Anthony sat by Charmine’s bedside, staring at her as he said, “Whatever Eric can do, I can do as well. If there’s a next time, you should consider me.” His low voice carried a sense of overbearingness.Charmine’s shoulders were held by him and they sat quite close together. The only thing she could smell was his strong, musky scent. For some strange reason, her heart started to beat faster, jumping uncomfortably within her chest. She shrugged his hands away and said, “If I’m ever in a TV series and need the human equivalent of a leech, I’ll surely consider you then.”Anthony was speechless. It took a moment before he smiled faintly and said, “If you were the female lead in the TV series, I don’t need to get paid. Consider it a friends and family discount.”This silenced Charmine.She thought inwardly, ‘When he decides to go for it, he’s absolutely shameless.’“What are you here for? I was planning on calling it an early night,” Charmine told him.“I’m here to bring you dinner,”
‘That voice… Doesn’t it sound like Chris’s voice? But isn’t Chris at home preparing my presents for when I’m out of jail? Isn’t he sleepless without an appetite for food? Maybe I’m mistaken…’ Charmine pondered.Charmine cleared up the area after she had finished eating. It was late at night so she could not believe she would get another visitor. Click, clack, click, clack.The sound of high heels could be heard from a distance. She could also tell from the sound of the footsteps that the owner of the shoes had a strong temperament. The door was pushed open, and Charmine peered out to see a woman standing at the door, dressed in a burgundy dress suit. She had a full head of big curls and an extraordinary aura. She looked like an extremely capable boss lady.It was Claire Eastly!Charmine gave her a once over before ignoring her completely. Claire walked in and closed the door. She assessed the room with a strong look of disgust before saying, “I can’t believe that the big shot
Bright and early in the next morning outside the court, a large crowd had already gathered. The closest group to the court gates were the 11 supermodels who were there waiting for their compensation money. They were also there because they wanted to watch Charmine be sentenced to jail with their own eyes.Tiffany was there, holding onto Veronica’s hand with the Jordan family’s attorney, Nate Colley, in tow. They were prepared to have Charmine sign the share transfer letter. Tiffany gleefully texted Julian in secret to let him know the good news. [Julian darling, you can relax. After today, the shares will be ours. You no longer need to suffer from the injustice of having to woo my sister.]At that moment, Julian was sitting on his sofa with a glass of red wine in his hand while watching TV. The TV screen was currently showing the live broadcast of a certain internet celebrity. ‘Is Charmine really going to be sentenced today? With Anthony’s power and ability, would he really be able
Charmaine walked over with a group of cops. She was wearing a beige-white cotton dress. Although she was dressed plainly, it made her seem as unapproachable as a scholar in ancient times. She was wearing a pair of flats but still stood out among the crowd at 1.7 meters tall. Her gaze was fixated ahead of her as she walked. There was an arrogant vibe to her; it was as if she was walking alone through a forest. She seemed so arbitrary and casual that she did not look like she was about to appear in court at all. Everyone was amazed at her appearance. Influencers pointed their phones at her, and reporters were taking photos of her as well. Some of them pointed their microphones at her and asked questions one after another. “Charmaine, please tell us why you poisoned the twelve famous models? Was it just a tiny misunderstanding?” “Do you know how your actions could affect international diplomacy? As a Diamond Boss and the richest woman, why are you setting such a bad example
Veronica was watching the drama unfold with Tiffany next to her when she received an email. She clicked open the email and found the video! She lightly tugged on Tiffany’s sleeve.Seeing that everyone was busy scolding Charmaine, Tiffany peeked at the email. She was shocked when saw it. How could someone send this video to her? Who was behind this? It seemed like she was not the only one who wanted to end Charmaine. However, as long as Charmaine could get convicted, she did not care who it was! She gave Veronica a signal with her eyes. Veronica walked up and said, “Everyone, please be quiet. Someone sent me a video anonymously just now saying that this is an explicit piece of evidence!” She raised her phone and played the video. Everyone’s eyes were glued on the phone. The video showed Charmaine grabbing the first strawberry of the tower. It must have been a staff member who secretly filmed her. The video was shot close-up, so its quality was way better than the
The man seemed terrifying, and there was a long scar on his face. Although he seemed fearless, he still fell victim to Kay. He was afraid of Kay after just one glimpse of him. Feeling helpless, he looked down and revealed, “I… I’m Bob, a drug dealer. The person who bought Halophilic bacteria from me wasn’t Charmaine, it was Tiffany!” Tiffany’s face went pale. Everyone at the scene looked over to her in shock. “Tiffany Jordan? It can’t be! She’s always believed in Charmaine and is so kind…” “I’ve never met anyone nicer than Tiffany. How could she have bought the drugs?” “This man’s obviously a gang member. He could have been bought over, couldn’t he?” “It’s possible! It’s probably Charmaine! She wants to clear her name so she’s framing Tiffany!” Being protective of Tiffany, Joey yelled at the man and said, “Did someone pay you to frame Tiffany? My daughter would never do something like this!”Tiffany snapped out of it, put a pitiful face on, and said to the scar-faced m
She was more anxious than ever, but she still maintained a pitiful face and explained, “It’s fake… This video must be fake… Someone made this up to frame me… I would never do this to my sister…” “Yes, if Veronica’s video was made up then this one could be too!” said one of Tiffany’s close friends. Joey snapped out of it, shielding Tiffany behind her as she stared right at Bob and interrogated him, “Who paid you to make this up? Why are you framing Tiffany! I raised Tiffany myself, she would never do something like this!” Joey’s words sounded incredibly protective of Tiffany. Charmaine, who had been silent, smiled sinisterly. If the same had happened to Charmaine, Joey would have slapped her by now. However, when it came to Tiffany, she became protective… Joey was about to learn the truth about her precious daughter! Charmaine stared at Bob and said, “Someone’s suspecting that your video is fake. Submitting fabricated evidence to the court could land you in jail for up to
Tiffany’s voice turned hoarse from crying. Tears were rapidly rolling down her face. Her frail body made her seem like she was about to pass out from crying. The crowd continued watching the drama unfold. Some felt that the event was indescribable, some felt doubtful, while others were thoroughly convinced by Tiffany’s speech. Their hearts were aching for her. Joey felt the same as well. She helped Tiffany up and comforted her by saying, “Tiffany, stop crying. It’s Veronica’s fault, not yours. You were wrong about her and treated her as an A-list agent. She’s inhumane! I’ll find you the best agent tomorrow so stop crying.” “No, it’s my fault. I didn’t look after my agent so that’s why she could do something like this. It’s my fault…”Tiffany pushed Joey aside and apologized to the 11 models. “Sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s my agent who poisoned you all. I’m the one who caused you all pain…” She was bowing 90 degrees while apologizing. Her voice was remorseful and hoarse. Soon a
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