Only Charmine and Anthony were left in the glass room while the rest were outside. Some went to get drinks while some went to get food. One only had to turn back to see the two of them inside the glass room. Charmine was anxious—she did not like public displays of affection. She reached out to push Anthony away. “Let go of me, I—” “Charmine darling,” his low and seductive voice was heard as he cooed at her lovingly. Charmine’s heart instantly skipped half a beat. This was his first time calling her name, and it felt earnest... Anthony hugged her as his gaze was fixated on her. “Whatever you need in the future, just tell me. If you don’t like anyone, you don’t have to do it yourself. In other words, let me do it for you. Just sit back and be my wife.” His mature voice was very loving. Charmine’s eyelids fluttered. Did Anthony have a fever? Why would he say such things? The corner of her eyes saw William standing outside, and she instantly understood. Anthony mus
Inside the glass room... Anthony hugged Charmine for a long time before letting her go. “I’ll send you home to rest, Charmine. I’ll ask Nial to come over and help out.” “Huh? That’s not good…” Charmine frowned. She came here to publicly display their affection instead of helping out, and all of a sudden, she had to leave? Nial had been researching for a whole day. Surely he needed some rest, no? “It’s fine,” assured Anthony. So long as she could rest. He hugged her by the waist and walked her out. When the Uncles saw them coming out, they greeted, “Come and eat some of this. It’s Charmine’s favorite finger lime.” Finger lime was a thumb-sized special fruit with a lime skin outside, but there would be green pearls like caviar inside once opened. This fruit was similar to caviar; limited and precious. They were used as seasonings. However, the finger lime the Uncles invented was just like caviar—sour and sweet with a good texture and of high quantity. When Charmine
Nial was intentionally fishing for attention. “Have a guess, Bro. Guess if it's good or bad news.” “Just tell.” Two words, uttered coldly and straightforwardly. Nial facepalmed. How boring. Could he not play along? However, knowing Anthony’s personality, he had to explain, “Didn’t you ask me to research the blood type? I suddenly discovered an important piece of information! Someone used to have an ordinary type A blood, but after a test, she suddenly turned into an A3 blood type! This shows that a human’s blood can have drastic changes. We then researched this, and if it goes well, we’ll have results by tonight!” Anthony frowned. He turned to look inside and saw that Charmine was still sitting in there. She would stay to help if Nial did not come, but on the other hand, Nial’s research seemed important… Nial thought Anthony would be happy for him, but he never expected for him to be replied with silence instead. “Bro, you alright?” he asked. “Why are you not speaking?
William was standing beside Charmine as he draped the blanket over her caringly, and while it was a normal gesture, Anthony felt something in the air that caused him discomfort. Anthony slowly paced toward them. Uncle Sam stood up and softly spoke, “You can’t be jealous, are you, Anthony? Charmine and William are good friends…” Anthony said nothing in return as he raised his index finger before his lips. ‘Quiet,’ it meant. Nobody knew what he was thinking, so nobody made a sound. Walking toward Charmine, he cautiously took her into his arms before he slowly turned to walk out. The rest of them exchanged glances. What was Anthony doing? Was he so jealous that he did not want to speak with them? Anthony was once a decisive and swift man, yet at that moment, he was so gentle as if carrying something incredibly precious. The sight was shocking. Everyone watched as Anthony oh-so gently brought Charmine to the back of the car and laid her down. Perhaps it was his b
It was so late at night, yet Anthony sent him such a text! [Ban any honking on Burlington Highway tonight through the radio station. Nobody can make any noise! The surrounding shops are banned from playing music and any activity with sound!] Luke was exasperated Goodness, gracious! There were so many pubs and clubs along the way that would come to live at night, and there would surely be honks and blaring music. How could he stop the cars from honking? How was that remotely possible? What if this caused accidents? Alas, this was an order from Anthony. He had to obey him. Luke could only get out of bed and started contacting the radio stations. Following that… That night, the cars passing by the area suddenly had their cars’ radio station forcefully turned on with the following announcement resounding: “Dear drivers, due to an emergency situation, we have to make this announcement. There’s a researcher traveling down the road. She has a sleep disorder and hasn’t been
Charmine felt refreshed and relaxed after a good sleep. She sat up, slowly frowning when she saw the clock hanging on the wall. It was seven in the morning! What happened? Was she not inside the laboratory? How did she get home? She wanted to help out in the research yet had fallen asleep. Had they succeeded? If they failed, they would not be able to participate in this day’s competition, and they would not be able to attract the people from M35 Lab subsequently. As she was about to get out of bed, the door was pushed open. It was Anthony, clad in a pair of casual black pants with a white shirt. He seemed friendlier without the suit. He had a glass in his hands filled with tea. Seeing that she had woken up, Anthony walked to her and began, “Go and wash up, I’ve made you tea. You must drink this every morning.” Charmine frowned. “Tea?” What was this about? Anthony had not given her anything like this before! Just as she internally debated with herself, sh
Sure, Anthony had been sweet to her before, but it baffled her how she still got flustered—face burning, heart racing—every time. She was a powerful woman, but in front of Anthony, she was merely a white rabbit… One that lacked social and emotional experience. She instantly felt small and insignificant as she gazed at him before her. Anthony suddenly lowered his head and closed their distance, causing her heart rate to quicken as she closed her eyes shut. Just as she did... Ring! Ring! Anthony’s phone rang urgently. Charmine snapped back to reality. Gosh! What was that? Was she quietly waiting for him to kiss her? “I’ll…go and freshen up,” she blurted in a panic before she booked it toward the bathroom. Anthony then took out his phone, face turning cold when he saw the name ‘Nial’. Once he accepted the call, Nial—who was calling from the laboratory with dark eyebags—gushed, “Bro! We’ve succeeded! Both experiments were successful!” He was fishing for a complim
She would be a spoiled princess if she married the right person… Had she turned into one unknowingly? She looked at Anthony who was drying her hair. He seemed so focused as if scared of hurting her. Charmine felt strange. Even though the world did not support them to be together, he still treated her so well. She wondered if he would still be as gentle once they announce their relationship to the public? The thought of it made her feel uneasy. Although the Jordan Group had entered the markets of many countries, Bailey Corporation was a big corporation that stood for over a century. They had many resources, nothing that the Jordan Group could contend against. The Baileys did not support them to be together, while Anthony dished out ruse after ruse to make them give in. The future would be quite difficult… Whatever. She must stop thinking. They had to settle Guy’s matter and the M35 Lab before disclosing their relationship. Charmine wore her makeup as Anthony w
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