Max stomped his feet furiously as his expression contorted bitterly. Charmine had used this to threaten him for so many times! It was not easy for them to have found a way to save Waverly, yet Charmine was taking that away! How he wished the Grangers could get to Charmine! Unfortunately, the video footage of him was in Charmine’s hands. An evil woman like her would leak that any time! How would the D’Cruz family look at him if it was leaked? How would Waverly look at him? How would the world look at him? The D’Cruz family’s reputation would be ruined! As he was hesitating, he heard footsteps coming from not far away. He looked up to see Waverly weakly making her way to him with Britney’s help. He looked around and quickly composed his thoughts. When Waverly walked to his side, she asked curiously, “How is it? Have you sorted it out?” “Waverly, I’m sorry…” Max looked solemn. He reached out to support her. Being clever enough to discern the atmosphere, Britney left to
Where did Charmine go? It was so late. Where else could she have gone? Anthony wiped his body with a towel before he walked out. Meanwhile…Charmine was downstairs, and she stood before Guy’s bedroom as she knocked on his door. Opening the door, Guy grew flustered at the sight of Charmine. “Ms. Jordan, what is it?” “Your family is worried about you,” replied Charmine as she handed him the phone. Noticing that it was Dior calling, he received the phone and said, “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Tell Grandma to not do anything that hurts me again. I’ll come home when I’m free.” “Okay, then. Do get along well with Charmine! God bless you!” ended Dior before she quickly hung up, and Guy did not even have a chance to explain to her. The blushing Guy handed Charmine the phone. “Sorry, my sister is always like this. I hope you don’t mind.” “Don’t worry, rest well.” Charmine took back her phone. When Anthony came down, he happened to see Charmine and Guy standing outside the bedro
Throughout the night, Anthony ran through several scenarios for a perfect solution to this problem. He wanted to come up with a way to kick Guy out. Unfortunately, Charmine had a migraine early in the morning again… It woke her from her slumber, and as the sharp pain prodded her head, she helplessly groaned out in pain. Her whimper awakened Anthony as well, and he instantly held her close as he pressed on the emergency button. The button was to notify Nial. Nial, who stayed on the first floor, instantly woke Guy up, and the two of them went upstairs. In the bedroom, Anthony held Charmine to him as she was still clad in her purple nightgown with buttons up. However, Anthony was still afraid of the other men looking at her, so he used a blanket to cover her body. Only her wrist was exposed. Nial quickly extracted blood from Guy’s wrist and injected them to Charmine. It seemed to do the trick as she settled down, no longer writhing. However, her face was very pale. Ev
Guy looked at Anthony and felt that he was not such a generous man at all. However, since he had already said so, there was no reason for him to turn it down. Sleeping in the same space could indeed shorten Charmine’s suffering time. He turned to go downstairs and started packing. Nial looked at Anthony and asked, “Bro, are you serious?” “Of course, go pack up your stuff!” snapped Anthony. Nial could only leave. After they left, Anthony grabbed Chris by his tiny bag and picked him to the study room. After closing the door, he glared at Chris. “Chris Bailey, you’re a disgrace!” “Daddy, don’t be angry yet. If you don’t agree to it just now, Mommy will feel that you’re not as thoughtful as Uncle Guy, that you don’t love her as much as he does. If you do this, they’d be astounded and shocked,” Chris explained in his child-like voice. Anthony glared at Chris. “Do you know what’ll happen if Guy lives with us?” He was a man himself. He knew what men think. The closer t
Would they live like this every day, watched by Guy and Nial? Charmine knew it in her guts that things would not go as smoothly. As expected... Guy received a text from Dior during his reading session outside. [Brother! I overheard from Grandma that Charmine needs to drink honey green tea so her migraine would be eased.] He frowned. Honey green tea? That was something common, though it would be nice nonetheless, even if it only alleviated a small percentage of the pain. He kept his phone and looked around the room. Anthony was with Charmine at the moment, and since she just had a migraine, the next one would not happen so soon. He hurried downstairs and found some ingredients to make Charmine tea. He never made tea before, only drinking water the whole time, thus he had to search up the recipe and steps to make the tea online. Eventually, a perfect honey green tea was made. With the tea at hand, Guy walked upstairs and saw Charmine working on a desk not far
As Charmine was wrapped up in the tense turmoil, Guy took up the menu. “You don’t have to make it hard for Charmine, Mr. Bailey. Her feelings are solely for you, she doesn’t feel bad for me. As for this menu, you’d think I’m making them for Ms. Jordan anyway if I complete them, but if I don’t, you won’t feel good either. If so, why don’t we make them together? To kill some time and talk things out, so you don’t assume things randomly.” Anthony’s eyelids jumped and his brows were knitted tightly. Did Guy just challenge him? He wanted him to make the dishes together? Who did he think he was? Also, Guy made it sound like Anthony was bullying him. He pulled the victim card! Anthony had to turn this around! His eyes darkened as he suddenly wound his arms around Charmine. “No need. You’re a guest, after all. How can I let you cook? Now that you’ve mentioned it, Chamrine and I will go and make them. You wait here,” he concluded coldly as he headed downstairs with Charmine, his ar
Nial and Guy went forward when the meal was ready, and the sight that greeted them puzzled them greatly. On the large dining table was a beautifully plated set meal in front of Charmine and Anthony. There was a heart-shaped egg, white wine prawn and others. It looked like a candle-light dinner. Each item was doubled, and the portion was generous. Guy and Nial, on the other hand, only had singles: one egg, one prawn, one chicken wing… They only had one of everything! “Bro, you’re cutting our food supply?” whined Nial. “No, I merely want to remind you both that you should be aware of your singularity.” Anthony said calmly though intentionally as well. His words baffled Nial. Really? Did he have to do this to Guy, even during a meal? Guy saw the food plating and understood Anthony’s warning. He forewarned that he would never get in between them both. Guy sat down to eat, and to avoid any conflict, he said nothing. Anthony sat down beside Charmine with a s
To Charmine, was not that type of man. He would not bully a child. However, Chris’ claims were not impossible. Guy harbored feelings for her, so could he have said such things to Chris because of her? Before she could speak, Anthony scoffed at Guy coldly, “Mr. Granger, this is our family matter. You don’t have to teach my son!” “This is a misunderstanding; I didn’t say that. I saw him talking to someone, complaining how his stepmother mistreated him. I merely told him off…” Guy explained with a serious face. Charmine narrowed her eyes. Chris complaining about his stepmother? Impossible! Chris could never speak badly of her. He would never refer to her as his stepmother. It seemed that Guy had… She then looked at Chris who sobbed in her arms—he seemed wronged. She had to pat Chris’s little shoulder and said to Guy, “Thank you Mr. Granger. No matter what Chris says in the future, kindly refrain from berating him. He’s young, he can’t take it.” With that said, she
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