“Search for a ring box. Whoever finds it gets five million bucks.” With that said, Anthony took the lead and went into the deep end of the river. “Boss…!” Luke was shocked as Anthony vanished into the water. His heart leaped to his throat. Unable to stop Anthony, he could only order the search team, “Hurry! Get in!” More than ten of them jumped into the river right away. Luke stood by the shore. Noticing that they had garnered a few onlookers, he instantly made a phone call to sort it out. “Hide all news happening in River South this afternoon.” Anthony went to the deep end of the river to carefully look for the ring. He had been on his search from that afternoon till six that evening, but he was not tired. It was only as the sky turned dark that he noticed, at last, the familiar box under a stone at the bottom. His darkened eyes lit up as he swam over to pick it up quickly. As if having found a treasure, Anthony held the box tightly as he went back to the surface, un
The men then sat next to Charmine. One of them, with a scar on his face, sized up William and said, “Hey, gorgeous! This man isn’t good enough. Why don’t you have a drink with me?” Charmine shot them a fierce stare as she snapped, “Go away!” “Wow.” The man with a scar rubbed his chin. “How fiery… I like it!” He then took Charmine’s bottle from her and poured himself a shot, saying, “Come, gorgeous, drink with me. Tell me if you’re unhappy, and I’ll make you happy!” Smack! Charmine slapped him in the face and glared at him coldly. “Don’t you understand human language? Go away!” The yellow-haired young man behind him warned, “Hey, you better behave right now before it’s too late. You should be thankful we noticed you!” Charmine sneered as she scrutinized the men. “You’re out of luck that I’m moody right now. You’re out here wanting to meet your maker so quickly.” The man with the scar's face changed, but before he could say anything... Crash! Charmine lifted the bottl
A kind bystander tried to warn Charmine, but before he could say anything, a shadowy figure zipped toward her like the wind and shielded Charmine. The sharp dagger stabbed into his arm. Hearing the commotion behind her, Charmine saw…Anthony, shielding her? He even intercepted the knife for her? “Anthony…” Charmine looked at his wound, worried and surprised combined. He must have cared for her, right? Why else would he be here, saving her from getting stabbed to boot? Anthony lifted his leg to kick the man a few meters away. He glared at the other three darkly and ordered his bodyguards, “Capture them all.” “Yes, Sir!” His bodyguards went ahead to apprehend all four men. Anthony sighed in relief when he noticed Charmine was unharmed. He had been watching from the upper floor the whole while, seeing how she got drunk, drinking with William, and beating the men up. He had been worried from the very start since he came in, and it was only moments ago that he could
Charmine slowly sobered up as the cold breeze blew. She should not be so weak-minded! Since when had she become so feeble? If Anthony had fallen out of love, there was no point for her to cling to it. It was just a breakup—a divorce. No one would die without another in this world. This man would no longer haunt her by tomorrow, Charmine promised herself that. As she walked under the night sky alone, she realized how hurt her heart was… It hurt her that they broke up just like that. She finally managed to walk out of the trauma from her last relationship, yet she plunged into it once more. It was horrible. It was so horrible that she wanted to look for Anthony and cling to this relationship no matter what… She bit her pale lip. Suddenly, two headlights lit up the road as a car pulled over by her side. Charmine turned to look, wishing it was Anthony who came to pick her up, but when she saw the man through the window, she laughed mockingly. Why would it be Ant
Charmine had to get used to it. The next morning... Charmine put on some makeup to cover the scar on her face, painted her lips with bright red lipstick, and curled her hair. She was haughty, on fire with her willfulness. Eric was pleased to see her in such a state, and he then drove her to the gig venue. The moment his car pulled over, the Junebach by the side pulled over, too. Charmine did not notice that, however, as she walked out of the car, stunning all the staff as they turned to look at her. “So beautiful! So cold, but she knows how to carry herself!” “They picked the right ambassador for the brand this time. Charmine’s temperament is one of a kind. It’s unmatchable!” Charmine was used to hearing compliments around her. Perhaps she could only recollect herself in environments like these. With Eric leading her, she walked in her black Martans toward the shooting venue, which was on a highway. The organizers had closed off the entire road, and not far away was a
Furthermore, the person in charge knew Charmine would do the best. She had the best temperament and audience for this, which was why they chose for her a red superbike. Sabrina would not deliver the same impact had she gotten the red superbike. The person in charge reluctantly approached Charmine and gently spoke, “Apologies, Ms. Jordan. Could you please have the black superbike instead? Someone insisted on having this one.” Eric’s expression turned frigid. “Didn’t we already allocate the bikes?” The person in charge carefully apologized, “I’m so sorry.” Eric had more to say, but Charmine interjected, “It’s okay. I’ll have the black one.” The person in charge let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Ms. Jordan.” After the person in charge left, Charmine looked at the gloomy Eric and reassured him, smilingly saying, “Don’t worry. Only those with no skills care about the tools.” She, on the other hand, would be able to work with anything at all! Her response was uttered wi
Sabrina was painfully fake. If she claimed to have been bullied, then she might as well be bullied! Charmine walked forward, wanting to give her a piece of her mind when… Click, clack, click! Elegant footsteps were heard as an assistant ordered, “Stop!” It would be bad if they offended the bosses present. Everyone turned to see a group of smartly dressed men walking their way, and Anthony was the lead. He was still in his suit, still as cold and elegant. Seeing the sight that unfolded before them, he sternly demanded, “What happened?” Sabrina palmed her swollen face and looked as if she was the victim, innocently replying, “I told the person in charge that I wanted to drive this red superbike. He asked me to switch with Charmine. I didn’t expect that she’d agree to the person in charge, only for her to slap me when I approached her!” Sabrina whimpered as she looked at Anthony innocently. “President Bailey, please speak up for me. We artists rely on our looks to have
The doctor rushed over, and after examining Sabrina, he said, “It's a penicillin infection. The cream contains penicillin, so you need to take a few days off to recover.” Sabrina’s head buzzed when she heard the doctor’s words. She needed to take a few days off? How was she going to continue the shooting? The person in charge frowned at her. “You can’t go out like this. Go home and get some rest.” Both the doctor and person in charge left, leaving the stiff Sabrina behind. When she finally came to, she freaked out like a lunatic. “Argh!” It was not easy for her to secure this job, and she had to miss it? “Charmine Jordan!” she hissed out Charmine’s name ruthlessly as she glowered. It was all her fault. Her face would not have turned out this way if she did not slap her. She would write this down!... At the shooting venue. William knew Charmine would have a race this day, so he set his alarm early in the morning. However, he was still caught up in the traffic, so h
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