At Kaiser Hospital... The pale Tiffany laid on the hospital bed, the sight of her a rather pitiable one. “Just let me do the operation,” muttered Tiffany to everyone in the ward. “I’ll be fine, I’ll stay alive. I don’t want to burden Julian…” “Don’t be silly, Tiffany! What do you mean, ‘burden’? Julian should be responsible over you! Don’t worry, we’ll make sure he explains everything to you,” assured Joey as she sat by her bed, her heart shattered into pieces. Meanwhile, Robert Jordan barked at Mitchell Cabell, “Where’s Julian? Is he a man? He’s all grown up, yet he’s still so irresponsible!” “Mr. Jordan, please calm down. We’ll make sure he apologizes to Tiffany,” Mitchell promised. They preferred Charmine over Tiffany, liking Charmine more than her, yet Tiffany carried a fetus—a boy, at that. How could they let Tiffany abort it? At that moment, Julian walked into the ward. Just as Julian walked past the door, however, Robert’s fist collided against his face with such
Tiffany howled and wailed as she repeatedly punched her belly, her being haunted by sadness and despair. Julian eventually caved as he gazed at Tiffany. “Tiffany, calm down!” said Julian in a firm, stern voice. “Calm yourself first!” Even as he attempted to calm her down, however, Julian did not take the ring given to him. “Enough!” Senior Jordan—who said not a word up to that moment—abruptly slammed his walking stick harshly against the floor. The sound resonated in the ward ominously, and everyone was startled. Even Tiffany’s harsh blows to her stomach stopped. Senior Jordan said, “Tiffany will give birth to the baby, and the Jordans will raise him. Today, the Jordans will terminate all contracts with the Cabells. This warning goes especially to you, Julian… Your reputation will be ruined!” Senior Jordan basically meant that there was no room for negotiation nor engagement; they were severing their ties with the Cabells entirely! Mitchell was terrified, the two famil
Julian’s eyes narrowed as he stepped toward him. “Senior Jordan, you’re mistaken. It’s not that I don’t love Tiffany; I just didn’t know what to think or say. I’ve already made up my mind, however, and I’ll get engaged with Tiffany in three days. I won’t let her down,” answered Julian, his reply solemn yet refined altogether. Tiffany’s eyes flickered at Julian’s reply. Engaged, not married—that was what he said. She was already pregnant for a month, and all he promised was an engagement? Tiffany knew Julian all too well that he promised such a thing to cool off the heat from everyone in the room. Once everyone let it slip past them, he would try to worm his way out of it. Julian… Oh, Julian! “Do you think we’re all fools here, Julian?” scoffed Senior Jordan. “Tiffany’s already pregnant, yet all you’re promising here is an engagement? Do you want the world to know that she was forced to get married?” “Our Tiffany isn’t for you to take it as you like and leave when you don’t!
“That’s right, Charmine; you have no chance with Julian anymore. You didn’t take the chance during the ceremony, and now it’s too late to get him back,” Madam Cabell scorned. Charmine merely scoffed, “Who said I came here to take him back?” “Then why are you here?” asked the puzzled Madam Cabell. Silently, Charmine’s gaze fleeted to Tiffany. Tiffany’s heart sank. Charmine’s gaze felt cold and sharp, like a scalpel ready to cut her skin open. Tiffany was guilty! What did Charmine know? Could she possibly know that this baby was not… Would Charmine expose her? Just as anxiety and uneasiness bubbled at Tiffany’s stomach, Charmine’s gaze suddenly shifted toward Julian. Julian matched her gaze. Charmine was not the shy woman she was from five years ago; her gaze was piercing and powerful. That made Julian want to conquer her, to own her, but she knew Tiffany had his baby... Just as Julian was about to speak, Charmine turned to look at Senior Jordan. “Grandpa, Tiffany’s
Upon Julian’s departure, Madam Cabell broke the silence and said, “Alright, shall we start planning for the wedding right away? I hope Tiffany can get some rest.” “Alright.” Joey rubbed Tiffany’s hand comfortingly. “You’ll stay here, Tiffany. I’ll make sure everything goes well, so don’t think too much.” “Okay.” Tiffany nodded obediently. Everything worked out in the end. As long as Tiffany married Julian, she would be set for life! Most of the people in the ward went out to plan the wedding. Uninterested, Charmine turned to Senior Jordan and said, “I’ll head home if there’s nothing else here, Grandpa.” “Thank you for your help, Charmine. Your sister owes you one. I’ll let you be in charge of the real estate project next year,” stated Senior Jordan. He pitied Charmine. She had been with Julian for 18 years and had her wedding ruined, yet she had to watch her sister marry Julian. It must be so painful for her. How much would the project compensate for that? Charmine, mea
Noticing how Tiffany remained silent, Madam Cabell went to her side and comforted, “Oh, Tiffany... You’re pregnant now, and your scandal with Julian made it to every headline—everyone knows about it. The wedding is the best option for you and for him. If you can put up with everything before the wedding, you’ll receive only the best treatment. That is, if you’re well-behaved and become a good mother and wife.” While Madam Cabell’s words seemed kind and reassuring, what she meant was entirely different: ‘For a pregnant woman with a soiled reputation, you’re lucky that we let you marry Julian. Since you ruined your reputation before the marriage, you have to ensure that you hold the Cabell family’s good reputation after marriage, aside from being a good wife.’ She was insulting Tiffany! Tiffany clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white as her nails dug deep into her palms. Tiffany had to hold it! She had to! She tried her best to put on a gentle voice as s
“I don’t mind that the Cabell family looks down on me,” began Tiffany, “and I don’t care if others look down on me. Nonetheless, I’m scared—afraid that this wedding won’t go as planned. Robert, you know I’m no longer in the modeling industry, and I don’t have anything else apart from Julian and the baby. However, Charmine seems to hate me, and she wouldn’t let me go so easily. Of course, I’m only speculating… I’m worried that she still has feelings for Julian, and I’m worried that she might harm me.” Robert squinted at that. “It’s unlikely.” Charmine was with Anthony, and it was apparent that she hated Julian… “Hopefully not!” Tiffany continued. “I hope that she won't, but I don’t feel safe. If she doesn’t hate me, she wouldn’t have mocked me before she left. “As you know, Charmine hasn’t forgiven me till this day, and she never accepted my apology. Because of that, I’d like for you to live with Charmine for a few days. You don’t have to do anything to her; just follow her and
Charmine was about to ignite the engine when she felt a presence behind her. She turned back to see Robert sitting right behind her, and she frowned. “What do you want?” “It’s too noisy at home, so I’ll stay with you for the next two days,” said Robert, not beating around the bush. That felt strange for Charmine. Even if the Jordan residence was noisy, he could have stayed with his friends. Why would he stay with her? It seemed that Tiffany had started her move, though Charmine was curious as to what she was planning. Once she secured the helmet on her head, she gave a spare one to Robert. That startled Robert; he expected for Charmine to refuse and not to agree so easily. That went rather well! Robert secured the helmet on his head. Charmine twisted the handle and sped on the motorbike, traveling at an incredibly fast speed. Robert instinctively held on the handle at the back, caught off-guard with it. He recalled how Charmine was once the pretentious, ugly, and useless
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