Crash! The metal door was smashed open. Charmine tossed the stick aside and helped Frank up to leave. She continued walking as she heaved, “Hold on a little more, Frank. We’re almost there. You’ll be fine.” … In the bamboo house. Anthony had not seen Charmine the whole afternoon, and his worry only grew as the sky darkened. He tried to call her...only to hear her phone ringing in the bedroom. She left without her phone! Anthony frowned. It was already so late, so where did she go? Also, Frank was not even home. Knowing what plagued his mind, Faye ran to him and said, “Brother Anthony, are you looking for Charmine?” Anthony glared at her coldly. He walked past her and went out, but the unrelenting Faye caught up to him and added, “You don’t have to keep looking. Brother went out with Charmine.” Anthony stopped dead in his tracks as he turned and looked into her eyes. “What did you say?” “Frank and Charmine went out in the afternoon,” clarified Faye. “I don’t
Anthony’s expression grew apathetic as he smiled mockingly, his figure emitting a grim aura as he began to walk toward them. He was worried about her throughout the night, yet she not only hung out with Frank till late hours but even had her hand on his shoulder! Did she even care for his feelings? Anthony rushed to the backyard and went back to the room, closing the door with a bang. Startled, Nial stared at his brother’s face and dared not breathe, thinking, ‘What is Charmine thinking, going out so late with Frank?!’ Nial sided with his brother at that point, but Guy, on the other hand, pursed his lips and said, “Mr. Bailey, you should believe in Ms. Jordan.” Anthony glared at him coldly and did not speak. Charmine dragged Frank back to the bamboo forest with difficulty. When she arrived at the front yard, she cried out, “Nial, come out here! Nial!” Faye heard Charmine’s voice from inside the room, and her eyes widened with disbelief. How did she manage to retur
“Did you check carefully?” “Yeah, but I don’t know which type of cancer this is. I can only speculate for the time being, but it’s at a later stage.” Charmine frowned. Later stage? Did Frank know? “My brother is in his mid-last stage,” came Faye’s statement as she walked out of the backyard, just as Charmine grew restless. She turned to look at her, her eyes filled with anger and cold fury. “Are you done playing around? He’s your brother, your kin by blood! You knew he had cancer, yet you’d do this to him! Are you happy now?” Faye looked at the unconscious Frank, not fighting Charmine’s words. She looked guilty and started sobbing, “I know you feel wronged. I merely wanted my brother to stay with you. I didn’t see this coming… Brother hasn’t had this for a long time…” Charmine held back her anger as she asked coldly, “Why is this so severe? What illness is this?” Faye took a cloth to wipe off the bloodstain from Frank’s face. “It's a brain tumor,” she whimpered, “and
Charmine parted her lips, wanting to reassure Frank when he interjected, “Alright, don’t worry about me. Everyone has their own choice, and this one’s the best for me. Don’t feel bad—go back.” Seeing that there was no way to talk him out, they had no choice but to leave. After walking out, Nial said, “The tumor pressed against his visual neurons, resulting in his blindness. His eyes will hurt from time to time now, and if he doesn’t receive the treatment, it’ll worsen. The pain will happen more frequently, causing stable angina. He’ll be paralyzed in the final stage!” Charmine felt a pang at her chest as she listened, saddened at the fact. She glanced at Anthony and walked out to the front yard, and the latter understood as he walked after her. When they walked out of the bamboo forest, Charmine said, “Anthony, stop messing around with Faye. If this goes on, more things will happen. I don’t want to see Frank or anyone else in danger!” Anthony’s eyes darkened; this truly wa
Resting in Anthony’s arms, Charmine enjoyed the night breeze as she looked up at the sky. Anthony asked, “What are you going to do about Frank?” Charmine thought of this matter and felt depressed. “Frank doesn’t want to get treated…” She was helpless. This illness could be cured, but Frank did not want to be cured. There was nothing she could do. All she knew was that he must not continue to suffer. Anthony hugged her and looked at the night sky, saying, “Think of something else to talk him out of it.” “Yeah.” The two of them fell silent for a long while. Suddenly, Charmine thought of something, her eyes sparkling. “Anthony, I have an idea.” “Hmm? Tell me.” “William’s mother is a brain tumor specialist, and Frank will have a hundred-percent rate of recovery if we’re to invite her to treat him.” Anthony’s eyes narrowed. William… Charmine noticed the shift in his gaze and knew what plagued him. She said, “If you mind, you may be the one inviting her over. I won’
Anthony stood below the tree as he held his phone tightly. His gaze was tumultuous for a few minutes before he headed back to the men’s room, unable to sleep till late at night. His troubled gaze looked out at the moonlight as he fell into deep thought. The next morning... Frank was awakened due to eye pain as the sky turned bright. He walked out of the room and sat down beneath the tree while he prepared his medicines. After a few minutes, Faye walked out of the room and rushed to him when she spotted him below the tree. “Brother, are your eyes hurting again?” “Doesn’t matter,” said Frank gently, “it’ll get better with medicine.” Faye quickly took the items from him to prepare his medicine. Staying by her side, Frank then spoke after a few seconds, “Softer, don’t wake them up.” Faye pouted and softened her movement. “Don’t tell anyone about this, Faye.” He wanted to continue teaching Charmine so she could go back for the competition. “Okay.” Faye did not care
Charmine’s ruby lips curled into a smirk. Was Faye so unrelenting that she riled on like this? “What’s wrong?” asked Frank. “Nothing,” said Charmine. “You’re not feeling well, Frank, so I’ll practice on my own today.” “No need. It’s not a big deal,” insisted Frank gently. “You’re running out of time, so do make the most out of your time here.” Charmine looked at his gentle face and felt her heart aching with pity. She reached out her hand heavily to help him walk inside. “I’ll help treat you with needles. Let’s see if that will ease the pain.” Frank fell silent for a few seconds and nodded. “Okay.” Helping him to lie in bed, Charmine took out the needles and said, “I need to prick around the eyes. Tell me if it hurts.” “Okay, don’t worry.” Charmine took out the needles and slowly pricked them around his brows and the corners of his eyes. Each needle was as long as the palm, and the needles were embedded halfway in. Charmine asked, “Does it hurt?” “No. Go on.
“Brother Anthony, didn’t you see—” “So what?” Anthony cut her off. “Frank is in pain, but not only did you not care for him, but you don’t want others to attend to him. Furthermore, I was only acting with you to make sure my wife gets how I feel when I get jealous—I only have her in my thoughts. Now that she gets it, you’ll do well to stay away from me from now on!” “W…What?” Faye’s face went pale. “Brother Anthony, you…” She was so shocked that she could not speak. He merely treated her kindly to make Charmine understand what jealousy felt like? Her eyes reddened instantly. “Brother Anthony, how can you treat me like this? You used me?!” She cared for him wholeheartedly, yet he hurt her! “I’m sorry, but you’ve misunderstood from the start,” said Anthony in a low voice. “After all, I’ve always been cold to you, and I never told you I have any feelings for you.” Faye had tears in her eyes; she looked as if she was hurt. Seeing him make breakfast for Charmine, she bit her
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