“Then… Then let’s eat. We’ll take it as a lesson, and we’ll know better next time…” “Dad! How can you be so shameless? It’s merely bread rolls, just worth nine hundred and ninety-nine! Charmine is humiliating us!” The usually conceited Amelia could not bear with Charmine as she glared daggers at her. “Tiffany won’t do this if she’s here! She won’t be as evil as you!” Everyone’s expressions darkened as Amelia mentioned Tiffany, and the air grew heavy. Adam and Joey looked especially awful. Whenever they heard the mention of Tiffany, their chest tightened. Lily tugged at Amelia’s sleeve and spoke in a hushed tone, “Amelia, stop talking. Hold it in!” Charmine was not the person they could afford to offend. The entire Jordan family relied on her! “I’m telling the truth!” argued Amelia. “So what if Tiffany was the adopted daughter all along? She never treated any of us so badly! She’d never humiliate us like this! Charmine obviously has tens or hundreds of billions worth of asse
Charmine found it ironic. Just because she was an ‘adopted daughter’, even before she was eight and made not a single mistake, Amelia and her parents bullied her relentlessly. Whenever Senior Jordan, Adam, and Joey were not around, they would bully her and would not let her eat on the table.Joey stopped defending Charmine after she was eight years old under Tiffany’s manipulation, and this made them bully her even more obviously. It did not stop just at bread rolls; it was common for them to feed her with leftovers. They looked down on her in the past, yet because of their bankruptcy, they became so flattering even before she spoke? What a joke! Suddenly, Senior Jordan slammed his hands on the table. “Enough! You three should stop being an embarrassment and shut your mouths!” He jeered before he turned to look at Charmine. “Charmine, don’t mind them. Grandpa only has one thing to say to you: If you’re willing to help the Jordan family, all of the shares, properties, factor
As long as the debts were paid and Lily and Felix did not have to pay anything, everything else could be negotiated again in the future. Unwillingly, Charmine took out her phone with an unperturbed look and made a call. It did not take long before Kay showed up with two share transfer documents. Although Lily and Felix were disinclined, the situation had escalated to this point and they had no choice but to sign. They even made Amelia sign the documents. With that, all of the Jordans’ shares belonged to Charmine. Charmine remained motionless as always as she said to Kay, “Go to the bank with the general manager to deal with the loan payments, and sort out the shares as well.” She had bought the 60 percent shares from Tiffany long ago; she just had not placed her name on it yet. Once Kay left with the bank staff, the people in the room sighed in relief. Joey looked at Charmine with mixed feelings. “Thank you, Charmine.” Who would have thought that the person who made th
Dr. Weir was trying to introduce a partner to Charmine! He wanted Charmine to go on a blind date! Charmine was too familiar with such questions. Her other four Uncles also started a conversation with her this way. Back then, each of them came to her one at a time, introducing to her some checkers genius, or some fighter captain, or medical professor. She turned them all down. It was not until Charmine met William during a project that they all stopped pestering her. They all thought William was the most suitable grandson-in-law. Recalling the blind dates scenarios, Charmine felt her scalp itching. She quickly put a piece of meat onto Dr. Weir’s plate and changed the topic, “Uncle Weir, it’s past two already. Are you not hungry? This meat looks good. Try it!” “Charmine, what I was asking you—” “Wow, the steamed meat is not bad; it’s so authentic! It’s really yummy, Uncle Weir, try it.” Charmine cut him off and put another meat onto his plate. Seeing how genial and caring she
Amelia and Felix looked pleased once Lily relayed her plan. They would hold it in before they became rich again. Just a little longer! One day, they would make Charmine pay dearly for her callousness.... Charmine and the rest left Andy Restaurant. She said to Senior Jordan, “Grandpa, go back and take care of Robert first. I’ll send Uncle Weir back and take the medicines for Robert.” “Okay, be careful. I’ll wait for you all in the hospital,” said Senior Jordan. At that moment, Charmine received a message from Kay. [50 billion is in process. The mansion is unblocked and can be entered again.] Charmine noticed that the clothes Senior Jordan was wearing were the same as the ones he wore two days ago. They did not even have time to get changed in the hospital over the past two days. Heart moved with sympathy, Charmine then said, “I might be late when I’m back, so let the nurse take care of Robert for the time being. Do go home and get changed. I’ve redeemed the Jordan man
Senior Jordan’s brows furrowed as the thought plagued his mind. Charmine was just a young woman, yet she had to take on the duty of saving the entire family and face hurdles after hurdles. He would have resolved the family affairs himself if he could, but in his old age, he found it difficult to handle them... Hopefully, Charmine’s journey would be smooth-sailing. A thought then occurred to Senior Jordan as he instructed Joey, “You and Adam, fix the bad press.” The news about the Jordan family going bankrupt was all over the internet; it would hinder Charmine’s next course of action. Furthermore, the entire family boycotted Charmine and even accused her of harming Robert. They had yet to rectify the situation. Charmine had been wrongly accused, and that deserved an explanation. Joey understood and nodded, her heart weighed with guilt and regret.... Charmine drove Dr. Weir out of the city. The hidden place he resided in was an under-developed land in a secluded mountain
Charmine did not understand it, but it felt rather peculiar as she gazed at the cherry blossom tree in front of Dr. Weir’s house. It seemed to exude a different air, and the bamboo house appeared to be a place with stories. Charmine then began, curiously so, “This is a beautiful home. Did you build this yourself?” “If only I could build such a nice bamboo house! Look at the bamboo house; it’s rather old. And the cherry blossoms are so well-grown, it’d take at least five years to grow them! Someone introduced this place to me, and I’ve only lived here for a year. “I heard a couple lived here in secrecy, but something happened and they left this place to a friend, saying that this place can only be sold to someone worthy of it, and it just so happened that I moved in here. Doesn’t it feel like the air here is incredibly nostalgic somehow?” said Dr. Weir. Charmine nodded; she somehow got the image of an ideal couple residing in this very bamboo house as she gazed at it. She walke
Not long after, Charmine’s phone lit up. [William: Ok, I understand. I know what to do.] Charmine kept her phone. William truly was a gentleman; he would not want to cause her any trouble. … In another corner of the world, William was sitting on the sofa in his white shirt and thin-framed glasses. He had a pair of sky-blue eyes with a clean outlook, much like a prince with a white horse in fairytale books. He exuded an air of a sumptuous and one-of-a-kind prince-like temperament. Despite that, his gentle face appeared rather crestfallen as he held his phone. Ring! Ring! His phone rang. William answered the call and was greeted with Uncle Zul’s enthusiastic voice. “William, William, good news! I've good news for you! Charmine and Anthony are having a rift, and she’s alone now. This is your chance!” “Hmm? What?” William frowned slightly, though his eyes lit up. Uncle Zul continued, “Anthony’s first love came back, and he and Charmine might as well be having a break-
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