Charmine barely realized it as thoughts swarmed her mind, but they were already a few hundred meters away from Annabel’s wooden house. Charmine pulled over and looked at the house, noticing that a bamboo house stood quietly in the tiny forest, with clouds of smoke coming out from the chimney. It was a rustic life she wanted to have so badly. What a life it would have been if she could only live with the man she loved, living a simple life in such a place! However… As if sensing the shift in Charmine’s mood, Anthony opened his eyes. He saw that they had arrived at the destination, and his eyes darkened. He looked at Charmine. “Charmine, remember every word that I said today.” ‘Do not overthink.’ ‘Trust him.’ Despite his visible tiredness, he still remembered this matter. She could not turn him down, so she nodded. Six more days to go anyway. If things were not fixed within six days, there was no need to persist anymore. Anthony straightened up and leaned toward her,
[Annabel, what’s this all about? We like you so much… You better give us an explanation!] Annabel saw the sudden change in the broadcasting room. Looking at all of their questions, her face turned pale. Someone… Someone found out… They… They knew she gave birth five years ago... The nightmare was exposed to everyone in such a way… Utterly terrified, Annabel had completely forgotten how to react. Luckily, Luke monitored the situation from afar and ended her stream swiftly. However, it was still too late. Everyone saw her sluggish reaction. She was obviously guilty! The little fairy fully supported by the Bailey Corporation—who came out a few days ago with high-soaring popularity—plunged from the skies. Furthermore, someone was pushing the news, and even though she was not as popular, the topics including, [#Annabel-was-pregnant] went up to the search on Twitter. It did not take long before a heap of comments piled up below: [Well, what a surprise! The fairy who jus
At night, the Bailey Corporation’s staff members had a meeting to analyze Annabel’s strength and capabilities, and they came to a conclusion: Why not have Anthony pay her 200,000 per month? What job would there be for her to work from home, having no interaction with others and no technical skills needed? Furthermore, Southern Village was far away from the city. No matter what she took charge of, they would have to send her things from afar and let her send them back from afar. If this went on, the costs would be higher than the gain! Perhaps she was only capable of being the President’s stay-at-home wife… When Anthony heard back from them, he denied it right away and made them come up with another idea. They had to. Most importantly, Anthony still had to take care of Annabel’s suitors. Anthony had met about 20 men, and while they initially said they did not mind such a past as Annabel’s, their true intentions were exposed after further questioning. He must make sure Annab
Still, she had to give up just like that? Why must she leave just because she was ‘strong’ and give her man away? Charmine glared at the two elders coldly. “I understand how much you care for your daughter, but how did you find out my house address? How did you learn about my past? Are you two here solely for your daughter?” She questioned them coldly, and the two elders who were on their knees jolted. Charmine continued, “I’ll take a solid guess McKenzie told you everything and asked you two to come here. She was responsible for the accusations last night. “She plotted all these and then asked you two to beg me, trying to soften my heart, no? All she wanted was for me to quit, right? “There’s no such law saying that the stronger person should surrender. You can’t guilt me, because I have no guilt!” Indeed, Annabel’s parents were sent by McKenzie. While they were initially guilt-ridden to even do such a thing to the innocent Charmine, one look at Charmine gave one the imp
The two elders were stunned outside the Jordans’ door, their expression contorted perplexedly. They begged the wrong person? Was begging Charmine all for naught, then? Inside the car parked not far away, McKenzie’s face darkened as Charmine’s voice rang in her ears. “It’s not that I’m not quitting; it’s Anthony who won’t let me go!” Charmine still gloated at the fact of how well Anthony treated her in such a situation? Did she have no guilt at all? She had a similar past, but why did she not help Annabel? The plan had unfolded to this stage, but was Charmine not quitting? Was Charmine forcing her to be harsher? Gaze hardening into bitter evil, McKenzie ordered Miranda, “Prepare the final plan, and if they’re not giving in…” Miranda’s eyes narrowed. “Miss, isn’t this…quite risky? If they happen to know the final plan, I’m afraid Anthony will—” “Just prepare it, and don’t execute it unless necessary. Even if we do it, don’t use our own staff!” McKenzie instructed co
Senior Jordan looked at Charmine concernedly. He found out about what happened when he asked Adam to investigate Charmine and Anthony’s relationship. He could not step in; he wanted to let the two youngsters sort it out themselves. Little did he expect this to have come to the surface… He looked at Charmine and comforted, “Charmine, I already know what’s going on between you and Anthony. It’s a bitter relationship to you both. If you’re upset, you’re welcome to cry in front of Grandpa. Grandpa won’t laugh at you.” Charmine was swamped with work for the past few days, and hearing that from Senior Jordan filled her with warmth. “I’m fine, Grandpa,” said Charmine. “I’m not at the stage to cry yet. I’m thinking of how to make things right.” “Make things right, huh? Sigh... To be fair, nobody is at fault in this situation, no matter it was Annabel or Anthony. God was at fault; fate, I mean. Charmine, you have to think carefully. Don’t let anyone down, and don’t let yourself dow
Chris' little figure was left alone in the yard. His father had completely forgotten about him… … At the Jordan mansion. Charmine went upstairs alone after her talk with Senior Jordan. Joey looked in the direction Charmine walked away and asked worriedly, “Do we just let Charmine be alone? Why don’t we accompany her—” “No need. Leave her be for now.” Senior Jordan sighed heavily. With that, nobody went up to the second floor. They gave Charmine enough space and time.... Inside the gym. Charmine was dressed in her tight high waist pants with a sports bra. Fists balled tightly, she threw jabs and punches at the punching bag. With every punch, a huge dent appeared on the punching bag. It even flew afar before bouncing back. Her delicate and three-dimensional face had beads of sweat rolling down like diamonds. They flew along her face, dropping to her neck and collarbone. Her beauty was utterly wild and unique. Despite her beauty, however, her aura was bitter col
“Why don't we keep it simple? Just get married.” His thick and magnetic voice rang in the air. He put his account book in Charmine’s hands. Charmine was stunned. All the pain suffered by Annabel was not caused by Anthony but was caused by McKenzie instead? That...seemed plausible. That was it; McKenzie had to be the mastermind to have pulled the strings. Annabel would never have received such a hefty lash-out if it was not for her. Furthermore… Keep it simple? Just get married? Did just use those words to comfort her, to settle it? Admittedly, Charmine had been in the blues for the past few days and the problems overwhelmed her for so long, yet his solution was to get married? Seeing that she was stunned, Anthony asked in a low voice, “What? You want McKenzie to win this?” Charmine’s eyelids jumped. Let McKenzie win this? Fat chance! She would not simply compromise or fall. Still… Something seemed off. Why was that? How did she feel as if her thoughts had be
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