Charmine met his eyes and answered honestly, “Of course it’s real. I know the reason you all stayed here for so long isn’t to mark up the price, and it’s not that you all want more money. You just want to preserve the last heritage area in Burlington. “I understand your sentiment, and I understand where you’re all coming from. The Jordan Group used to be the No.1 development group in the country, and we have the duty to make our country proud!” Most of the tall towers all around the country were built in a European-esque manner. Only some attraction spots still preserved the heritage buildings. Burlington was a country of rich culture and history, How could its tradition be drowned with the tides of time? On the right top corner of the painting, a line of words was written, [Our aim is to bring back the glory of Burlington.] As the residents realized how much effort and conviction Charmine had to bring back Burlington’s glory, coupled with that painting of hers, their eyes w
Westfield was located at the heart of Burlington, and a few buildings of Jordan Group stood erect in this land. Due to the Jordan Group’s scandal, many properties were left unsold. If Max could own this land, he could establish control over the Jordan Group with his newfound authority, blocking them from rising again. With that in mind, Max shot Charmine a sharp glare. “I’m giving you a chance to leave. As long as you get out of my sight with your design diagram, I’ll let you go easy and pretend as if nothing happened today. Otherwise, well, I’ll have to beat some sense into you!” His words were filled with threat. All of the residents were so terrified that they huddled together anxiously. However… “Excuse me, but the person who should get lost is you!” Charmine stated seemingly unperturbed. Her eyes flashing with a glint of deadliness. With a mere wave of her hand... Tap, tap, tap! Hundreds of men rushed in from the outside, dressed cleanly with agent suits and bul
Max left Westfield and returned to a hotel, seething with rage. Waverly was sitting by the window, leaning on the window that overlooked Burlington. Her eyes were dark and nostalgic. When she heard the door unlocking, she composed her thoughts and asked, “Back so soon, Brother? Have you signed the Westfield contract?” “I failed. That woman, Charmine, was able to design an ancient-styled tower, and the bunch was persuaded on the spot. Seeing her capability, it seems rather hard to plot against the Jordan Group.” Max’s tone dripped with fury. Waverly frowned. Was Charmine that capable? However, after a moment, she looked at Max and comforted him gently, “Brother, don’t worry—this is only a start. It’s a minor setback, is all. We can make it up from the others, and I believe you’ll be able to make a name in Burlington and take over the Jordan Group.” Her voice was gentle and beautiful, one that eased a person’s mind. “Thank you, Waverly. I’ll work hard for you.” Suddenly,
Charmine level-headly made arrangements and sorted numerous tasks at hand, and once all were settled, she left the office in a rather cheerful disposition. She did not know why, but when she had such great news, she instantly wanted to share it with Anthony and Chris. She wanted to hug Chris and spin him around. However, Charmine hesitated as she recalled what happened yesterday. She could not fetch Chris from school; she had to let Anthony go alone. It would be bad if they came across Derek and Yvette again. For convenience, Charmine drove herself to and from work. On her way to Royal Hospital, Charmine spotted a café with an LED board that wrote, [The first sip of tea in Autumn, two for 999, forever and ever!] Forever and ever… Maybe it was her good mood, and maybe it was the victory of getting Westfield, but thinking of how the Jordan Group was getting better, she somehow felt that her and Anthony would eventually get better. As long as they worked hard together,
Although Anthony did not do anything, that they were merely friends, Charmine suddenly recalled their situation. How could she have forgotten? Annabel was conceiving his child… That child would be Chris’ savior, too. Annabel’s pregnancy was not stable yet, and Charmine herself told Anthony to keep it low. How could she have forgotten that? If she affected Annabel resulting in her failure to conceive, it would not go down well. Charmine took a deep breath and left silently. After leaving the hospital, she looked at the tea in her hands and suddenly felt like she was just an extra. Anthony had already taken the first sip of Autumn tea. The tea she brought him was insignificant. Chris’ illness was not even cured yet, yet she was actually thinking of being with Anthony forever and ever? She was a pig blinded by love! Charmine scolded herself rationally. She saw the bin by the side and simply tossed the tea away. At that moment, a figure in burgundy quickly took the cup
“Momo’s very clever! You’re right, Mommy is waiting for you, but be careful—don’t let anyone see that you’re coming into my car,” reminded Charmine to Chris. “Alright, I got it!” Inside the school, Chris hung up the call. He carried his small backpack and walked out from the classroom when he sensed Coco tailing after him. His watery eyes glinted sneakily, and he bolted. Coco instantly picked up the pace and followed him. Her Daddy and Mommy said that they had to know the identity of the woman with Anthony. Coco wanted to help them. She was hot on Chris’ heels as she ran up the stairs that led to the hallway, and then to the garden. Coco spotted Chris running into a room, and she, without thinking twice, rushed into the room as well...only to be met with a horrifying sight. All the boys were facing her with their backs. They were…peeing! She ran into the boys’ toilet! “Argh! Waa…!” Coco covered her eyes and instantly started wailing. Chris, seizing the opport
Luke was already busy with finding potential suitors apart from being nose-deep in company-related tasks, yet he had to check on Charmine all of a sudden? Charmine’s bank card was under special protection; even he had no way of checking on it. The surveillance cameras inside the hospital did not show up anything strange, but Luke could vaguely feel that something had been cut out. Finally, Luke detected footage of the car park downstairs. Through the camera of one of the cars, he spotted Charmine at last. The clip was very short: it only showed Charmine coming downstairs and tossing the tea in the bin. The car then turned away abruptly. The rest was not recorded. Since the recording was as short as three seconds, Kay and his men missed this segment out and did not delete it. When Anthony saw the clip Luke sent him, he frowned. ... The night had fallen. It was past ten, and Anthony was not home yet. Charmine was putting Chris to sleep as she patted his back, all while
Anthony came home late just to buy tea? He went through that much trouble just to dispel her anxiety? There would be no one else after her? He would not fall for anyone else… Anthony pulled up the long straw and broke it into two. He forced one of the two into Charmine’s mouth while he covered the other straw with his lips. “This is a couple’s tea.” He gazed at her. “What Nial made was public tea, and everyone on the floor drank it.” Charmine’s cheeks flushed red. She felt embarrassed. So Anthony did know that she went to the hospital, and he was explaining himself to her. He was so serious, which made it seem as if she was over-sensitive over one cup of tea… Moreover, the design of this straw was that as long as one person sucked on one end, the tea would go up to the other person’s straw. The tea had a good texture, and it gave a warm, heartfelt sincerity with it. Anthony held the heart-shaped cup with one hand and ruffled her hair with the other. “Remember: ev
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