Annabel Smith! Anthony’s gaze faltered, losing its glimmer of joy. How did Annabel disappear into thin air…and suddenly reappear, right at a very crucial point in his life? Charmine, on the other hand, seemed divided. After months of searching for Annabel, she was finally back! Charmine held Anthony’s hand, and they both walked toward Annabel. Meanwhile, in front of the garden, the security was trying to ask Annabel to leave. “Go away! You’re not allowed to come to such an extravagant place like this!” Annabel looked at the security weakly, biting her lip. Just as she was about to say something, however, she spotted two people walking toward her. Anthony was dressed in his tightly fitted Amari suit, looking sophisticated. It was as if Annabel had found her savior. Her eyes sparkled as she lowly uttered, “President Bailey…” Anthony frowned, his hand still on Charmine's as they walked to the entrance. He looked at her solemnly, and his lips parted to say, “Where have
His Daddy and Mommy were about to get married. Chris did not want this to upset Charmine or put Anthony in a difficult situation! Chris pursed her lips and looked at Annabel, eyes widely round as he spoke, “Auntie Annabel, I’ve already recovered, so I don’t need the blood anymore. You…don’t need to carry the baby anymore. Can you terminate it…?” Annabel paused at that. Her face, small as a palm, turned toward Chris weakly. “H—Have you truly recovered, my dear?” “Yes.” Anthony and Charmine happened to be coming back. Annabel then cast her feeble gaze to Charmine and Anthony, saying, “President Bailey, Ms. Jordan, since Mo—er, the young master has recovered, I can terminate my pregnancy. I won’t insist and ruin your wedding!” Charmine looked at Chris, perplexed. “You still showed signs of your illness not long ago, my dear boy.” “Oh…” Chris’ head shrank to his shoulders as he confessed, gently pulling at Charmine’s hand as he swayed it. “I’ve actually recovered, Mommy, but
Annabel pursed her lips. “I… Of course, I don’t want to have President Bailey’s baby, but I don’t have a choice now. Furthermore…” Her eyes were fixed on her swollen belly, and she lovingly caressed the bump. “I’ve become attached to my child after all this time. If she won’t be able to leave, I’ll take care of her and nurture her. Don’t worry: she’ll be my baby, and I won’t get involved in your lives.” Charmine looked at Annabel’s kind face and thought for a while before agreeing, “Alright, take care of the baby safely, then. Anthony and I won’t mistreat you.” With that said, Charmine gave her a check of five million bucks. “If you need anything else, tell me.” Anthony frowned at Charmine, his gaze toward her involuted with emotions. Annabel was just as shocked. How was Charmine still so generous? Alas, other than this, there was no other way. She had to accept the check and nod. “Thank you.” Charmine arranged a VIP ward for Annabel and requested special nurses. Aft
Anthony nodded. “Alright, then.” Anthony ended the call, a frown plastered on his face as he looked around. His gaze then met Charmine’s as she stood in the rose garden. Anthony hesitated for a moment before he walked toward her, his gaze ever so soft as he reached her side. “Annabel seems to have been diagnosed with depression, my dearest. I’ll go and visit her.” Worried that Charmine might have misunderstood him, he added, “I’m worried that something might happen to her, things that may spark unnecessary comments from the public.” Charmine said, “I understand.” She frowned and hesitated for a moment. “I’ll call her and ask.” “Good idea.” Anthony agreed. Charmine instantly phoned Annabel. It took a while before the call was answered, and Annabel’s weak voice came from the other end, saying, “Hello, Ms. Jordan.” Charmine asked, “Has anything been bothering you, Ms. Annabel?” Charmine frowned. “I heard from the nurse that you’re not eating and have been talking to y
[Annabel is pregnant with Anthony’s child. All that, yet both Anthony and Charmine forced Annabel to terminate her pregnancy!] [Annabel is just a weak, harmless woman, yet she was bullied and forced to keep quiet.] [Luckily, Annabel is sensitive to anesthesia and managed to keep her baby.] [Charmine had threatened Annabel to stay in the hospital and not to expose anything!] Each post had photos of Anthony and Charmine bringing Annabel to get tested. Those photos were evidence of this breaking news. Below these posts were everyone else, coming for Charmine’s and Anthony’s necks. [This ‘god-like’ couple is threatening an innocent woman!] [How could they still get married in this situation?] [Anthony is such a heartless player! How could he treat an innocent woman this way? Karma will get to him!] [Do you two still have the heart to continue with the wedding?] [You can’t marry Charmine! You must be responsible for Annabel!] [I agree! They can’t get married! He mus
Charmine and the women from the women’s union committee sat around the table. “I’m busy and don’t have time to accommodate you,” said Charmine, “so you’ll have to excuse me.” The leader of the committee met Charmine’s cold, arrogant eyes and was instantly stunned by her aura. She could only nod and say politely, “It’s alright, we won’t bother you.” Anthony walked into the room, but before he said no to them, the person in charge looked at him and advised him in a friendly tone, “President Bailey, look, the child is innocent! Annabel is just a woman with no support, and you can’t let her go through this alone, letting her birth the child alone. How helpless would she be? Furthermore, this isn’t fair—” Anthony’s expression was relentless, unforgiving. “I won’t marry Annabel. This is none of your concern.” The women visibly stiffened at Anthony’s statement. They also knew that asking him to marry another woman right before his wedding would not be easy! The person in charge said
After all, Annabel was a victim of circumstances, and Charmine was unusually cold these days. So cold that even Chris did not recognize her… Charmine ruffled his hair and said, “Mommy has had one too many regrets, and I don’t want anything else to happen. Furthermore, cutting off the contact between Auntie Annabel and your Daddy is the best for everyone.” Furthermore… Charmine looked out the window at the swaying tree branch. Her eyes darkened. Chris seemed to have understood the situation, too. He narrowed his darkened eyes and frowned. …After the women's union committee had left Charmine’s home, they noticed that people on the internet were still on a witch hunt against the couple. The committee could do nothing but publish a statement according to what they had learned. [We’ve visited President Bailey and Ms. Jordan in person. The situation is different from what the internet claims. They did not force Annabel to do anything against her will, and Annabel volunteere
[Annabel will receive financial support. She can live a good life for the rest of her life and also keep the baby in her womb. Why do we still need to speak up for her?] [Boss Bailey and Charmine let Annabel choose the life she wanted. Was that wrong?] [Who did Anthony and Charmine offend this time? Everyone came after them! They were preparing for their wedding, and this scandal happened.] [Boss Bailey and Charmine are generous to be able to let Annabel give birth before leaving and taking good care of her. Other upperclassmen would’ve made her give birth to the baby and kick her away. They wouldn’t be kind to her.] [Exactly! They already resolved this privately! Why do we even care?] [There’s no problem in the first place.] [If that’s all, the couple is getting married, and I wish them the best.] With that, those who were rebuking Anthony and Charmine ten minutes ago instantly changed their stance on the matter, and they began wishing them well instead.Meanwhile, insi
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