A foreboding feeling loomed over Charmine. It was as if something bad was about to happen. Charmine rubbed her eyes. Did she not sleep well? At the international airport... Jennie, sporting a long black jacket and shades, looked expensive and elegant with her red hair curled. She walked out of the airport with a few well-reputable doctors behind her. They walked to the entrance, where a luxury car was parked in front of her. Anthony rolled down the window and spoke in fluent English, “Mrs. Peterson, come on in.” Jennie raised an eyebrow and went inside while the other four doctors called for a cab to follow after them. Inside the car... “The rate of success is a hundred percent, yes?” recalled Anthony. “Yes.” Jennie shot him an aloof stare and smiled coldly. “Mr. Bailey, you should be more concerned about yourself.” Anthony’s eyes dulled a few shades. He fell silent for a while before he reminded, “Do not tell Charmine regarding our deal.” That was why he did no
“Brother Anthony, the way you smoke is so handsome.” “Brother Anthony…” “Shut up!” Anthony snapped in the end as he tossed the cigarette and glared at her coldly. “Stay away from me! Stop annoying me!” Faye slightly parted her lips, petrified as she was. It was moments later that a car pulled over in front of them. Anthony’s coldness instantly vanished as he gazed at the car gently. Faye could not register that change in him as she looked over to see Charmine helping her brother out of the car. That shameless woman, again. She glared at Charmine coldly. She walked over and beamed at Frank, “Brother, did you guys come to fetch me?” “You’re discharged?” asked Frank instead. Faye halted. Did he not know she was discharged? “Why are you all here, then?” Frank said, “The doctor is here. Charmine brought me over for a check-up.” “Oh.” Faye held onto him. “I’ll walk up, then. I need to sign the discharge form, too.” “Okay.” Charmine wanted to follow them but A
“Nothing.” Anthony shifted his gaze to look forward at the road. Charmine looked at his back and felt a sense of heaviness coming from him. He behaved like that every time she mentioned Frank. He had told her what bothered him, but did she not explain to him as well? Why did he behave so oddly? Charmine pursed her lips and fretted, “Anthony, what do you want to do? Tell me what’s on your mind—don’t hold it all in.” Anthony narrowed his eyes. “It’s nothing.” Charmine frowned. He looked depressed. It was pointless to interrogate him on it, however, and all she could do was take her time to find out about it. At St. Bowden Cathedral... Although the Granger was a wealthy family, the wedding was kept simple, and they did not invite many people. Even Yvonne’s family did not know about the wedding. Charmine held Chris' hand and noticed a stunning figure in the crowd. Dressed in a burning red gown and donned heels, the woman’s hair was braided elegantly. She looked
Anthony’s glare seemed so vicious that Faye’s heart quivered. It gave the message that if she said anything, he would kick her out. Faye bit her lip and elegantly replied, “You’ve all mistaken. I’m not his girlfriend.” When Anthony heard that, he turned and left. The reporters then left Faye not long after her response, not having anything else to ask. Faye’s face turned a few shades paler. Following that, she chased after him as she grabbed her dress by the hem. “Brother Anthony, wait for me!” Anthony acted as if he did not hear her as he went to greet the guests. Faye spent a huge sum to rent the gown, and she did not want the opportunity to slip away. She gave chase and followed after him closely. Even though he ignored her, Faye felt talking to him made it seem as if the two of them were on good terms. Charmine came to the resting lounge and saw Yvonne sitting on the sofa in her gown while Grandma Granger and Sherlyn talked to her. Charmine looked at her and fel
Yvonne smiled proudly. “No. It’s just a wedding.” Charmine fixed her hair. “You’re gorgeous.” Yvonne knew what she meant, and she beamed at her. “You’ll look prettier when you have your wedding, Charmine!” Charmine said nothing in response to that; she merely smiled. Sherlyn, on the other hand, looked at the time and fretted, “Is Dior not here yet? It’s her brother’s wedding. How could she be missing?” Grandma Granger had a small frown at that. “Call her and remind her about it. I wonder what she’s been up to in the past two days. She didn’t even come home.” Sherlyn made the phone call right away. “Dior, are you home yet? The wedding is starting. It’s your brother’s wedding, and you can’t be absent!” Dior looked at Harry, who was still in bed, and she reluctantly replied, “Soon. I’m on my way.” “Alright, hurry!” “Okay.” After hanging up, Dior sighed and looked at Harry dejectedly. “I’m going home now. Are you going to be alright on your own?” Luckily, the wound
Yvonne, on the other hand, stood at the end of the aisle. Dressed in a white wedding gown with a veil draped over her head, she looked ethereal. She walked down the aisle with a bouquet of fresh flowers at hand, and she then reached the stage and stood before Guy. Yvonne looked up at Guy. She had to admit that he looked handsome—more dashing than usual. She was not too bad, either. Yvonne lifted her chin and looked at him as if telling him, ‘I’m not bad, either!’ The Father read the oath and looked at Guy. “Mr. Guy Granger, will you take Ms. Yvonne Eckert as your lawful wife?” Guy was stoic, and he did not seem delighted. When the Father questioned his end of the vow, Guy instinctively turned to look in Charmine’s direction. He then quickly averted his gaze, his eyes turning dull as he did, and gulped. “I do,” he eventually answered. Yvonne noticed his behavior, however, and scoffed to herself. He looked as if he was forced to marry her. Did he not remember that he w
When she caught the glint in Faye’s eyes, Charmine understood something. She did not react to her as she sipped her tea languidly. Dior noticed the vague aloofness in her eyes, and she turned to look at Faye again. Dior never liked pretentious women, but she did not want to ask her to leave. “Oh, well, have a seat,” offered Dior. Faye did not understand their facial expressions at all, but she sat beside Charmine nevertheless.Charmine was speechless. Faye sat down and said to Dior, “My brother taught Charmine the skill she showcased in the Cultural Olympics.” Dior watched the livestream the other day and was interested. “Where’s your brother?” “My brother isn’t here today.” “Oh, what a pity.” Dior was interested to meet someone with such rare abilities. During the meal, Faye made a toast to Charmine. “Charmine, here’s to congratulate you for winning the Cultural Olympics!” Charmine looked at her coldly. She wanted to ignore her, but the guests that fully occup
It was then Chris remembered his Mommy’s true self. He grinned at Charmine, showcasing his small, white teeth, and nodded at Charmine. As they entered the resting lounge, Faye placed Charmine down. A moment later... The door opened, and Anthony walked in. He frowned at the sight of a drunken Charmine on the sofa and fell silent. “Brother Anthony, you’re here,” greeted Faye. “Charmine is drunk.” “Drunk?” Anthony came close and glanced at the sleeping Charmine. As he did not believe what Faye said, he turned to look at Chris. “What happened?” Chris nodded seriously. “Mommy is drunk.” Faye was initially terrified and feared the boy would out her. It seemed, however, that he did not like Charmine so much after all. Anthony felt hurt as he looked at Charmine. Poor thing. Why did she drink so much? He never saw her that intoxicated before. He walked over and was about to carry her away, much to Faye’s panic. “Brother Anthony, let her rest. She drank so much, and her t
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