Charmine narrowed her eyes and looked at Luke’s neck. It was right then and there a thought occurred to Charmine, and her entire being oozed with spite. Anthony was a fool. Who did he think she was? Was this all he got, and he actually thought she would be touched?! Charmine smiled ironically and stood up from the pavilion, walking into the kitchen. When she saw the pile of readily cut sticks, her gaze turned steely as she piled them all up, throwing them outside. Thronk! All the sticks fell to the ground. Charmine did not care as she turned back to bring out the remaining ones.In the house next door, where Anthony and Luke continued to work... Anthony expected Charmine to be touched after seeing all the hard work done for her. She would at least cook for him! Just as he grew hopeful of this thought, however, he heard a loud noise. He frowned and walked out to find out what it was. All he saw was Charmine coldly throwing the pile of sticks outside her house.
Since she knew Anthony was cruel, why bother expecting anything to be different? It happened twice, but there would not be a third. Charmine locked the door angrily, cutting Anthony off of her sight. Anthony still stood by the door, watching as she threw out the water and broke the expensive porcelain vase. She did not even blink! Was it all just because he touched the vase? Did she hate him that badly? Was the hurt he inflicted traumatized her to such an extent? Anthony was meant to be angry, but at this moment, he could only feel pain and guilt. She was neglected many years ago, having lost all hope in life and suffered from depression. Meeting him made her slowly recover.He, as it turned out, became the reason why... It hurt. Anthony felt like his heart had been stabbed, and it hurt all too much. He would not let her get hurt again. Narrowing his eyes, Anthony tried to come up with a plan when... Strange sounds came from the well opposite the stream, breaking
When the woman in front of the well saw Charmine walking her way, she continued to scoop more water. Charmine walked over and stood by the side. Seeing the woman scooping up buckets of water, she eyed her curiously. The woman met her eyes and said, “Charmine, you’re in such good shape. Why do you want to live here with your child?” “I’d like to live in peace,” replied Charmine. The woman nodded before she spoke, voice tinged with regret, “You’re still young. You should be finding a suitable man at this age to take care of you. You don’t have to do all the work by yourself.” Charmine pursed her lips, puzzled by the woman. Why would she say this to her out of the blue? Whether she was single or in need of a man had nothing to do with this woman. Seeing that Charmine did not react, the woman took a breath and forced herself to recall the past. Her expression fell into one with solemnity, heart sinking as she began with a sigh. “Don’t be like me. Back then, I lost faith in
What did the woman’s story have anything to do with Anthony? This woman’s husband left her due to an accident, but Anthony? He lost interest and gave up on her. He was the one who broke her heart! How laughable. The woman saw how hostile Charmine became, nowhere at all convinced, and sighed. “Oh, don’t mind me… I’m just saying.” With that said, she picked up her bucket of water and left. Chris noticed the look in the woman’s eyes, and he could not help looking at the house by the side. He could tell that his Daddy was trying his best to win back his Mommy, but knowing Charmine... Chris looked at Charmine with her indifference. His tiny fists clenched. He had to think of something. He must not see Charmine continue this path. Otherwise, he and his Daddy would be tormented. Charmine went before the well and swiftly lowered her bucket, reeled the rope, and scooped up a bucket of clear water. Her slim arm had no trouble hoisting the bucket full of water. She held Chr
Chris whispered to Chloe’s ear and told her his plan. Hearing it all, Chloe nodded. “Alright, that’ll do!” “Yeah!” Chris thought of how once his plan worked, his Mommy and Daddy would reunite. The mere thought of it brightened his mood. He looked at the adorable Chloe and reached out to touch her pinkish cheeks. “I’ll be counting on you tomorrow, Chloe.” “Yeah.” Chloe smiled, and two dimples showed on her cheeks. “I’m good at this.” On the next day, when Charmine went to the construction site, Chris brought Chloe along with tools to go up the mountain… Arriving at the top, where the grass was green and the refreshing breeze blew, Chloe smiled and looked around. The goats were not out so early. Chloe turned to Chris and said, “Let’s get some herbs now, Chris. We’ll catch some goats when they show up.” “Okay.” Chris and Chloe started picking the herbs. Chloe knew her way around as she gathered the usual herbs: Blue Leaves, Lotus Palm, and Purple Leaves. She put
Eyeing the shot goat, Chris looked at Chloe with admiration in his eyes. “You’re brilliant, Chloe!” “Hehe!” Chloe’s expression reverted to her usual cutesy self as she chirped, “I’ve been hunting with my Grandma since young. I know a thing or two.” Watching as the goat fell, Chloe put her bow back in her basket and held Chris' hand. “Let’s go, Chris. The goat is now dead.” “Okay!” Both children walked toward the goat. The arrow was still embedded in the goat, but it was already dead at this point. Looking at the goat that was bigger than both of them, they exchanged unsure glances. This goat was huge. How were they supposed to bring it down the mountain? Right on cue, a villager was passing by and asked, “Chloe, are you out hunting with your Grandma?” “No, I’m just with Chris.” Chloe said, “Uncle, do you mind helping us to bring down the goat? We won’t be able to, you see.” The villager looked at the goat that was bigger than the two of them and found it adorable.
Seeing how happy both Chris and Chloe were, the village chief smiled peacefully. She turned around and walked to the end of the village to look for Charmine. “Charmine, it’s my sixtieth birthday tomorrow. Chloe hunted a goat, and I’m thinking of celebrating it. Since you’re all here, why don’t you come with Anthony? It’ll be quite lively.” Charmine wanted to celebrate this day with her, and she was close to uttering her attendance, but she froze after hearing that name—‘Anthony’. She looked at the construction in front of her that would work throughout the night and said, “Sorry, Grandma. I've been quite busy recently, so I can't attend the dinner.” The village chief was shocked. She did not expect Charmine to show such indifference toward Anthony. She must not let this prolong. The village chief’s genial expression remained. “Oh, don’t overthink it, Charmine. Everyone from the village will be coming. You haven’t seen our celebration here, and there will be dances. It’s quit
“Oh, and about Sonia… If she’s free, bring her along as well.” Harry sighed in relief upon hearing she was alright. “Sorry, Grandma, but I don’t have time tomorrow. I’ll surely come and visit you when I do, though,” he answered. The village chief sighed. “Alright, well, focus on your work, then.” She did not expect much, anyway. Harry had so much work to do—how would he have time? She could only hang up sadly. Dior, meanwhile, overheard their entire conversation as she stood next to Harry. Was that Harry’s grandmother? Did she not know that Sonia had cheated on him? Dior gazed at Harry, her eyes twinkling when she did. If she could go to the village with Harry, they would get to spend more time together. Also, that was Harry’s grandmother, and it seemed he respected her well. If Dior could follow Harry back to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday and pleased her well, if she liked her, she might even make Harry marry her! The thought of it satisfied Dior, and she
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