“Don’t worry about it. It is my duty, after all,” said the doctor as she then continued to arrange the plates. Even then, Charmine did not return to Chris and Anthony, which Chris noticed. “Now, Mommy’s mad!” he scoffed at Anthony. Anthony glanced at him. “Go and make her happy, then.” Chris, baffled by his response, glared at Anthony heatedly. “You’re a big meanie! If it wasn’t for you, Mommy wouldn’t be so mad at me! I don’t want to help you anymore.” Shooting Chris a cold glare, Anthony then proposed a tempting offer, “Do you want your Mommy to get back with me? Do you want your Mommy to bring you a sister? Someone as cute as Chloe?” Chris paused for a moment and nodded. “Yes!” With a pout, Chris walked away and looked for Chloe to verify their plan B. At eight minutes past eight, the villagers beat their drums as the men held sticks that propped up a large golden lion, dancing around the field as they did. The women, on the other hand, danced even more energetical
“Harry, why don’t you go and dance?” Dior sat next to Harry, placed the plate with slices of meat on the table, and looked at him intensely. Harry took another sip of his wine. “I’m not interested,” he responded. Dior then gazed at his striking side-profile, watching as his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. Blinking, there was only one thought in Dior’s mind at that very moment—kiss him. With this thought in her mind, her head instinctively leaned closer to him. This was a good opportunity to kiss him. She was not Dior if she missed this! Seemingly noticing what she was up to, Harry pressed a finger against Dior’s forehead, effectively stopping her ruby lips from grazing his thin ones. Their lips were only a few centimeters away from one another. “Don’t mess around!” snapped Harry as he then pushed her away. Of course, this did not sit well with Dior. “Didn’t you admit to being my boyfriend earlier?” she spoke. “So what if I kiss you?” Harry glared at her coldly,
Despite the danger, Anthony shielded Charmine with one of his arms. Charmine’s heart sank as she watched Anthony getting hurt in front of her. Why did he shield her? She gazed at him calmly, though her anger spurred still. “Do I need your help? Stop being a busybody!” Charmine’s hostility did not faze Anthony, however, and neither did his wound. He gazed at her, all while he grew pale. “Are you hurt?” Charmine’s spite did not waver at all. “I’m fine. I don’t need your concern!” Despite her attitude, Anthony sighed in relief as he noticed that she was still energetic. Out of the blue, he could clearly feel a sharp pain gnawing at his arm. His head buzzed as if there was a time bomb, ready to explode. Pausing, it felt like his vein had been pulled. His head exploded as he lost his balance, vision turning dark as he lost all bearings of himself. Thomp! He fell onto the grass. Charmine stood still, hands by her sides when Anthony first wobbled. Her hands twitched as she
Charmine frowned as she looked at Chris. “What do you mean?” Anthony was not that severely wounded. Why would it be dangerous? Chris leaned closer toward Charmine and whispered, “The man who came with Auntie Dior is a bad guy. He tried hiring a hitman to assassinate Daddy once. If Daddy is left alone here, and unconscious at that, the man might attack him again!” Charmine paused at this, instinctively recalling Anthony’s conversation with the man he talked with during the festivity. The man made it apparent that he would not let go of Anthony easily. She looked at the unconscious Anthony. Anyone could attack him at this stage. Although she did not care about Anthony, she cared about Chris. He would be devastated if anything were to happen to Anthony. Chris tugged at her arm and swung it feebly. “Mommy, please take care of Daddy for a while, I beg you. I really don’t want Daddy to get hurt…” Charmine gazed at Chris’ chubby face and reached out to ruffle his hair. “A
Chris gazed at Chloe blankly as she put the sulfur powder on her hands. She grabbed Chris’ hand and said, “Put some of this on, Chris. With this, the snakes won’t come close to you and bite you.” Chris gaped at her. “Alright, then...” Chloe placed some sulfur powder on Chris’ hand and bravely went up to the snakes’ cage, asking Chris, “Which one are you getting?” Unsure where to go off of, Chris answered, “Pick one that looks scary but isn’t as dangerous.” Although they wanted the snake to attack, they should be careful and prevent the snake from hurting Anthony and Charmine. “Okay.” Chloe nodded and adorably turned to look at the snakes, stretching out her small hand into the cage. The snakes opened their bloody jaws, a sight that triggered Chris’ anxiety. He feared that she would get bitten, the fear so great that his heart leaped to his throat.“Let me do it, Chloe!” he stopped her anxiously.Chloe, however, remained level-headed as she smiled at him, her adorable
Chris frowned. “Let me think of a way to release the snake.” If he released it here, the snake might slither in a different direction. If they came any closer to release the snake, Charmine might notice it. This was a challenge, no doubt. All he wanted was for his parents to stay together. Why was it so difficult? Chloe reached out to pat the snake before she bent and released the snake. “Don’t worry, Chris,” she assured Chris as she stood back up. “It won’t go away; it’ll slither in the right direction.” Her statement baffled Chris, but just as he was about to argue on it, he noticed, in shock, how the snake truly slithered where they wanted it to go—toward Anthony. Chris watched on in shock, rooted on the spot, and he only reacted a while later. How was this snake so tame? What was this?! Meanwhile... Charmine, still on the grass, was video-calling her staff regarding work-related matters when she heard it: the sound of something hissing. It sounded like it was ge
Someone as beautiful as Zoe went right into his arms, yet Anthony was disgusted?! How clueless could this man be!? Heh. He should brace himself. One day, she would make him fall head over heels for her, and he would then see just how intelligent and nice she was. She was way better than that arrogant Charmine! Zoe was swept away by her daydreams when she noticed the villagers lighting the torch. They were going up the mountain. She then remembered that they were supposed to head to the mountaintop to conduct their prayer ceremony. She narrowed her eyes and looked toward the procession. She was about to rejoin the crowd, wanting to pray for Anthony to open himself to her. If that could not happen, well, she wanted to marry a rich man soon and be a rich wife in the city! After taking two steps, however, she stopped. Anthony was not with them. Was he alone in the small house, then?If she went to tidy his house and take care of him, he might just fall for her. She
Harry dodged her hand, and his tone dropped to a colder tone. “I can do it myself.” He sounded impatient by the looks of it, and the baffled Dior pursed her lips. All she wanted was to help him clean up when he was drunk. She was not even taking his clothes off, so why was he so worked up? Dior sat by the side, helplessness looming over her. She propped up her chin with one hand as she looked at Harry. Amid their silence, the door opened. Dior looked over to see Chris coming in. Chris met her eyes and waved. “Hi, Auntie Dior. Can I talk to you about something?” Dior glanced at Harry before she stood up and went out. “What is it, dear?” “Can you try to distract Mommy?” asked Chris. “I need to be alone with Daddy.” “Hmm?” Dior was puzzled at his request. “What do you mean?” Worried that he was running out of time, Chris hastily insisted, “Just come with me for now, Auntie Dior. I’ll tell you about it on the way.” “Alright, then.”Dior turned to Harry and said, “I h
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