Meanwhile… The development project continued to progress rapidly in Mount Village, and it had gotten to a crucial stage; laying the foundation. Charmine went to the site early in the morning to personally monitor the work. Anthony thought of how tired she must have been, so he went to the bamboo house to prepare a pot of Charmine’s favorite vegetables. Even though she had promised to cook him meals for three days, he did not want her to be as tired. Anthony remembered that the first time he dined with Charmine was over pot-food. This was their beginning. For the time being, Charmine was no longer as harsh and no longer turned him away. Anthony hoped she could continue for the better. Moreover, with his complications slowly receding, and though he still had aches from time to time, it was not as frequent. If his illness could become more stable… With images of his future with Charmine running through his mind, Anthony’s eyes softened sincerely and gently. All of a su
Anthony’s eyes dulled upon receiving Cabbage’s email, and he could practically feel his heart sinking. ‘Side effects’? ‘More severe’? Why did this happen? He had just grown hopeful, anticipating how he would rekindle his relationship with Charmine once he recovered. Alas, it seemed that there was no chance to be with her. Charmine had just started walking out of the negative impact he had inflicted. What harm would he cause her if he left her again? Anthony’s gaze darkened with bitterness as he recalled how Charmine had once cut him off before. Amid his thoughts, Anthony’s phone rang. Lowering his gaze, he noticed that it was Nial calling. “What is it?” he spoke upon answering the call. “Bro, my research with the international professors finally has results!” came Nial’s excited response on the other end. “We have a daring proposal, I don’t know if you’re willing to try it.” “Is that so?” replied Anthony, his interest piqued. “Tell me!” He would not give up on any c
Anthony turned around when he heard footsteps behind him. Upon seeing it was Charmine, his gaze softened. “Ah, you’re back. Are you tired?” “No.” Charmine walked over and saw the nicely plated dish. The sight tingled her with warmth. Beef, duck, mushroom, and noodles—all her favorites. “Get some rest,” said Anthony, “it’ll be ready soon.” Gazing at his handsome side-profile, Charmine asked, “Why did you cook?” Did she not promise him she would cook for him for three days? Anthony turned to look at her, and his expression softened. “You had a long day. Why would I want you to cook after coming home?” Meeting his sweet-tempered gaze, Charmine paused. The feeling she had at that moment felt warm and cozy. She repressed her emotions, however, and asked, her expression distant, “Is there something I can help with?” “No,” said Anthony, “you may go out and get some rest.” Charmine did not insist on the matter as she turned and walked out. She accompanied Chris and rest
Charmine stared at Anthony dubiously. “Are you taking me as a three-year-old?” Was she not taking good care of herself? “I’m just worried you’ll end up neglecting your wellbeing in your busy schedule, is all,” replied Anthony. Charmine glanced at him coldly. “You’re thinking too much. As you can see now, I’ll take good care of myself.” Anthony nodded. “That’s good.” He looked all the more strange as Charmine stared at him. Apart from his behavior, she could see he had a lot of things in mind. What happened to him? Instantly, Charmine was reminded of their status. She asked him nothing else and continued eating in silence. After dinner, Anthony took the initiative to clean and wash the dishes. Charmine brought Chris to enjoy the night breeze and moon at the pavilion. After a moment, she asked, unable to refrain herself, “Dear, did anything happen to your father this afternoon?” Chris’ eyes narrowed at the question and instantly recalled how pained Anthony looked when
Hehe! He would call for his Daddy first and let Chloe sleep for a little longer. “Daddy!” Chris sangsonged as he pushed the door open. However, all that he saw was an empty room…and Anthony was nowhere to be seen. Chris paused at the sight. Thinking Anthony was still somewhere in the house, he called out louder, “Daddy? Daddy?” The only response he got was the rooster's crow that came from the village chief’s house. Chris frowned. Had Anthony gone out so early in the morning for a run? Sighing, the boy turned to head home, intending to call Anthony. Just as he was about to leave, however, he saw a letter left on the table. Pausing, he walked toward the letter and noticed words written on the surface. [To: Charmine Jordan.] Chris’ eyes widened as a thought intruded him, and his gaze darted around the house worriedly. His tiny hands clenched on the letter as he turned to run home. “Mommy!” Charmine just got changed at that point, replying to Chris gently, “Have yo
“It’s fine; he can leave whenever he wants to,” answered Charmine to Chris, her response audibly aloof. “It has nothing to do with me. I’ll make breakfast.” With that, Charmine walked into the room and changed out of the dress she put on for watching the sunrise. She slipped on a simpler dress and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Chris stood still, silently, seemingly lonely as he stared at the torn letter. The plan of watching the sunrise with his parents and Chloe was canceled. What a heartbreak, this was. Plopping himself to sit on the sofa angrily, he mumbled furiously, “What a douche-dad. He always leaves when it’s important! If Mommy goes back to her extreme mindset like before, I won’t call him Daddy anymore! “He left as he wanted to without even telling us. He didn’t even ask if Mommy wants to go back with him! What a douche-dad!” … Inside the kitchen. Charmine remained calm as she tried giving herself the pep-talk, that Anthony had his free will to l
Workers at the site quickly rushed toward Charmine upon noticing what had happened. Seeing her bloodied finger, one of them said worriedly, “President Jordan, is it severe? Can I send you to the hospital?” “It’s nothing.” Charmine narrowed her eyes, conflicted. She simply shook her finger, shaking the blood off. She did not seem to care and continued to move. Seeing how stubborn she was, the workers, though worried, gazed at her admiringly, still. Compared to those who had to rest a few days after being mildly injured, President Jordan was a great leader. One of the workers was still uneasy. After a moment of thought, he went to get plasters for her at a shop, rushing back afterward to find Charmine. She was nowhere to be seen. He halted and looked around suspiciously. Finally, he saw Charmine sitting on a large excavator, taking the vehicle by the wheel. Handsome and dashing, pride graced her delicate face. Charmine professionally handled the excavator and scooped ston
“Okay.” With Chris’ help, Charmine no longer blundered in preparing their meal, and everything was finished in no time. Charmine and Chris sat in the front yard, but while this was how they would usually go about in their meals, it felt as if something was missing this time. Charmine tried to ignore this feeling; she treated Chris as if Anthony had never come. “Do you enjoy my cooking, dear?” “Yes, it’s very yummy!” said Chris as he ate. “Mommy’s cooking is the best in the world.” Charmine smiled and scooped more vegetables for him. “Eat more—you’re still growing.” “Okay.” Perhaps he was hungry, or perhaps he did not want to tell Charmine just how upset he was, but Chris ate happily nonetheless. Charmine, meanwhile, did not have an appetite and merely took a few bites of the food before placing down the bowl, much to Chris’ disappointment. He knew Charmine was upset, but he did not want to mention that douchebag. All he could do was act like nothing was wrong and cont
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