Adam frowned and glared at the mob. “Do you all even know who she is? Don’t you all read the news?” Zoe scoffed, “Of course I know who she is: a poor woman! She came here hiding in our village with her son!” “Shut your mouth!” Adam could no longer hold it and growled, “Even if there’s no internet in the village, can’t you tell from her looks and action that she’s not a poor thief!?” The crowd exchanged looks and did not understand what he meant. Adam glared at them and found it terrifying to be ignorant.He then spilled, “Charmine is my daughter and my boss! She’s the president of the company! I came here because she asked me to! The designs and proposals are all her ideas! She came to this small village to get some peace!” Charmine was speechless. She wanted to stay anonymous and live quietly. She endured the mockery all these days in hopes of getting some peace. She did not expect him to… After Adam spoke, everyone went quiet for a few seconds. They all had shock
The women were so ignorant to have judged Charmine by her looks! The awkwardness lasted for a few seconds before a woman finally went forward to apologize, “I’m so sorry, Ms. Jordan. We might as well be blind to have not recognized you. You’re the daughter of Mr. Jordan, and you’re so knowledgeable. We were wrong!” The woman was very apologetic. Her attitude was completely different from the haughty, disdain-filled attitude she had before.The other women bowed and apologized humbly. “Ms. Jordan, it’s our fault. I’m so sorry to have judged you by your looks.” “Please forgive us for being blind and ignorant!” “You’re a mogul. Please don’t hold it against ignorant people like us. We’ll listen to you from now on; we’ll do as we’re told.” “Yeah! We’re very ignorant! Please don’t hold it against us! We had mistaken you to be one of those people, and that’s why we treated you this way. We’re actually very friendly people!” The group apologized. Charmine listened to them with
Charmine crossed her arms nonchalantly and glared at Zoe. “If you’re not apologizing, get out of Mount Village! A beautiful place like this can’t house someone like you,” demanded Charmine. In other words, she was kicking Zoe out of this village. No longer able to tolerate this, the woman by the side pulled Zoe to Charmine and barked, “Apologize!” If they offended Charmine and she canceled the offer, the villagers were done for! Zoe clenched her hands tightly. Given this situation, if she insisted not to apologize, there would be a price to pay... She had to swallow her pride. With utter reluctance and eyes filled with fury, she muttered, “Sorry, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have wronged you.” Zoe’s voice was small like a fly; it was inaudible. Charmine looked at her and narrowed her eyes. “What did you say?” The woman by the side knew what Charmine meant and kicked Zoe’s leg. “You apologized half-heartedly. Repeat yourself!” Zoe’s hands clenched by her sides. She t
Adam did not expect that Charmine also had no interest in starting a new relationship. He pursed his lips and said, “Charmine, you’re a good woman, and you need a good man with you. Although my friend’s son is older, he’s very mature. He’s a gentleman, and he’ll take good care of you.” Charmine still resisted Adam, saying, “I’m trying to develop this village, I don’t have time for other things. In the future, do not mention anything regarding romantic relationships to me.” Adam had more to say, but Charmine had picked up the design diagram and changed the topic, “This land can only develop after the harvest. We’ll start by rebuilding the houses tomorrow.” Seeing how resolute Charmine was, Adam did not want to trigger her and insist on the matter. He had no choice but to discuss business matters with her.... Chris was returning from Chloe’s house when he overheard their conversation. He frowned sadly. Oh, no. Was his Mommy not into any romantic relationship? Was she no
Charmine halted for a moment and explained, “It’s impossible for me to date Maurice. He has his own things, and we’re not from the same world. We can only be friends.” Chris was confused. His Mommy treated that Grandpa well, and he did the same for her. Why did she seem as if she had nothing to hold onto anymore? Chris hated that douche of a father so badly. Anthony had reduced his willful, proud Mommy into such a state. All Charmine wanted to do was to shut herself down and forget her identity. Distressed, Chris bit his lip as tears pooled in his eyes. “Mommy, I don’t want you to stay here alone! Waa…!” Chris wailed as if someone was dying. Charmine merely ruffled his hair. “It’s okay. This is the life that Mommy wants.” Chris felt affronted. Charmine used to cave in whenever he cried before, but now... Even though he sobbed vehemently, Charmine did not back down on her decision. She really wanted to be alone and live in this village silently. No! He must not giv
Charmine’s smile, her gesture, and her warmth in his arms… Every moment they spent together replayed like a movie in his head, over and over again.Anthony brought his head up and drank another mouthful of alcohol, with a few droplets dribbling down his jawline and to his heart.The chilling alcohol felt like lava that burned his heart. Anthony punched himself and smiled bitterly. Since when had he been so lonely? How he wished this was nothing but a dream, that, when it was all over, his Charmine would still be in his arms. Anthony fantasized wistfully. Suddenly, the phone that he had not touched for a long while suddenly lit up on the desk. Glancing at it, he noticed how it rang incessantly. When he glanced at the caller’s ID and saw [Waverly], he did not bother and silenced it, continuing his drink. The vibration only stopped after a minute. However, the screen lit up again, and there were some unread messages from Chris. That stopped Anthony. That kid was staying
Waverly was petrified on the spot as a chill ran through her body. By then, Anthony had already vanished. Furiously, she turned around and watched as he drove away, her fists clenching tightly as she did. Why did he blank her again? In the past few days, he did the bare minimum of what a fiancé should be doing despite being aloof, and now? Ugh! Waverly had a thought, and her eyes darkened. Every time something had to do with Charmine, he would act this way. She narrowed her eyes and instantly picked up her phone to call Britney, ordering, “Follow Anthony. Also, find out what the b*tch’s been up to lately.” … Charmine liked her life in the village. She slept and woke up early. She woke up at sunrise. She listened to the flow of streams outside her window, the chirping of birds on the trees. She would gaze at the green mountains far away and then at the leaves below her feet. These made her happy. Charmine thought of how Chris would be returning to Burlington soon, an
Chloe watched as Chris beamed, causing her to blush and smile. The two children sat on one side and Charmine sat opposite to them. As she began rowing, the bamboo boat started to move. Charmine tossed the fishnet into the river as she rowed while Chris reached out to touch the waters beneath them. Perhaps it was because he saw Anthony coming that he was visibly happy, all smiles. Chloe was infected by his happiness, and she smiled adorably. After Charmine tossed in the net, she stood on the boat aloofly. She was in her long red dress, and she looked elegant. With a hat sitting on her head and her hair let loose, she looked like a character out of a book, proud as ever. Charmine looked at the stunning view while listening to the laughter of the kids. She liked this place even more. Being alone was a good decision. She no longer needed any douche in her life. Charmine rowed the boat and made a turn on the river as she started reeling back the net. There were all sort
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