Standing by the river, Charmine, with her hair cascading down her shoulders, wore a long red dress that billowed with the wind. Moreover...that face of hers that he deeply missed. She had no makeup on, but her facial features were so delicate, her skin was fair, and she exuded an air of regality and elegance. Anthony stood still as he watched her for a very long time. He wanted to remember her like this forever. Charmine led the children to take out the fishes off the net and put them into a large bucket, where the fishes flailed among one another. Chris and Chloe were exhilarated, and they both began thinking of the possible ways they could make the fishes taste delicious. Charmine heaved the bucket up to the river bank, albeit struggling, before she sensed a burning gaze fixed on her. She looked up and instinctively looked over, locking eyes with him. Fitted with his Armanee suit, Anthony stood by the road as he exuded an air of elegance, forming a stark contrast with
Anthony was still acting this way with Charmine. He should be locked outside! “Hmph! That’s what you get for hurting Mommy.” Chris arched his tiny head proudly. Anthony frowned. He hurt Charmine? All he wanted was to speak with Charmine. Dissatisfied, he walked past Chris coldly. Noticing the tall, aloof man entering, Chloe was intimidated. She could not help standing up and greeting politely, “Hello, Uncle.” Anthony heard the voice and looked over to see an adorable little girl. He cared about Charmine too much that he did not notice her and Chris. Anthony’s eyes softened as he gazed at her, and he could not help imagining having a baby daughter with Charmine. She would be just as adorable. Try as he might, it was all just a dream. “Auntie Charmine is inside the kitchen,” added Chloe kindly, much to Chris’ glee. She had said what he wanted to say. If he had told Anthony that himself, Charmine might not like it, but she would not mind if Chloe said it. Hehe! “Okay
Anthony felt cold just watching Charmine in this state. Charmine ignored him and acted as if he was not around. She turned to ask Chris and Chloe, “Do you prefer steamed, saucy, or fish broth?” Chloe said adorably, “I don’t mind either!” Chris thought about it and said, “Mommy, I want it saucy!” Anthony heard their response and was just about to prepare the dish. The ingredients were by the door of the kitchen. Just as he turned to walk, Charmine walked past him and pushed him away, swiftly turning to lock the door. Anthony reeled back in shock as he gazed at the locked door, hands clenched into fists. What made her so cold-hearted? Did something happen between her and Maurice? Why did Charmine decide to stay hidden in this village, intending to live here forever? He was terrified by her attitude and mindset. Was she depressed by love? How did the once cold, arrogant Charmine turn into this… If it was truly because of him who made her depressed, he would neve
He was Chris’ father! Even if he was a stranger to Charmine already, he should be able to dine with them, yet she... Anthony looked at Charmine, about to say something when footsteps were heard, and an elderly voice called out, “Chloe, come home for dinner.” With that said, the village chief walked over. When she saw Anthony, she smiled sweetly. “It seems that you’ve found Charmine, young man?” Anthony nodded. “Good.” When the village chief walked in, Chloe said, “Grandma, I’m having dinner here with Auntie Charmine.” Charmine stood up and added, “Grandma, why don’t you join us?” The village chief shook her head. “It’s okay, I’ve made dinner already.” As she spoke, she noticed that there were only three bowls on the table. Moreover, the young man was standing awkwardly. Something did not seem right. Still, the village chief did not want to meddle with their privacy, thus she said, “Chloe, stay here and be a good girl.” “Okay.” Chloe was munching happily as she n
All this time, she offered to introduce other women to Anthony instead! The village chief had a peaceful smile on her face as she asked gently, “Would Charmine be alright?” Anthony’s face looked as if an iceberg had melted—he became warmer instantly. “Alright, sure.” The village chief smiled and nodded. “I’ll tell Charmine about this after dinner.” “Alright, thank you.” Anthony only took a few bites and went out to a small stall in the village. He bought a handful of expensive supplements and gave them to the village chief. “Here. Thank you for your help.” What he implied was that she was doing him a favor. The village chief understood what he meant by ‘help’; he wanted her to help him get Charmine to show him around the village. It seemed that this man truly cared about her. Otherwise, he would not have come all the way here to try to get back with her. She would do him this favor, then. The village chief nodded. “Alright, get some rest here. I’ll go and speak with
The village chief felt hurt hearing this. She lowered her head and looked at Chloe lovingly. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” As though receiving something beautiful, Chloe happily nodded. “Alright! Thank you, Grandma!” The village chief held Chloe as they made their way back home, where Anthony stood up from the front yard and looked at them anticipatingly. “How did it go? Did she agree?” The village chief met his eyes and was certain he was in love with Charmine. Charmine, on the other hand…was willing to take care of his son, so she must have feelings for him still. The two of them looked so good as a pair. It was a pity that they had to separate. The village chief decided to match up the two of them. “Charmine didn’t say yes,” she admitted. “She’s busy, but I think there’s still a chance.” Anthony’s eyes darkened; he had expected this to be the outcome. Charmine was still cold, even when the village chief went to talk her out… Noticing his darkening eyes, the villag
On the other hand... Charmine finished drying the clothes and picked up her phone to text Adam. She found out that he was about to refurbish the houses by the end of the village and thus went over to monitor it. Anthony’s presence did not even faze her. She was very calm, and when she arrived at the site, she was fully focused. She had the safety hat on and looked at the machines working on the houses. Adam had documents in hand and started reporting the progress to her. Charmine aloofly studied, her demeanor entirely professional. She looked like a cold, arrogant CEO of the company. After working for a few hours, it was about time and she picked some fresh vegetables home to make dinner. All the while, Chris was sleeping and did not realize that Charmine was not home. He walked out, and as he was about to look for Chloe, he heard noises coming from the house next door. Was the house not empty? Chris looked alert and became cautious. Was there a thief? He narrowed
Chris walked out and saw clouds overriding the skies, so thick that he might be able to touch it. A stormy rain was coming. He quickly ran back to the bamboo house, sat before Charmine, and put his chin on his hand, bearing a troubled expression. “Mommy, I went to see Daddy.” Charmine knew that, and she nodded. It was normal for a son to see his father. She did not stop him nor did she care. “Sigh…” Chris sighed like an old man as he worriedly added, “Daddy has nothing to eat. He doesn’t cook and has no ingredients.” Charmine paused at that, recalling his stomach problems. He had not eaten breakfast and lunch. If he skipped dinner, he might get a stomachache again. Despite these thoughts, her expression straightened afterward.Whatever happened to him was none of her concerns. She used to treat him wholeheartedly, and he crushed her so cruelly. Regardless of whatever that would happen, she would not care about him anymore. No more. He made her understand how low the
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