Even though Maurice still hated his mother for how cruel she was, he saw how worn out she looked, and it wrenched him. If she suffered such a difficult life, why did she not come looking for him? Charmine could tell what Maurice was thinking, so she wheeled the woman closer to the bed. “You were wrong about Auntie, Mo,” said Charmine. Maurice looked at her and then at his mother again. Mistaken? The woman in the wheelchair met his eyes and explained gently, “Mo, I didn’t leave you behind back then. I loved you.” Maurice smiled bitterly. “Love? Does that include locking me inside a dark room from day to night? Does that include leaving my father and I for thirty years, never coming back?” His voice grew unsteady as he spoke. The woman’s eyes reddened at Maurice’s words, and she began to sob. “I’m sorry, Mo. I’m really sorry…but I didn’t have a choice… “You know the situation back then. We were poor, and your father had gambling problems. Whenever he ran out of money,
Maurice said, “Hey, don’t cry. All these years, I didn’t look for you. I should’ve gotten you home sooner.” “I don’t blame you, don’t think of it that way. You calling me your mother is already enough for me.” The woman held his hand tightly and wiped off the tears on his face. “I’ll stop crying, too. Today is a happy occasion. Are you hungry? I’ll cook for you. We have to celebrate.” Maurice nodded, and he began to recompose himself. Sofia then wheeled the woman into the kitchen of the hospital to make dinner, leaving Charmine in the ward with Maurice. “Thank you so much, Gem,” thanked Maurice as he looked at her. “How did you find my mother?” Charmine said, “I had my men to find out.” When she heard his childhood stories last night, she already felt that there were some misunderstandings. She did not believe any mother would be able to leave their child behind for so many years. In her quest to cure Maurice’s struggle with anorexia, she made an investigation. With th
After Maurice had eaten, his mother cleaned up the dishes. Charmine walked forward and said to Maurice, “Mo, seeing that you and Auntie are rekindling your relationship, I can leave you at peace.” “Leave?” Maurice frowned. “Gem, where are you going?” Charmine looked up. “To somewhere quiet for a while.” Maurice asked suspiciously, “Alone?” “Yeah,” Charmine answered. The look of worry intensified in Maurice’s eyes. “Where to? Would you like me to come with you? I could arrange for someone to—” “No need, Mo.” Charmine cut him off and insisted, “I want to be alone to calm down. Don't be sorry, I’ll take good care of myself.” Maurice pursed his lips. As he recalled the struggles Charmine was facing, he could understand. She wanted to find a place to relax. This was better than bottling her feelings up. He could only agree. “Alright, Gem. No matter when, I’m only one call away if you need someone to talk to. I’ll be waiting for you here.” “Yeah.” Charmine’s red lips cu
Chris looked at the road anxiously and saw that it was empty. Why was his Daddy not coming yet? At this rate, Charmine would leave! With that in mind, a beautiful figure walked out of the villa. With a suitcase in tow, Charmine was in her long red dress, sporting a hat and sunglasses. She looked expensive and elegant. Chris was amazed by her beauty, and he almost forgot to look away. After a while, he turned to see the empty road again. His Daddy was not here yet. He could not wait any longer. He had to speak to her first! When Charmine was not paying attention, Chris secretly went inside the helicopter. After Charmine sorted out some matters, she pushed her suitcase into it. When she went in, she saw… Chris, sitting inside?! “Hi!” Chris met her suspicious eyes and waved at her as if nothing was happening. “How do you do, Mommy?” Charmine was speechless as she looked at him. “My dear, what are you doing here?” Why did he even have a backpack with him? It was o
It was in the evening, and half of the sky had reddened with the sunset. The air was refreshing as the faint scent of flowers and grass wafted. There were vegetables on the plantation that formed a beautiful view, and all sorts of plants were in bloom. The houses at the heel of the mountain had smoke coming out of their chimneys, and farmers made their way home. It felt homely. Charmine was already more at peace as she felt the breeze. Chris looked around. This was his first time seeing this sight, and his big eyes were full of curiosity. Charmine held onto his hand and said, “We’ll be staying here, my dear.” “Okay!” Chris nodded and said, “Mommy, I like it here!” “I like this place, too. Let’s go.” Charmine brought Chris into the house Kay had arranged for her, and everyone looked at her curiously. It was a bamboo house by a small stream. Although it was built of bamboo, the house was large and very spacious. When they walked past the bamboo bridge above the s
Charmine then said to Chris, “Didn’t we bring gifts as well? Pick something suitable for the girl and bring it to them.” “Alrighty!” Chris opened the suitcase and took out a big lollipop. “I’ll give this to her, Mommy.” “Okay.” Charmine brought Chris out and walked toward the two-story house. When they arrived before the gate, Chris saw the girl bending over at the front yard, petting a dog. The sight was so warm and beautiful. Charmine knocked. The little girl looked up, and her doe eyes seemed abashed. Still, she greeted loudly and politely, “Hello, Auntie, Brother.” Her tone was childlike and soft, pleasant to the ears. Charmine liked polite girls like her. She was adorable like a doll, small and delicate, especially her big eyes—so clear and innocent. Charmine walked over and bent down before her. “Dear, are you home alone?” “No, my Grandma is home.” With that said, an elderly grandmother walked out of the kitchen. Her aged face was riddled with wrinkle
Charmine was helpless. She turned around to see Chloe playing with Chris. This was her first time seeing him gleefully having fun. The old lady had started slaughtering the fish. She found it hard to refuse, and after a moment of thought, she walked into the kitchen and said, “I’ll help you out.” The old lady smiled at her serenely. “Alright, then.” Meanwhile, Chris noticed that only Chloe and her grandmother were home. “Chloe, where are your parents?” he asked. Chloe stopped what she was doing. “I don’t have parents,” she confessed. “I grew up with my Grandma.” She heard from her grandmother that before she turned one, her parents left her in the village. Grandma saw and carried her home, raising her on her own. Actually, she knew who her parents were… Since they did not like her, she would not go looking for them. Chris looked at her bright-eyed. He did not expect her childhood to be similar to his. Although he had a father and also found himself a nice Mommy like
Charmine halted and ruffled his head. “That won’t happen.” Although she preferred the slower living pace here, Anthony would never permit his son to stay in this place forever. Chris also knew this was unlikely, and just the thought of leaving this place sooner or later filled him with dread throughout the night.... On the next day, after breakfast, Charmine brought him to look for Chloe. When they left the house, they were once again stunned by the sight. The houses at the heel of the mountain had smoke that intermingled with the mist. The azure sky had clouds that looked like cotton candy drifting with the winds. The stream up ahead was clear, and the sound of water flowing was akin to a beautiful tune from an instrument. Everything in front of them looked as if painted. The beauty was beyond words. This place was astoundingly beautiful. It settled Charmine’s nerves and made her not want to think of anything. All she wanted was to enjoy her time in this place.
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