The praises for McKenzie paused at that moment, and all eyes landed on Charmine.Their gazes were filled with detest and speechlessness.What did Charmine know, anyway? She did not even know what this instrument was called, let alone know how to play it, yet she could boldly criticize such a beautifully played piece?The entire piece sounded so heart-tugging and smooth. Where did McKenzie miss the notes?"Charmine is obviously jealous!""We’ve always known that she’s arrogant, but we see it with our own eyes today. Not only is she arrogant, but she's also fake and self-conceited!"McKenzie saw how everyone looked at Charmine with disgust and smirked at this, but she nonetheless kept her composure. "Are you perhaps joking? If you can’t play it, how do you know I missed the last few notes?""Charmine, you don’t know this at all," Susan suddenly chimed in. "If you can’t play the harp, just don’t play it, and nobody would say anything. McKenzie played so well, so just don’t cause a
Charmine smirked. "Ms. McKenzie, I know you like Anthony, and everyone thinks that you both would make the perfect couple even when you were both young—very compatible. They all said that I’m not good enough for Anthony, that he’s out of my league! Well then, I’ll allow you to challenge me, and you have the honor of choosing said challenge. We have three rounds. If you win any of the rounds, I lose. If I lose, I'll divorce Anthony!"She looked at McKenzie with a challenging look as she spoke clearly, "If you lose, you'll leave the country to study for three years!"McKenzie’s eyes darkened as she looked at Charmine in confusion.Charmine was this chaotic to have challenged her? Ridiculously rude~Everyone else was just as shocked.Charmine was so daring to have challenged McKenzie, and McKenzie only had to win one round out of three? How confident!McKenzie was the No.1 wealthy heiress in Burlington. How could she take this?The theatrics had just gotten more interesting, and ev
With that, McKenzie haughtily strutted away to leave, with her heels clicking beneath her. Miranda followed after her in a hurry, all while she continued to fan her master.…When they got to the car, Miranda opened the car door for McKenzie as they reached the car. McKenzie then got in and sat down, her delicate expression slowly souring once she did.D*mn that Charmine! She embarrassed her and even challenged her for three rounds?!Heh! How ignorant.She wanted Charmine to regret that she had challenged her tomorrow!McKenzie looked up coldly at Miranda, who was driving, and instructed, "No matter what happens tomorrow, do not let Charmine arrive at the venue!""Yes, Madam!" answered her assistant dutifully.McKenzie leaned on the sofa, her elegant face frosty as she observed her fair fingers nonchalantly.Charmine Jordan… If she could not even arrive at the venue, how could she win?Charmine would lose tomorrow!…At the Baileys' mansion.Charmine came out of the shower
Charmine looked into Anthony's for a moment before she blurted, "Anthony, do you have…an illness?"Why else would he stop things when they reached such an important moment?Anthony’s face turned dark at the meaning behind Charmine's words. Where would Chris have come from if he was 'ill'?!A look of bewilderment was plastered onto Anthony's face, and he pinched her nose as if he was punishing her. "You’re overthinking. I just thought of some unresolved things from work, and I need to work them out so I'll be able to see how my darling wins tomorrow," he spoke, his tone warm to the heart and endearing altogether. "Furthermore, you also need to rest, don’t you?"Charmine, feeling helpless, had no choice but to drop the subject. "Oh."Of course, the look of dissatisfaction on Charmine's face did not go unnoticed by Anthony, who lowered his head and smiled.All too suddenly, he swept her off of her feet and lifted her into his arms."Ah!" Charmine gasped and wound her slim arms ar
The butler looked at Charmine urgently. "Madam, Ms. Annabel has fainted." Annabel had the heir of the Bailey family, and he was done for if anything happened to the child.All of a sudden…Annabel began having a seizure as foams emerged from her mouth.Every maid rushed toward Annabel and surrounded her. They watched as she spasmed and spat with bubbles onto the floor.Charmine, seeing how grave the situation seemed, placed down her heels and rushed over toward Annabel, along with Anthony.Annabel’s seizure worsened. It was as if she had a motor in her, she jolted vigorously.The butler thought of something and said to Charmine, "Adult convulsions usually finish within two to three minutes. If it goes on, it might cause permanent damage in the head."Annabel's condition, however, suggested she was only worsening after minutes had passed!Charmine frowned and instructed the butler, "Call the ambulance!""Yes, Madam!" The butler put down Annabel and went over to make the call.
What did Charmine do? Charmine was always the root of every conflict with Susan. She was the reason for their arguments, and this strained her relationship with Anthony!Susan became more furious as she thought about it. She glared at Charmine and growled, "I have to wonder where you got the courage to gamble on your marriage! You even have to win three rounds to win the competition! Pfeh! You truly are ignorant!"No matter, though—I hope you lose! I won't have to face such a cruel daughter-in-law every day—""Shut up!" Anthony snapped at Susan, his face contorting darkly in his anger as he did. His tall figure loomed before Susan, seemingly imposing as he stood.His fury-filled eyes were fixed on Susan as he said, "If you insult Charmine again, I'll cut all ties with you!"Susan was intimidated by her son's burning, sharp stare. She merely wanted to embarrass Charmine, but it would not be worth it if this resulted in Anthony cutting all ties with her.With that, Susan attempte
"I can't disclose any information about these yet, and I'll wait for Charmine to get here before saying anything. As for what you've said, however…" McKenzie looked down at the other reporter and said confidently, "No matter what I do, I’ve always been confident."Her proud temperament charmed all the men at the venue, while countless women looked at her with admiration. She was an idol to them, and they wanted to live just like her.McKenzie went inside the venue elegantly while her assistants took out her special sofa for her to sit on.McKenzie then sat down, and her line of sight traveled past the crowd as it landed on the tightly shut door to the lift.Everyone's gazes followed McKenzie's to the door, and there started another round of gossip."Ms. McKenzie is here, but why is Charmine not here yet?""She actually made Ms. McKenzie wait for her. Who gave her such privilege?""Perhaps she doesn’t want to come?""No matter if she comes or not, McKenzie is so all-rounded. Cha
McKenzie, still seated on the sofa made of genuine leather, fixed her eyes on the tightly shut door life.Five more minutes.Charmine would certainly lose at this rate.McKenzie gently lifted a teacup filled with branded tea to sip at it, and an unnoticeable glint of pride twinkled in her eyes.Even as it was just two minutes away until ten, Charmine still had not shown up. Such was the situation that elicited gossip and remarks."Why is Charmine not here yet? Is she unable to take the risk and run away at the last minute?""Haha! For sure! She must've known that she’s unable to win, so she doesn’t dare to show up!""And yet she sounded so bold last night! She's like a turtle that shrinks back into its shell. This is a waste of my time!""She shouldn’t have made such a big deal out of herself. Now, she has embarrassed herself!""She spoke before her brain could make sense of things, and now, she doesn’t even have the courage to show up? She’s just a fake mogul, it seems!""
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