As he expected, as soon as Chris left the room, Charmine spun around and looked at him with a stern expression. “Anthony. Don’t act improperly with me in the future, especially in front of the child. He’s still little and underaged!”“Huh? Act improperly? When did that happen?” Anthony’s expression was one of pure confusion.Charmine was speechless. ‘Am I overthinking the situation? This man’s acting skill are pretty impressive,’ Charmine thought to herself. “In that case, let’s talk about the real issue. From today onward, don’t come looking for me with Chris,” Charmine told him. Anthony’s hand that was holding the fork twitched slightly, the warm expression on his face gradually turning cold. Charmine continued despite the change in his mood, “You’re well aware that nothing can ever happen between us. Momo needs to get accustomed to life without me. Short-term pain is better than one that is long and drawn out. As his father, you should help him get over his attachment to me.
“Okay,” Charmine replied in response to Chris.Anthony carried Chris and walked out. It was still raining cats and dogs outside, with frequent lightning strikes accompanied by peals of thunder.It was clearly still daytime but felt late somehow like it was around six or seven in the evening. Charmine watched helplessly as the door closed. Her world seemed to calm down, becoming peaceful again. She should have been overjoyed but instead, she only felt a sense of loss.There was still meat on the table, sizzling away. However, the house did not have a feeling of warmth anymore. Charmine was a little tired so she rested on a chair. She did not have any appetite to eat. At that moment, she felt even more disgusted toward Tiffany and Julian. She was disgusted at the man from five years ago. It was the two of them who had destroyed her.If only she had met Anthony first, everything would have been different. Unfortunately, she was now adverse toward all men. She has also been telling her
After she had finished eating, Charmine was dragged by Chris to the sofa to rest. It was not long before Chris fell asleep lying on her lap. His little chubby body was like a tiny kitten. Charmine softly stroked his hair as she turned her eyes toward the kitchen.In the kitchen, Anthony had on a gray apron and was in the middle of doing the dishes. Dressed in a suit and tie, he looked completely out of place in the kitchen, his movements unnatural. The heavy rain had stopped and a beam of sunlight shone through from behind the clouds. By coincidence, the sunlight landed on Anthony, illuminating his tall and well-built physique and making it look as though he was plated in gold. He looked extraordinarily handsome.Charmine was engrossed by the scene that her hand stroking Chris started to slow down. She could not pinpoint when it began, but her life had become more lively ever since these two had entered it. The days to come without them… Sigh, what was she thinking? A future without
Anthony stared at Charmine’s resolute frame and reminded her, “Charmine, we’ve signed a contract and you’re breaking it.”Charmine finally stopped walking, turning back to look at him. “Breaking the contract? In that case, you can terminate it. I can afford to pay tens of millions in compensation!”She was savage, extremely so!She knew for a fact that he would not terminate the contract. Anthony’s gaze deepened. This feral cat was wild and very interesting. Meanwhile, at the Jordan family Villa, Tiffany was suffering unbearably as she hid alone in the house. Even though Julian had agreed to help her get back at Charmine, the time was not yet right for the dirt he had on her to be released. At the moment, all she could do was sit and watch as Charmine rose to stardom. The entire internet was raving about Charmine, her popularity unbeatable as it was more than ten times the size of hers now. Many netizens were surprised at Charmine’s ability to turn the tables around and score a
Tiffany narrowed her eyes. All this while, she had not received any endorsements. As a result of her nude photo scandal and her loss in the Guci showdown, she had been getting the cold shoulder everywhere she went. Even now, it was no easy feat to have a large corporation sign a contract with her. How could she turn it down? Even if it was only a supporting role, she was still the only local model hired to participate in the Mercedes Auto Show apart from Charmine. This stunt would allow her to crush many others in the industry and make those who doubted her regret their decisions! She had her own methods of dealing with Charmine and playing second fiddle to her.On the outside, Tiffany said sweetly, “Mom, I know you’ve heard that the organizer decided to use sister Charmine as their main model. However, as she’s a rookie model, she doesn’t have enough star power. Without sufficient popularity at the Auto Show, my younger sister is going to make a fool out of herself and be laughed a
All the top models started to notice Tiffany and soon began talking amongst themselves, most probably about her. “Who’s that? Mercedes has never used local models in their shows before.”“She looks a little familiar. She might be a B-list model.”“Oh, she’s pretty well-known. She’s that model from the nude scandal that rocked the entertainment industry.”“Haven’t you heard? She lost disastrously at the Guci showdown and is considered the worst model for endorsement deals.”“How could this type of person be hired for our prestigious Mercedes Auto Show?”Everyone was sneering as they talked about her. Tiffany’s hands clenched tightly as these people were hitting a sore spot by talking about her, rubbing her loss into her face! However they were truly accomplished and talented, each one of them having won many grand awards. Even though Tiffany had previously won the top model award twice, one of her victories was won through making use of her connections. The other win was… If th
As soon as the makeup artist left the room, the model standing behind Kelly Milan, Eunice, took a large step forward and swiped harshly at Charmine’s dresser. With a loud crash, everything on the dresser fell to the ground. Even her outfit fell to the ground and was now covered in dust. It was surprising to see the great and lofty Kelly Milan actually come to deal with Charmine personally.“I don’t care what relationship you have with the organizer. You’re just a rookie. It’s not right that all of us are playing supporting roles for you! If you know your place, you’ll be a good little girl and get lost! If not, I’m not afraid to destroy everything that you own!” said Kelly.“That’s right. Get lost!” Everyone started chanting this at Charmine, their eyes threatening. Charmine leaned against the back of her chair and said unperturbed, “You really think that tossing a couple of things to the ground is enough to scare me?”“You!” They could not believe that even cornered like this, Ch
Kelly had discovered through a secret informant that the organizer of the Auto Show this year was the head of the Bailey family. She had carried a torch for Anthony for a long time and even confessed her feelings to him multiple times. However, he had rejected her advances each and every time. She was excited to have the chance to see him today! Charmine’s lovely red lips curved slightly as she said with a smile, “Oh, I heard that all the organizers are famous leaders of big corporations and will be arriving soon for a live stream along with ten well-known entertainment reporters. What do you think will happen once the bosses see the mess that all of you have made backstage? How will fans react when they see a large group of supermodels bullying a newbie?Charmine’s voice was sweet-sounding and easy on the ears but at that moment to the offending supermodels, her voice sounded like a curse. Moreover as she spoke, Charmine stretched out her hand toward her hair and tousled it messily
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