Adam said, “I won’t ask anyone to move out, and we won’t touch your houses. We’ll even fix houses that are in disrepair. We’ll develop the entire village into a harmonious vacation village. There's a plantation here, and we can build some orchards for the tourists to pick themselves. They can experience the slower pace of living in this green, relaxing village.” The village chief failed to react for a moment. He was not asking them to move away and would not demolish the houses? Not only that, but they would fix the houses in the village, too? Why would they be so kind? What would he gain from this?She had lived a long life, and she knew how life worked. If this man did not gain anything from this, he would not have come all the way to this place to show them kindness for no reason! The village chief stared at him and asked suspiciously, “What do you gain from this? Rather, what do you expect from us?” Adam smiled and explained, “We’ll attract tourists here, so I gain fr
Adam had thought out everything the village chief was concerned about. Pleased, she kept him around with a friendly smile. “You’re helping our village a great deal, Sir. Please stay for dinner!” Adam did not intend to leave as well; he wanted to meet Charmine. Hence, he agreed. The village chief quickly spoke through the loudspeaker to tell everyone the news. The crowd instantly gathered around to hear the news. When they came over, they saw this mature-looking gentleman sitting inside her house and had guessed what happened. Well-dressed and seemingly well-off, he even seemed more trustworthy than those young men from that morning. The village chief passed on the proposal and design diagrams. When the rest of the villagers went through them, they were all in awe and shock. Goodness! He actually designed such lovely architecture? Everyone was exhilarated. “This design is so good! Is our village going to look like this?” “Wow! Look! There’s manmade smoke from chimneys as
“Alright!” Many of the villagers went ahead to prepare for their feast. When the villagers saw how approachable this man was, they giddily surrounded him and asked him many things. Adam replied to all of them. The entire village liked him a lot. After staying for a while, a few women offered to show him around the village. They, together with Adam, strolled around. Charmine and Chris had just returned from the plantation when she spotted the village chief walking out of the house. “Charmine, you’re back.” The village chief smiled peacefully and had smoked bacon in her hands. “Tell you something good! A mogul came over today to develop our village into a tourist village,” she spoke. “We don’t have to move away, and he’ll even boost our economy. We’re treating him to dinner tonight. Get a shower and come over.” Seeing how happy the village chief was, Charmine’s red lips curled up. “Okay.” The village chief noticed that she did not appear too shocked, and she could not he
“Do you know what day today is? It’s a special occasion. You can’t come here!”“She must be here for free food!” “Take your son away with you!” “How shameless she is! She goes wherever with free food! What a parasite!” Charmine, however, remained calm-headed. Since they made no scathing remarks about Chris, she did not bother to care. On the other hand, Adam, hearing how they sneered at his daughter, was infuriated. He was not pleased. Who were these women? How could they drag his precious daughter like that?! Adam was straight-faced, but just as he was about to speak, Charmine looked up at him. It was as if he knew what she was thinking with her eyes, signaling to let them be. His face darkened and he clenched his fists, trying his best to repress the anger in him. Meanwhile, the village chief walked over and stood before Charmine. She gazed at the women calmly. “I asked Charmine to come over. Stop saying such things about her. She’s not who you think she is. Also, M
Curse that cheap beggar of a woman! The woman put on her most expensive dress and even did her makeup, all to present herself well to ask Mr. Jordan for some job offers in the city. Although the village was about to be developed, she was at a blooming age and was the most beautiful woman in the village. She was like a flower! A beautiful woman like her did not belong in this village! She wanted to go to the big city. She wanted to marry rich and become a rich housewife. She must not spend the rest of her life in this village. However, before she got to ask, Mr. Jordan already left angrily. Zoe Willie clenched her fists tightly. If she could not get a job, she would make that poor woman pay! Face caked up with makeup, Zoe looked around before noticing that Mr. Jordan was right outside. Zoe walked over and blinked her overdone eyes, flirtily greeting, “Mr. Jordan…” Adam took out his cigarette and exhaled. Turning to look at the woman, he asked, “What is it?” Zoe flipp
The village chief corrected them, “Mr. Jordan is a nice man. He won’t be like you ladies.” “What!?” One of the women felt insulted and yelled, “What are you saying, you silly old woman? If it wasn’t because of this poor thing, why would Mr. Jordan get angry?” “No. We must kick this poor woman out!” Just as a few of them were about to push Charmine away, a tall figure appeared before the door, yelling, “Shut your mouth!” The woman ceased and stopped the moment they heard the voice, turning to see that it was Adam. Those who were frowning instantly plastered a smile on their face. The bigger woman wanted to look good in front of him, thus she said, “Oh, don’t get angry, Mr. Jordan! We’ll kick out this poor thing now!” With that said, Adam’s face turned even darker. It was as if a storm was approaching; he was ominously furious. He glared at all of them. “Do not speak lowly of her anymore, or I won’t forgive you!” Since Charmine did not want her identity to be exposed, he
Zoe’s heart sank as she thought of that possibility. She quickly raised her wine glass and made a toast to Adam. “Mr. Jordan, let me make a toast to you.” Adam looked at her and, recalling her proposal, said, “I’ll think about what you said earlier.” Those in the business field knew that this meant ‘no’. Zoe, however, had not been outside of this village, and she did not understand what he meant. Thinking he would consider it after all, she was very pleased and said, “Do remember to do so, Mr. Jordan!” With that said, Adam ignored her again and looked at Charmine, who was by the end of the table. Charmine would meet his eyes from time to time, too! Zoe’s hands clenched tightly. Cheap woman! How could he seduce Mr. Jordan?! He merely pitied her and stood up for her because of it, yet she thought he liked her!? Ha! He did not even have his eyes on the most beautiful woman in the village, so how would he even like this poor woman? Zoe bit her lip and raised her glas
Zoe covered her mouth and looked appalled. Oh, no… No way! Had that woman seduced Mr. Jordan so quickly? He even came to her room!? She knew this cheap woman had ill intentions! She kept glancing at Mr. Jordan during the dinner! It seemed like she no longer wanted to be poor. Since she had eyes on this rich man, she went all out to seize the opportunity. Zoe would not permit this. Even if Mr. Jordan wanted a lover, she had to be the one, not this newbie! Zoe eyed the two of them inside the house. Her eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets as she watched the moocher eyed Mr. Jordan. Her eyes went a shade darker. As a thought occurred to her, she ran over the stream and called out to the group of women, “Hey, come here! The newbie is so shameless—she’s seducing Mr. Jordan! She brought him to her room!” “What?!” The group of women under the tree looked taken aback. “What are you saying?” Those who had not left heard about this, and they rushed out. Zoe added, “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