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
“Get a shower and rest well, dearest. The wedding tomorrow will be tiring.” Charmine turned to look at Anthony. “I’ll rest after going through this.” Anthony looked at the stack of papers and frowned. He then grabbed Charmine and hoisted her into his arms, eliciting a yelp from Charmine who instinctively wrapped her slim arm around his neck. She nestled herself further into his arms but argued, “I haven’t finished—!” Anthony looked down at her and walked into the bathroom. “Get a comfortable bath; I’ll check the schedule.” He then lowered his head near her ear, his warm breath fanning her earlobe as his husky voice wafted into her ear, “Tonight, I can’t wait to hug you to sleep.” After midnight, she would be his bride-to-be. Charmine was speechless, yet her face was searing pink as Anthony’s silky voice rang in her ears.With this, she did not argue with Anthony. “Check it thoroughly, though, and don’t leave out anything.” “Yes, ma’am!” Anthony carried her to the bat
An eerie smile spread across Waverly’s face as she finished her glass of wine with pleasure. Oh, Anthony Bailey, and Charmine Jordan! How would they marry at this rate? Such a grand wedding they planned on hosting, and so many guests were invited, too!What a joke, this was. Those two would never get married with her around! Waverly calmly whirled the red wine glass in her hand. As she did, however, her eyes dulled in confusion. Who else would want to kill Annabel in this world? … Within ten minutes, the news of #Annabel-murdered went up the hot-search list, and many paid commenters led the pace. [Sigh! Look how evil they are! It’s their wedding tomorrow, and Anthony didn’t want anything to happen, so he killed her beforehand!] [They made it sound so nice, as if he’d marry Annabel as long as she said yes! Did he even give her a chance to say yes?] [Anthony is inhuman! He was worried about Annabel changing her mind and asked him to marry her?] [They’re heartless.
Anthony held Charmine’s hand tightly. “Grandpa wants us to pay him a visit.”Charmine nodded. “Alright, then.”The scandal was all over the place, and it did make sense for Senior Bailey to ask them to find him.Charmine flipped her still-wet hair and said, “Let me dry my hair before we go.”Anthony wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll help you.”Charmine looked at him, and her red-painted lips curved into a smile. “Okay.”They went back home, and she sat before the makeup table, much like a proud princess would.The lean-built Anthony stood behind her with a hairdryer at hand, and he gently used it to help dry Charmine’s hair.The mirror reflected the image of a cold yet regal man behind a beautiful woman. They looked, no doubt, like they were meant to be. As Charmine’s hair grew drier and softer, Anthony turned off the hairdryer. His bony fingers felt her silky hair as he declared, “Done.” Charmine gave a beautiful smile at Anthony’s statement, and she simply tied up her ha
Charmine paused at this. Instantly, a bitter smile spread across her face. Did this imply that even after she married Anthony, there would be another woman in their family? This would involve too many things. Anthony smiled coldly. “Not happening.” He and Charmine would not allow such an absurd thing to happen. “Senior Bailey, there’s no need for this,” offered Annabel. “If you want the baby, I can give it to you after I give birth to the baby. I trust that President Bailey and Ms. Charmine will treat the baby as their own. I don’t want to ruin their relationship.” Annabel’s tone was filled with kindness and understanding. Senior Bailey’s face riddled with wrinkles scrunched even more with sternness. “Ms. Annabel, you don’t have to worry about this. Since your baby is a member of my family, I won’t mistreat you and wrong you.” With that said, he looked at Anthony coldly and said, “You can choose not to compromise, but the wedding is tomorrow, and I won’t let your weddin
“Ms. Jordan, I don’t want to put you and President Bailey in a difficult situation. This matter can only be resolved if I’m dead.”Charmine looked at Annabel coldly, her tone flat as she spoke, “You want to end your life when my wedding with Anthony’s will be held tomorrow. Do you want us to be traumatized by this wedding for the rest of our lives?”Annabel bit her lip, and her pale face was tearful. She looked pitiable.“Sorry,” she sobbed, “I will…I will wait after your wedding to end my life in a place with nobody around. I won’t cause you any trouble.”Charmine was baffled by Annabel’s train of thought. “You didn’t understand Senior Bailey’s words. If we don't resolve this now, we won’t be having a wedding.”Annabel looked helpless. “I don’t mean to ruin your wedding, but I don’t want to make matters worse for everyone.”Charmine pursed her lips and said, “I’ve already agreed to the situation, so what’s so hard about this? If you do this now, things will be harder on me.”Se
Anthony held Charmine’s hands sincerely. “I understand, dearest.” Charmine’s red lips curled into a smile. “Alright, don’t over-analyze things. I don’t mind, unless you might fall in love with her because of her child—” “No!” Anthony snapped vehemently. “I, Anthony Bailey, will only love you for the rest of my life. I’ll love you forever till my death.” Charmine looked into his resolute-filled eyes and was moved. “You said this yourself, so you can’t go down on your word. Otherwise—”‘You’ll gain fifty kilograms,’ was what Charmine wanted to say.Anthony, however, adamantly declared, “If my feelings for you ever change, I’ll be struck by lightning and never feel peace in the afterlife!”Charmine was speechless.She looked at him calmly and said, “Alright, if you made such a harsh oath, I can tell that you’re serious about me.”Anthony pulled her into an embrace and gently spoke, “I am serious about you, dearest. You don’t have to tell; you’ll know it once we’re married.” C
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