Anthony looked at her meaningfully. “Charmine, I may have changed, but I’m loving you more now,” he spoke lowly with affection in his tone, yet he had never felt so wronged before. Charmine felt a pang in her chest. He had changed…and loved her even more... That was it. He was jealous because he loved her more… She, on the other hand... Her voice grew hushed. “Anthony…” “Go and prepare to leave,” Anthony cut her short and stood up to prepare the luggage. Charmine looked at his back and felt confused. That night... Charmine laid in bed. Thinking of the Olympics, she asked Anthony, “If you come with me, will you have enough time to arrange for the Olympics Banquet?” “Yes.” One word, cold and calm. Charmine frowned at his short reply and added, “So, tomorrow…” “Sleep now,” Anthony cut her short coldly and turned his back to her. Charmine looked at his back and paused for a moment before her skinny arms reached to hug him from behind. Anthony jolted yet did
Charmine and Anthony sat next to one another while Guy sat alone. In the backseat, Yvonne sat with Grandma Granger. Suddenly... Ten minutes in, Charmine’s head began to buzz that followed up with sharp pain. She jolted as her face turned pale. Anthony quickly caught on as he held her hand. “Migraine again?” “Mmh…” Nial, who was driving, heard this and instantly took out the needle, handing it to Guy. “You know where the point is, right? Where I usually prick into. Just prick one centimeter!” “Okay.” Taking the needle, Guy looked at his arm and found the spot, pricking it accurately. Knowing that Guy sat on the other side, Anthony stood up and said to Guy, “You may sit here.” Guy, too worried about Charmine, did not debate on it as he switched with Anthony and sat by her side. Guy took out the needle from him 30 seconds later and lifted Charmine’s arm, rolling up her sleeve. Charmine seemed to have sensed that it was not Anthony, and she instinctively retracted
After driving for a few hours, they finally stopped. Grand mountains came into sight as trees stood and flowers grew at the foot of the mountain. Below the mountains, there were many flowers and trees. It was quiet and elegant, though it gave off a sense of emptiness. There was no visible path that led upward. Yvonne supported Grandma Granger as she took in the sight. She frowned and asked, “Charmine, is this the right place? Is someone even living here?” “Yeah,” answered Charmine, “this is it.” Frank lived here, and she had visited him many times. Alas, that man did not want others to know that he lived here. He intentionally made it seem as if nobody did. She walked on based on her memory from years ago and got to the approximate location. She reached out to spread out layers of grass. Finally, a path was seen with many thorns all around. Anthony walked over and asked, “Is this the path?” Charmine nodded. Anthony went back to the car and took out a knife. Wi
“I’m not scared, Mr. Granger,” asserted Charmine. “Okay.” Guy said nothing else, but his bodyguard-like behavior remained as he walked behind her, eyeing her surroundings. Anthony, walking in front of them, overheard it all. With an expression calm like a baleful river, it was as if he could explode anytime. He could only pretend that he heard nothing. He held the knife in a vice-like grip as he swung the knife to make way for everyone, his veins protruding in the process. Yvonne, though supporting Grandma Granger at the back, noticed it all. Her eyes moved. At that rate, Anthony would get angry again! If Charmine fell for Guy, what was she going to tell Grandma Bailey? At that thought... “Ugh!” Yvonne groaned out loud. She let go of Grandma Granger as her small face scrunched in pain. The crowd turned back to look at her. Grandma Granger asked, “What’s wrong?” “I twisted my ankle. It hurts.” Yvonne tried to move, but when she moved her leg, she grimaced.
“No.” Still a one-worded reply. Charmine frowned. Was he angry? Why was he so cold to her? It was as if he was another person. Charmine wanted to speak more, but he gave off such an unapproachable aura as he carried her like a robot. No matter what she said, he would give simple responses. “Mmh.” “Yeah.” “Oh.”There was no point in talking to him, so she gave up. … The path was twisted and uneven. Nial cleared the path on his own. Anthony carried Charmine while Guy helped Yvonne and Grandma Granger. They walked for an hour before they spotted the bamboo forest hidden in mist. Nial almost teared up. Ugh, finally! His hands were breaking! Nial walked toward the area, but Charmine, still on Anthony’s back, sensed something was wrong. She detected it right away and quickly called out, “Stop!” “Hmm?” Nial looked back. “What’s wrong?” Everyone looked at her in confusion. Charmine got off his back and took out a special pair of sunglasses to put them o
Everyone was worried at the sight of Charmine being on her hands and knees. Anthony stood by the side as his eyes darkened. He clenched so tightly that his veins grew visible. Alas, there was nothing he could do but to watch her closely as he bit his lip. “Don’t worry,” assured Charmine, “just wait for a while.” She observed the laser before her as she supported herself on her palms, and she then noticed a gap ahead of her. Stretching one leg, she pushed herself and jumped into the air. Swiftly and quickly, Charmine flipped and landed on her feet in just one second! Before anyone could react, she was already behind the third line as she stood upright. The crowd watched as she moved cautiously. They felt as if they were the ones moving as they held their breath. This was the final stage! Charmine stood still as she eyed the lasers, finding a way through it. However, the lasers ahead were closely packed like a fishnet. There was no room for a finger to get throug
Charmine looked into Frank’s clear eyes and said, “Yes, it’s me.” She walked forward to reach out to him. “You crossed the lasers outside?” he asked gently. “Yeah.” “You’re still as stunning after all these years.” Frank seemed pleased. He then asked, “What brings you here?” Charmine pursed her lips and said, “Frank, Kansas had challenged Burlington. I’m here to learn how to attract butterflies through writing.” Frank, being as easy-going as he always was, nodded after a mere moment but was interrupted by a woman’s voice that came from behind him. “No, you can’t agree.” “Faye,” Frank muttered, “don’t mess around.” “I’m not messing around.” Faye White walked out from the house and looked at him, concerned. “Brother, your body—” “I’m fine.” Frank White cut her off. He had a calm and gentle smile on his face. “I have nothing to do anyway, so I can teach you.” “Well, I don’t agree.” Faye glared at Charmine and scoffed before she turned back inside. “Faye is always
Noticing Anthony’s glowering face, Charmine introduced him, “Frank, let me introduce you to my husband, Anthony Bailey.” Frank’s face was gentle. “You’re married?” “Yeah, and he treats me well,” beamed Charmine. Anthony’s stern expression grew gentle at that. She spoke highly of him! Anthony glanced at her and then said to Frank, “Nice to meet you, Frank.” “Please, come on in.” When Faye heard the movement outside, she rushed out angrily, wanting to kick the woman away. Her brother was so ill. How was he supposed to teach her? When she got to the door, however, she spotted the group of people and paused. Her gaze was attracted to the tall and handsome man, Anthony. God! So handsome! So elegant! So mature! She blinked. She could not ask them to leave anymore. Frank said, “Faye, go and make them tea.” She stared at Anthony blankly before she snapped out of her daze and nodded diligently. “Okay.” The crowd walked forward and gathered around the exquisitel
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