Grandma Bailey and Charmine got into the car, and the elder reassured Charmine, “Don’t be troubled, Charmine. To me, I only have one granddaughter-in-law.” Charmine smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I don’t mind. I wouldn’t have said yes last night had I did.” Charmine was very generous, and the two elders liked her for that. Only a generous, sensible, and powerful woman was good enough to be the in-law of the Bailey family. Anthony was not wrong in his choice, after all! All four of them got into the car while the assistant rushed over with Annabel. When Annabel saw everyone waiting for her, her face went pale as she apologized, “Grandma Bailey, President Bailey, Mrs. Bailey, I’m sorry to be late.” Grandma Bailey saw how weak she was and frowned. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to apologize for such a small matter.” In fact, Grandma Bailey feared that her baby might be as weak as her! Annabel nodded, though her palm-sized face still looked uneasy. She sat in the corner by
“Okay.” The maid named Fanny did not seem willing, but she still poured Charmine a glass of water. She thought Charmine would not like her, but Charmine accepted it as if nothing had happened. Her cold face was so calm, it was as if she did not mind how well they treated Annabel. Nonetheless, this did not sit well with Anthony. “From now on, Charmine is your madam,” he warned. “Fix your attitudes!”Grandma Bailey also instructed, “Charmine is the one you should be serving. She’s your madam!”Charmine merely remained calm. “I don’t need anyone serving me. I can take good care of myself. Annabel is pregnant, so she should be taken care of instead. Furthermore…” She turned to look at Anthony. “I have Anthony.” Her aloof-sounding voice felt warm with adoration when she spoke. “Thank you for trusting me, dearest,” replied Anthony fondly. “I won’t let you down.” Charmine’s red lips curled into a smile as she said to Grandma Bailey, “I’ll be heading up for a rest, Grandma.”
One of Anthony’s hands pillowed Charmine’s head while the other rested behind his head. His gaze was filled with adoration as he looked at the woman on his chest. He felt emotional. They had gone through hell and back, and he almost thought he would lose her forever. With them finally reunited, it was as if he had her again for the first time.Furthermore, they would finally be able to be seen in public. If the incident was what he speculated, it would be even more apparent that the two of them were meant to be. However… Looking at the bright sky outside, he frowned. Why was the sky not turning any darker? He was waiting for their first night sleeping together. With that, Anthony fell asleep with anticipation.… In the evening, Grandma Bailey came over to knock on their door and said gently, “Charmine, Anthony, wake up. Let’s have dinner.”This aroused Charmine from her slumber as she replied, all while she started getting out of bed and freshening up, “Alright!”As
Charmine could feel the urgency in Anthony’s kisses. At the thought of what would ensue from this, she found herself unable to tune into the zone. Her every cell and fiber resisted this intimacy. However, Anthony did not notice her strange behavior. He lifted Charmine and walked toward the bed, gently and softly as he placed her on it. His hand slipped past her skinny waist, and he was about to continue…when Charmine’s small, cold hand reached out and held onto his large, burning-hot hand. “Anthony,” she soberly stopped him, “wait.”“Hmm?” Anthony looked at her. “What is it?”His voice was low and hoarse; he was restraining himself.Charmine looked at him and said, “We haven’t showered yet.”Hearing this extinguished half of Anthony’s desire. However, thinking of how this was their first night and he did not want to give her a bad impression, Anthony got off of her and lifted her into his arms, saying, “We’ll shower together, then!” Charmine looked visibly abashed as she
“Bro! I know I shouldn’t be disturbing you at this hour, but I do have something important.” “Speak!” Nial continued, “You asked me to test Annabel, Momo, and Charmine’s hair. I did the test again and found out…” Anthony’s heart grew heavy when he heard this. When Anthony heard it, his heart sank. His breathing became heavy. “Momo’s DNA is a close match to Charmine’s. In fact, it;’s not related to Annabel’s! Momo is Charmine’s child!” exclaimed Nial, audibly excited. Anthony’s head buzzed loudly. It was just as he speculated. Chris was his and Charmine’s son! That meant… It was him who slept with Charmine five years ago, not Alexander. They had already met five years ago and were intimate! Anthony finally had an answer to that sense of familiarity he had when he was with Charmine. He felt more exhilarated than ever. His hand that held his phone even trembled. This matter was more valuable than deals worth tens of billions!No, not just that. Nothing in the worl
Charmine, who was usually a proud character, took the initiative for the first time.Anthony nearly could not hold himself back from Charmine’s initiative, but he then recalled her hatred, and he felt his heart sink.Gulping, his gaze slowly grew stern with resolution as he then reached out and pried her hands off of his. “I’m sorry, dearest. Nial phoned earlier. He mentioned how heartbroken he was and thought of ending his life,” he said. “I thought about it and am still worried. I want to go over and try to talk him out of it.”Charmine frowned. She was suspicious. Nial’s heart was broken? Since when was he in love? Why did she have not even an inkling of it? Furthermore, since when did Anthony start caring about Nial? Regardless, she recalled that they were brothers, and as such, it made sense for Anthony to care. Since Charmine was not in the mood, she was not ready for it. “Alright, then, go on,” agreed Charmine. “Come home soon.” “I will, dearest.” Anthony look
Anthony dared not to take this risk. Anthony put down the wine glass and looked at Nial darkly. “Any word about this gets leaked, and I’ll end you.” Nial was so scared that cold sweat perspired on his back. “I won’t expose it, I promise! Come, let’s drink…!” He sat by Anthony’s side and drank with him. Anthony, on the other hand, said nothing else and started downing his drinks.Nial was terrified to see how cautious Anthony looked.This issue was nowhere detrimental, yet the usually powerful and decisive Anthony treated it with so much caution? Nial’s choice of staying single had preserved himself, for sure. He did not want to be buried by marriage!Little did Nial know, however, that he would be begging a woman to marry him in the future. … At the Bailey mansion. Charmine finished her work and could not help looking out the window. Anthony’s car was nowhere in view, still. Did he have to take so long to get Nial together? Instinctively, Charmine wanted to phone
Charmine and the maids turned to see the tall, lean Anthony walking toward them from downstairs. He was still in the same suit he wore last night. His exquisite, elegant face looked rather tired. He took a glimpse at Charmine first before turning to the maids. “Who said I left Charmine? I smoked before bed, and she had me leave last night!”When the maids heard this, their eyes widened with shock. Was that true? Did Anthony get kicked out to sleep on the streets after all? President Bailey, Boss Bailey, actually did as he was told? Anthony walked up to Charmine and looked at her gently. “I’m back, my dear,” he cautiously greeted. Charmine glared at him and acted as if he did not exist.This, however, did not anger Anthony. He put his hand on her shoulder and continued, “I’m sorry, my dear. I’ll never upset you by smoking before bed again.“If this happens again, you may punish me by doing five hundred push ups with you on my back!“My darling, don’t be angry. Talk to me
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