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.
Anthony took out his phone and called Luke. “Mile-End Corporation has been too bored lately. Give them something to do.” “Yes, Sir.” … At Mile-End Corporation. Julian reclined on his presidential chair languidly as he anticipated for a message to ring his phone. Plastered on his face was a determined expression. Charmine pined after him for so many years; how could she stop loving so abruptly? She would come back to him so long as he put in some effort into what he did. All of a sudden, Oliver ran into his room, panting, “This is bad, Mr. Cabell. Something happened! A couple of luxury brands terminated their contracts with us, and they even said they’d never work with us again!” “What?” Julian’s brows furrowed at the report. Mile-End Corporation’s main source of profit was derived from their shopping malls that housed all sorts of luxury shops. Basically, they were places for the rich to spend their cash. If every luxury brand terminated their contracts, the corporatio
Hah! Not if he had to do anything about it! “Keep sending gifts to Violet Villa,” Julian ordered Oliver, “and get me tickets to Paris right away!” Julian had built connections with people over the years, and there were luxury brands that wanted to sign with Mile-End Corporation. All he had to do was talk to their representatives. Oliver hesitated for a while before he sincerely added, “The things we sent over in the morning were sent away by Boss Bailey to Ms. Tiffany. She’s upset.” Oliver’s tone shifted to a more concerned, protective tone as he talked about Tiffany. Julian’s face darkened. Anthony sent away the things he sent to Charmine and were sent to Tiffany instead? Damn… Darn it! He never wanted to cut things off completely with Tiffany; they had mutual feelings for each other after all. Also, Tiffany had some evidence of his doings with her… Because of this, he had to go comfort Tiffany! Why did Anthony have to meddle in his business? Julian rubbed his t
Julian’s eyes narrowed at McKenzie’s offer. Could she truly get Julian what he wanted? Was that substance...an aphrodisiac? As though she could tell what Julian had in his mind, McKenzie explained, “This isn’t just any ordinary aphrodisiac—I worked on this pill for ten years. She doesn’t have to ingest it, for as long as her skin touches the pill, you’d be able to do all you want to her.” Julian looked at McKenzie, impressed and in awe. What a genius entrepreneur! She actually came up with this! Still... “Why would you help me?” “You don’t have to know. Anthony would go to the Bailey mansion in ten days, and that’ll be your only chance.” McKenzie stood up and walked out of the office in her crystal heels sophisticatedly. Julian’s eyes were fixed on the pill bottle, caught up in his thoughts. In ten days? Outside the office door, Tiffany hid behind a plant to stay hidden. When she made sure McKenzie did not spot her, she sighed in relief before signaling to Olive
Tiffany wiped the tears on her face and was back to her usual elegant composure. She walked to the office door and knocked on it.Oliver looked at her back and awkwardly retrieved his hand. Right, he was merely an assistant. What rights did he have to comfort her? Inside the office, Julian heard the knocking and instantly kept the pill. “Come in.” Tiffany pushed open the door and went in, the sadness on her face was no longer seen as it was replaced by a faint smile. “Hello, Julian. Haven’t seen you for a while. I brought you some cakes.” Tiffany then walked to his table and placed down a container filled with exquisite cakes made by a well-known chef with limited numbers daily. She went through all the trouble to get them. Julian looked at the cakes with a deadpan expression as he commented, “Why did you come out? I think you should come out less these days—too many reporters.” “I miss you, and I want to tell you that,” uttered Tiffany as she walked over to him and sat
At Violet Villa. Charmine spent the summer with Chris, reading checker manuals and researching architectural designs. She had been on alert in case McKenzie and Julian tried anything, but nothing happened. Time passed, and the day of Senior Bailey’s birthday celebration had arrived. Charmine woke up to an empty bedroom that morning. She frowned and walked downstairs. In the living room, she saw Anthony and Momo standing by the door talking to Luke, and Luke left with a purple box in his hands. She frowned and asked, “What happened?” “Nothing, nothing!” Chris turned to her and shook his head vigorously. In order to make it less suspicious, Chris ran to Charmine and pulled at her hand to divert her attention. “Mommy, I’ll attend Grandpa’s birthday party with Daddy today! You have to take good care of yourself, alright?” Anthony walked over and said, “There’s breakfast inside the microwave. Remember to eat it.” “You’re going with Momo?” blurted Charmine. Anthony nodde
“Julian, I have to tell you something!” “Look, I’m busy now, tell me later.” Julian did not stop walking; he would not waste such a golden opportunity. Tiffany grabbed his arm in haste. “Julian, I’m pregnant.” Pregnant… Julian stopped dead in his tracks as his body jolted at the news. He could have sworn he used protection all the time whenever he slept with Tiffany, with the exception of that one time, around a month ago… Oliver’s eyes darkened. Tiffany looked Julian in the eyes and begged, “Julian, he’s thirty-five days old. Let’s get married, alright? I’ll give birth to our child, and we’ll live a happy life... I’ll help you to take care of the family, and with our abilities, we’ll make the Cabell family bigger and stronger than ever!” Julian looked at her. Marriage? Baby? His heart mellowed for a good second… That was until the image of Charmine’s face appeared in his head. Today was his only opportunity! There was only one pill in the world! He had to slee
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