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
Hilton Hotel Nine-month pregnant Charmine Jordan struggled to walk along the aisle while looking at her surroundings, as though she was searching for someone. Today was her big day, her engagement day with Julian Cabell. It was almost time, but he was nowhere to be seen. As she waddled, however, she then heard a soft yet familiar voice.“Julian, darling, are you sure you want to get engaged with that adopted daughter? She’s not even carrying your child!” Charmine stopped dead in her tracks and turned to the source of the voice. She saw her older sister, Tiffany Jordan and Julian—her fiancé—by the staircase. “Of course I knew,” Julian replied in his low and throaty voice. “I was in the room next to hers when she was assaulted. If she found out that you planned everything, she wouldn’t have given you her 15% shares,” Julian added, with one arm wrapped around Tiffany’s small waist. Tiffany, in her frustration, growled. “I don’t get it. She was adopted into our family, but
Five years later, at the Jordan family mansion’s gates...A dazzling black motorbike raced into the compound and, with a 360-degree drift, stopped by the entrance. Built with high-end tech, the vehicle was easily a beauty with a matte finish. An elegant-looking leg came into view from the clouds of dust. A woman got down from the bike and, taking off her helmet, her long hair fluttered with the wind. Charmine Jordan stared at the words ‘Jordan Family Mansion’ as her red lips curled into a faint smirk. She had at last returned after five long years. A whirlwind of tragedies fell upon her the last time she was here; she almost lost her life to the kicks on her belly, had suffered a miscarriage, and was framed to be cheating on Julian when she was—in fact—set up by Julian and Tiffany. With her dignity and reputation torn into shreds, the Jordan family took away her company shares and forced her to reside in Africa overnight. As though it was not cruel enough, they gave her bare minimum
Everyone was in shock. “Isn’t there only one of Czech No.1?”“How is Charmine gifting the Czech No. 1 as well? How are there two of them?”Amelia was the first to react, a mocking cackle escaped her lips. “Haha! What else could it be? She must’ve wanted to save her face and bought a fake one. Little did she know that Tiffany gifted the same thing. Shame that the cat’s out of the bag, no? Hahaha!”“Charmine, are you not ashamed of yourself? Can’t you bring something else if you’re that penniless? Why would you bring a fake item? I must’ve been blinded back then when I brought you home out of pity,” scowled Joey Young. Joey loathed Charmine since day one, but little did she know that the woman before her was her actual daughter. The Tiffany she adored was the adopted kid sneaked into the Jordan family, carefully planned by Tiffany’s biological mother, Lara Zabel.Before Charmine could even reply, Tiffany walked up to her. “Charmine, how could you do this? Don't you know that stones
The celebration gradually receded, and the only ones left in the garden were members of the Jordan Family. Worn out by today’s celebration, Senior Jordan decided to retire to his room and rest.The moment Senior Jordan left, however, Joey Young turned her hate-filled eyes at Charmine. “You’re an evil and cruel adopted kid,” she growled. “Tiffany had been protecting you ever since you were a kid and loved you dearly. How could you do this to her?!”“I didn’t do anything. Did I make her buy the fake meteorite stone?” came Charmine’s nonchalant reply, undismayed.This only fueled Joey’s anger. “She was scammed, and you didn’t even bother to warn her? You even humiliated her in front of everyone! Is this how you treat your sister?!”“Someone please drag her out. The Jordan family cannot accept this kind of person!” Adam Jordan, the patriarch, barked to his men.Several securities came forward, ready to drag her out. Charmine merely shrugged them away and coldly fixed her jacket. “No n
The moment their eyes met, Charmine felt as though a warm feeling was spreading throughout her being. It felt as though she was reunited with a person so dear to her. Chris Bailey—the little boy—held onto Charmine and clung tightly to her.“I was chasing a kitten before I came across you, Mom, but now I can’t find it,” the boy muttered. “But I’m happy now, since I found you again!” While this took Charmine by surprise, she soon recovered from the shock. Gently grabbing the boy by his collar, she pushed him away. “I’m not your mother. Where are your parents? I’ll bring you to them.”The boy’s initial cheery expression then morphed into one of pain. Suddenly, the boy began to sob. “Waa… My chest hurts…” Charmine released his collar out of guilt, but before she could get a word out, the boy went right back into her arms.“My chest hurts… Hug… Mommy, hug…” The boy nestled further into the embrace.Charmine was flabbergasted. Why would the parents leave such a cute boy behind? Jus
Anthony had no intention to do what he was about to, but this woman had undeniably piqued his interest. His family had been trying to get him married throughout the years, but now…“Daddy… Daddy…” Chris’s bright voice brought him back to reality.Anthony noticed that the two darkening spots were quite terrible to the eye. It might be too late to save this woman by the time the serum arrived.Pushing all thoughts aside, he bent down and started sucking the blood out of the wound. Chris, who was laying on the ground, saw this and chirped with joy, “Daddy touched Mommy, and Daddy kissed Mommy. Now Daddy needs to take care of Mommy!”The boy never ceased to surprise him.…When Charmine regained her consciousness, she found herself in a monochrome-colored room, and nicely furnished at that. ‘Where am I? Wasn’t I attacked by a cobra? I need to clear the wound now!’When she looked down, however, she realized her clothes had been changed. Moreover, her clothes were swapped with an o
Chasing after her, Anthony went to stand in front of her path, and it effectively blocked her. He took out the small box once more.“Miss Jordan, please consider,” he asserted, languid yet evident with determination.Charmine was speechless. Must she accept his proposal? Who placed such a ridiculous mandate?She gently plucked out the ring from its box. Needless to say, it was a beautiful heart-shaped diamond ring perfectly cut, and the exquisite workmanship was evident with the ring itself. It was one of the best cuts in the world.Yet…With a faint smile on her red lips, she tossed the ring away. Just like that, a perfectly cut diamond ring was thrown away like it was rubbish. Anthony and his assistant were stunned. The assistant felt like everything was a blur. Charmine literally rejected his boss and threw the diamond ring into the bin!Unperturbed, Charmine nonchalantly spoke, “I am thankful that Mr Bailey had saved me and nursed me back to health, but I won’t marry you.
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