In an attempt to save her career, Tiffany quickly reached out and held onto the manager’s hand. “Didn’t we have a deal? That photo was Photoshopped; it really wasn’t me in that photo. I don’t do these things. How could anyone assume the photo is real without asking me first?” she whimpered as tears rolled down her face, touching and convincing. Alas, the innocent face she pulled only reminded everyone of what they just saw on the screen. “We’re deeply sorry, Miss Jordan. Let’s discuss this next time.” The manager pulled her hand away and ordered the securities, “Someone please send Miss Jordan out, and bring her the bill of her damage to the screen.”A few securities came forward and showed Tiffany out, expressions of mockery and disdain on their faces as they did.Tiffany could not stand this poor attitude toward her. She was brought up as the heiress of the Jordan family, treated with utter respect and admiration. She had never been more embarrassed in her life. However much sh
Chris Bailey pulled on Anthony Bailey’s sleeves. “Daddy, Daddy, help Mommy! Someone is bullying Mommy!” he whined. With a passive expression, Anthony reached for his phone, searched for a contact, and dialed it. Once the person answered, he spoke, “Charmine is mine, people.” In the hall, the person-in-charge looked at his phone dubiously before he looked at Charmine who was currently held back by the security. He was scared to death with what he had just heard. Goodness... This woman was Anthony Bailey’s people? “Stop it. Stop! Don’t hurt this lady here!” he shrieked as though downright fearing for his life.What just happened? The securities were befuddled while the crowd went quiet in disbelief. Was she not unwanted? What changed his mind?The person-in-charge walked up to Charmine in an instant and bowed to her. “You must be Miss Jordan. You said you needed one minute, right? Please, take all the time you need,” he sputtered, and rather respectfully at that. “Here at Chane
In the ballroom, Chanel’s executive manager was about to sign Charmine.“Mr. James, are you sure you want to sign a nobody? She has absolutely zero stage experience!” Amelia Jordan protested. “Exactly. She’s just witty! I can bring fireflies to cheat like her, too. Matter of fact, anyone could, but these are cheap tricks that won’t hold up on such a big occasion like tomorrow’s.” “Alright, why don’t you ladies show us some tricks? You’re all pretentious, thinking yourselves as supermodels as you put on dead-like expressions,” the manager refuted. He then turned to Charmine and, seemingly changing expressions in a 360-degree manner, spoke with confidence, “Miss Jordan, please sign here. Just do what you did up there and it’ll do fine. We believe in you.” Charmine sealed the contract with her signature. Pleased, Charmine then turned to Amelia Jordan and spoke, “Miss Jordan, you gotta try harder tomorrow. Please don’t end up foolish like today, losing to some inexperienced person
Chris did not expect Charmine to be so dull; he thought he would have impressed her with what he said about Anthony. He wanted to say more, but Charmine merely carried him and put him aside. “Momo, go back to your father. I have some important things to attend to,” she spoke. “Go home, will you?”“Mommy…” Chris looked up at her with his puppy eyes, in an attempt to change her mind with his pitiable look.Charmine would be lying if she claimed this had no effect on her, but she was reminded of the reason why she made her return.With her focus returned, Charmine hopped onto her motorbike.Poor Chris was pouting so much that his lips might reach the sky; his plan had failed. He had to think of another way.He swung his meaty hands carefreely as the engine ignited. Click!The tire at the back was deflated, slanting the front.“Mommy, your tire was shot by a dart!” Chris yelled as though stricken with fear. “Someone tried to attack you!” Charmine quickly got down from the bike
The unmistakable masculine scent from Anthony entered her nostrils and occupied her senses. With her heart picking up the pace, Charmine was angry and embarrassed altogether.‘Ugh! Nial must’ve done it on purpose!’ she fumed internally.Just as she was about to lash out, she heard Chris from the passenger seat, his voice pleading as he spoke, “Sorry, Mommy, please bear with us. Uncle Nial likes drifting, you see. He was an F1 racer last year.”“Nial, please drive carefully. This is a highway, not a racing track,” Anthony huffed in a low and authoritative tone.Charmine’s voice was lodged in her throat when she heard him. Anthony then held Charmine by her arms and—with a much gentler and concerned voice—said, “Are you hurt?” He had a genuinely concerned face, and Charmine thought she was overthinking things again. She pulled herself up and distanced herself in an instant. “I’m fine,” she replied as she held tightly onto a handler in the van, securing herself.With such a strong g
Charmine walked into Violet Villa with the man’s shirt still on her. She could not fight back the incident that kept looping in her mind nor calm her burning cheeks. Anthony was not the ideal man in mind, but she could not deny that his muscular physique was rather beguiling, especially those abs, so firm and hard…All caught up in her thoughts, she never noticed a figure approaching her.Slap!Charmine did not see it coming. She was slapped harshly at her cheek and it began to burn.At that moment, a few guards hidden around the perimeter wanted to step out from the shadow they were hiding in. Kay, their leader, stopped them. “Wait. The boss asked us to stay out of it, and it’s best we respect that.”“We can’t just stand here looking at Boss getting attacked? She’s so precious, and everyone in our organization treats her with utter respect. The person can’t just hit her and not face us. I’m going out,” one of the guards spoke, angrily as he did.“Calm down,” Kay assured him. “I’
Splash!Robert’s head was pushed into a sink filled with dirty water. Charmine shoved his head further in with her heel. “Wash your head off those false and filthy thoughts!” she jeered. “Think about this: If Tiffany wanted the best for you, why didn’t she encourage you to study harder? Why did everyone in the family end up avoiding and despising you?”Robert struggled to breathe under the water, unable to get up as Charmine’s incredible strength kept him down. Suffocating, the dirty water shot up into his mouth and nostrils the moment he opened his mouth in his struggle. It was only when he nearly passed out that Charmine removed her leg.Harshly pulling him by his hair, Charmine growled, “Robert Jordan, don’t be such an idiot; that’s all I’m leaving you with. If you do this to me again, I won’t let you off so easily. Not even if we’re related.” She let him off and left.Robert sat beside the sink as he struggled to catch his breath. Unbelievable! What changed the shy and quiet
Her private account on Weibo was bombarded with messages.[You’re so evil! How could you do such things to Tiffany Jordan? Why didn’t you Photoshop your own photos as well?][What a b*tch. You should be dead by now. I hope you and your family could die in peace!][A nobody like you thinks you can audition for Chanel? How many men are you sleeping with to get that money? Beware of HIV!]Charmine scrolled through the messages and scoffed as she typed:[Sleep around for money? More like sleeping in money!]She then attached three photos: a high stack of house deeds, a pile of luxury car keys, and a street view of High Street in Burlington.These photos quickly became the staple topic in the entire Weibo. High Street Burlington was a famous commercial street known for housing hundreds of international luxury brands along the street as long as 2000 meters. The high stack of deeds was of High Street Burlington. Furthermore, the luxury car keys were of supercars worth millions of dolla
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