Charmine walked as she swam in her thoughts, but it became stranger the more she walked. She was sure she had passed this particular area… Why was she back in the same area? She remembered that it took less than half an hour to get to Rex’s hut from the entrance of the village, yet she had walked for over an hour already. Why was she not out yet? She stopped dead in her tracks and eyed her surroundings. Her surroundings were dimly lit by the moonlight. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just some huts sitting not far away from where she stood. Perhaps she was too caught up with her thoughts that she did not pay attention to her surroundings? She focused on the path in front of her and continued walking. Despite that, she found no way out even as she walked. She always returned at the same spot—by the ridge. How peculiar. All of a sudden, rain fell from the sky. It was not too heavy, nothing like a downpour, but it was enough to drench anyone. “Charmine!” called a gent
Charmine saw Julian piling up wood but remained unperturbed as she fished out her phone and fiddled with it. Julian did not stop her. He knew that there was no signal reception in this village, and no message of hers would be sent with that. Since both she and Julian were stuck in the cave, Charmine had to spend a night with him until morning came. Julian would start a fire that could warm her as he would dry her clothes, care for her, and look after her. Charmine was sure to be moved! Since her clothes were soaked, Charmine would have to remove them so he could dry them. Something would surely happen then. Charmine would be his by the night ended! Meanwhile, Charmine did not seem to care about him. She leaned on the wall while she continued working on her phone. On the other side, Julian kept up his caring persona as he ignited fire between them. He also picked up his suit and dried it out by the fire. After a while, he asked with a caring tone, “Put this one when it’s d
“Cold-hearted?” Up in the helicopter, Charmine scoffed as she glared at Julian. “I guess I am cold-hearted, but nothing like you. So fake and yet you’re nowhere close to that fake girlfriend of yours! You guys wanted to set me up to gain my trust and my assets, huh? Hah! Dream on!” Her clear and cold voice resonated in the night sky as the helicopter rose higher in the air. Julian’s body jolted at Charmine’s words. She knew of his plan from the start? How was she so sharp? How did the woman who used to follow after him—the shy and dumb girl—became so smart and cautious? His fists tightened even as he stared at Charmine carried away by the helicopter. Why was Charmine so cruel? Could she not tell that his feelings for her became genuine as of late? One day… He would make her love him one day! Frustrated, he kicked at a stone in the cave. Julian disappointedly gazed at the hay bed he had made. He nearly succeeded in his plan, and they would have gotten closer to one ano
She had not contacted Anthony and Chris for the whole day. They must have been anxious! She called Anthony right away, but all she heard was the automated voice through the phone, “Sorry, the number you have dialed is unavailable.” Unavailable? She called Chris’ phone and the same automated reply greeted her. It was not until then when she realized something was up, thus she turned her gaze toward Kay. “What did you do?” “N—Nothing,” blurted the anxious Kay, unable to meet Charmine’s gaze. Charmine glared at him unblinkingly. “Nothing? I know how Anthony is, so why is it so hard to get in touch with him? And why is my phone on Do Not Disturb mode?” “This… Well… Perhaps Anthony wasn’t looking for you at all? Perhaps…he doesn’t treat you as seriously as you thought? Err… Also, maybe you’re the one to turn on the Do Not Disturb mode without realizing it?” “Hah! Yeah, right! Go on, continue!” Charmine tossed her phone onto the table and glared at him questionably with her
Once Charmine entered her villa, Kay frantically called Mr. Zul’s number. “What do I do? Boss Jordan says that I’ll be sent to Africa if I can’t find Anthony and Chris in one hour!” “Then go back to Africa. Sacrificing you is worth it for Charmine’s sake. Oh, Kay, what a noble man!” comforted Mr. Zul. Kay’s lips twitched at his words. “But Boss Jordan also said that if she can't find them, she’d have no heart to do the research, and she won’t care for anything else!” Uncle Zul reeled back in shock. Preposterous! “Then look for them!” ordered Mr. Zul. “Keep searching! Use everything you got to find them!” Surely they would be able to find Anthony Bailey, what with all the men they had! Inside the villa…Charmine hastily went up to the computer room. She was worried for Chris. What if he had seizures again under the assumption she did not want him anymore? He was just a boy; he did not deserve such agony! Still, judging Anthony’s character, it was likely that he would
Charmine grew more certain of the decision she made. “Oh, how’s it going with the Special Warfare 919 Spy Camera?” spoke Charmine as she ate. “I want to go back soon and sleep with Momo.” Anthony’s eyes widened. Did Charmine just say she wanted to go back to his mansion? It seemed as though there was a change in Charmine’s heart after what had happened! Charmine noted how Anthony remained silent at her question, thus she suspiciously asked, “What? Is it impossible?” “Nothing’s impossible, and I don’t have to deal with it either. I’ll let McKenzie watch all she wants. Momo and I will be staying here until my father’s birthday celebration,” decided Anthony, all with a calm disposition. Charmine looked at him in shock. “Live here?” Anthony nodded. “The most dangerous place is always the safest place. I’m sure Ms. Jordan understands this principle.” It all clicked for Charmine at that very moment. Anthony had gone all over Burlington to look for her, but nobody thought he w
Charmine was flabbergasted at Anthony’s remark. That man always had so many excuses up his sleeve, and Momo is often the center of them all! Whatever! Since it was for Chris, she let it slide. She went to secure her spot on one side of the bed and let Chris sleep between them. Thankfully, Chris was not awake, soundly asleep.Anthony made no arguments as he laid on the other side, beside Chris. He turned off the light as moonlight peeked from the window, and the room was filled with warmth and love. Meanwhile, Julian was livid. He even set up bats so he could be Charmine’s knight in shining armor, protecting her from them. Drat, his plan failed horribly! It did not help his case that Rex had exposed himself, and Charmine would surely act on it. Tiffany rushed to the cave and grabbed Julian’s hands. “Julian, what should we do now?” fretted Tiffany. “I’ve even given out Rex Walker! I really wanted you two to end up together. I can’t believe she can be so heartless, and she’
Who knew Madam Cabell was an avid fan of the skincare brand Jules as well? Tiffany’s eyes narrowed. “There’s one more thing to do: Find out Jules’ recipes, no matter what it costs.” Since someone bought the skincare, all Tiffany had to do was to get an original product of Jules to a lab and find out the ingredients, and she can then ask a chemist to replicate the product. Rex nodded. “Yes, Madam!” … Upon leaving the village, Julian called for Julian, “Send flowers and breakfast to Charmine every day from today onward. Also, you don’t have to manage my Twitter and Whatsapp anymore.” Oliver had been the one texting Charmine; perhaps Charmine thought he was insincere with that. Charmine was not the same woman from five years ago. She was no longer easily fooled, so Julian must put more effort into everything! Somehow, he had started to care more about Charmine. He had only one goal in his mind: he had to win her heart! The following morning, Charmine’s doorbell rang.
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