met with everyone's evidently surprised gazes and their silence.Grandma Bailey was shocked. Sure, Charmine sounded rathe
The colossal cruise started to drift away from the pier.Eric stood on the cruise and let the wind blow at him, loneliness and hatred still oozing from his being.He stared at the blue ocean ahead of him as Charmine's words rang in his mind unceasingly.'Will you really feel good after you've killed them?''You saw Susan suffering from a serious wound; would you still kill the one sibling you have left in the world?'"Forgive them and yourself.'Deliberating everything carefully, his lips curled into a bitter smile.It was true, after all, that Charmine understood him the most.Eric poured himself another drink and downed it with loneliness as he allowed the cruise to bring him wherever it would take him.…Susan was still inside the operating room when Charmine and the rest of the Baileys rushed into the hospital.Darryl stood before the room, his expression blank, his figure lonely and helpless.So many things had happened in half a day.He found out about his wife's inf
"No one's stopping you now. Eat!"Anthony clenched his hands tightly and took another glance at Charmine. He was more determined than before, and he was close to eating the pills in the bottle.Charmine, who was held hostage, gradually opened her eyes at that moment. Her gaze drifted toward Eric before she asked, her tone challenging, "Will you really feel good after you've killed them? You saw Susan suffering from a serious wound; would you still kill the one sibling you have left in the world?"Eric halted, and his eyes darkened.Charmine had just woken up, yet what she said…He cast a cold glance at Charmine. "It's my business, and it has nothing to do with you!"They were his family, and he did not want a family like this!Charmine looked squarely at him. "Eric, I don’t care if you used me or plotted against me all these years; I've treated you like a true friend, nothing more nor less. You were the only person who stayed by my side in the past five years, so I hope that you
Anthony's breath hitched when he saw Charmine.He clenched his fists and, without doubting himself, relented "I can agree to your terms, so let her go right away. This has nothing to do with her; you only hate me after all. As long as you let her go, I'll take the pill. Everything will end right away."Susan shook her head. "We'll die after eating the pill. I’m not taking that!"She had just reunited with Eric, and she did not want to die yet. She looked at Eric and begged, "Please let Anthony be, why don't you? He’s your brother, after all, and he doesn’t even know about your existence. If you’re really angry, just kill Charmine, and I'll make it up to you—"Anthony's expression contorted in sheer fury upon hearing Susan's plea, and he glared at her with murderous intent."This was all your fault, so what right do you have to make Charmine take your blame?!""What on earth are you going on about?" snapped Grandma Bailey. "Charmine has been kidnapped because of you, yet you want