Annabel would get nervous looking at Charmine, and she might even feel embarrassed and restrained facing her. She did not want to enter with the thought of affecting Annabel’s mood. Anthony did not insist as he reached out to ruffle her head. “Wait for me here.” After comforting her, he walked inside. Charmine watched on through the glass window, and she grew more nervous. She had sorted out company-related matters… Would her relationship be as successful? If it all went well, she would get to marry Anthony and, once and for all, be his wife, by law and by promise. Charmine somehow accepted that, and she was undeniably excited. She hoped that all would be well. However… Charmine grew antsy as Nial held the examination’s result. He looked at Anthony solemnly. Anthony frowned. “How did it go?” “She’s pregnant, but…” Nial hesitated for a moment, sighed, and continued, “To put it in a simpler term, the embryo is very unstable, and there are signs of a potential mi
Charmine turned and left the top floor when Anthony was not looking at her, silently driving out of Royal Hospital. She then texted Eric, [Prepare for me a house Anthony can’t find.] Half an hour later, her car was parked in Marilyn’s Park that happened to be right next to the Bailey Corporation building. Marilyn’s Park was an upper-class residential area with only garden bungalows. The residents were all renowned people. The park was next to the Bailey Corporation. The more dangerous place was always the safer place to be. Once Charmine entered one of the houses, she texted Kay, [Remove all traces of me.] Eric, present at the house Charmine was in, handed the key to her. “I bought this house ten years ago and never lived here. It’s not under my name either, so you can live here hassle-free. Nobody can find you, but… Why do you need to hide?” “Nothing, I just want to be alone. Go back.” Charmine closed the door behind her. Eric looked at her and frowned. He sensed th
[Didn’t you want to make it up to me? House 6, 33-2, Marilyn’s Park. Waiting for you.] Charmine turned off her phone, encrypted it, and laid back on the sofa. She continued drinking wine from the bottle. Right, she decided at last—she had to cut it off with Anthony. She should not hang to it, lest they would both suffer even more. They had to cut it off so Anthony could take better care of Annabel. Anthony would not easily let her go, not unless she was with another man. For that, Alexander was the most suitable candidate. Charmine even thought of what to say, and she would tell Anthony as so...‘I’ve thought it through. You and Annabel are the perfect match, and I can accept Alexander. I’ve spent many nights dreaming of how he possessed me. He satisfied me, he fits me perfectly. He’s a nice person. ‘President Bailey, let’s break up. I like Alexander’s face; I like his body.’ If she said such vulgar things to Anthony after sleeping with Alexander, a noble man like An
In pain, Charmine grew sleepy unknowingly. She laid on the sofa as she waited for Alexander to come. She would no longer see Anthony after this night. She had to be with Alexander, even though she had to fake it… Charmine was not actually asleep—she was waiting for a knock on the door. Despite that, she fell asleep as she was unable to stay awake. Charmine failed to notice, however, that she typed in [House 3, 33-2], and not [House 6, 33-2]. She typed in the wrong digit… The instant he received her text, Alexander rushed to House 6, 33-2 right away and knocked on the door, only to be met with no response. He frowned with suspicion. Was Charmine antagonizing him, suffocating him with false hope that she needed longer to open the door for him? He could wait forever, though, so long as she forgave him. He waited, and waited... On the next morning…Click! Charmine was woken up by the sound of the door opening. Haphazardly opening her eyes, she saw two figures—on
Chris clung to Charmine’s arm and miserably muttered, “Mommy, can you bring me out for breakfast? I want breakfast…” His large, doe eyes looked at her sheepishly and adorably, and it had the power of making one feel bad for not giving the world to him. Charmine thought of how Chris had not eaten since last night, thus she instantly nodded. “Alright, let’s go and grab breakfast.” She could talk to Anthony about the rest after breakfast. No matter what, she had to talk with Anthony. With that in mind, Charmine went into the bathroom and washed up to remove her makeup when Anthony also walked in. Throughout the night, there was a faint stubble growing under his chin with apparent dark circles below his eyes. He looked worn out. Charmine dared not imagine how he managed to find her over the night, and she dared not to imagine how tired he was. She forced herself to ignore it as she wore sunglasses. Anthony walked to the other side of the sink to splash cold water to hi
Charmine followed behind Chris but did not notice where they were headed to. Somehow, suddenly… Chris tugged at Charmine’s hand. “Oh, Mommy, look. What a coincidence! This must be a message from above! We somehow ended up here. Look!” Charmine averted her gaze to where Chris pointed at, and the words, [High Commission] gleamed under the sunlight, the name hard to miss. Her face straightened and her lips twitched. They ‘somehow’ walked to the High Commission? Was that a coincidence? Chris shook her hand. “Mommy, this must be a message from above. It’s fate! Instead of picking a day, why don’t you and Daddy get married today?” W—What?! Charmine suddenly understood why Chris insisted on having a stroll. From the start, Chris convinced her to walk with him so he could pester them to get married! She reached out and ruffled Chris’ little head. “You little genius, you! Getting married is a big deal, and it can’t be simply done. Furthermore, we need to pick a date and mak
“See, Momo? So many are lining up, and you’ll be late by the time you get to kindergarten.” All of a sudden, everyone in the line instantly spoke, “Go ahead, you first!” They stepped back for Charmine, Chris, and Anthony, and some even turned and ran away. The sudden change made Charmine reel back in shock. She could almost taste blood on her mouth at the intense shock at what happened. Were strangers that kind these days?! Chris wiped off the tears on his face as he said joyfully, “Mommy, Daddy, you may get married now!” Chris pulled Charmine with one hand and Anthony with the other as he marched into the High Commission building. Charmine felt rather overwhelmed. What if Chris suffered a seizure if she denied him? On the other hand, she would end up legally married to Anthony if she did nothing. As Annabel’s condition was nowhere favorable, the poor girl should not be stimulated and needed Anthony to accompany her. How could she marry Anthony, knowing all that, g
Elated, Chris picked up the two red books and handed them back to them. “Mommy, Mommy, look! It’s complete!” Charmine’s hand quivered ever so slightly—she did not want to receive them at all. Nonetheless, she had to take it all in as she gazed at the excited Chris. She flipped open to see that on the marriage certificate were her name and Anthony’s name, along with a photo of them both...and the High Commission’s seal. The date of approval was the 25th of October, 2020. A mixture of confusion, shock, and disbelief convoluted her mind. Was she genuinely married to Anthony, and legally at that? Had she just become his wife in mere minutes? She literally just made her decision to break up with him, but she became his wife instead? This…was… Anthony saw Charmine’s dumbfounded expression, and his thin lips curled up faintly. Whatever she was thinking, it was good that they got married. From now onward, she would be his woman. She would not be able to run away foreve
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