Charmine’s face flushed red. Call him her husband? She called him that not long ago. Was there such a need to repeat it? “Stop fooling around! If they find us here, all our efforts would be wasted. All of the pretense of you with Waverly will be ruined.” “Keep stalling and they’ll find us here,” warned Anthony. That startled Charmine. Was he threatening her? It seemed as though he would not let her go unless she called him her ‘husband’. True, someone would find them in the cubicle if they stalled even longer. She had no choice but to sheepishly mutter, “Husband…” She sounded abashed, shy even as she uttered the nickname, a stark contrast to her usual cold, scathing way of speaking. Unsettled at the way she called Anthony that, Charmine’s cheeks burned red as she pushed him away. “Get out!” Anthony’s lips curled up with satisfaction. How he wanted to take her right then and there after listening to her voice. Furthermore, she sounded like a small and shy woman,
“I’m aware that this is just an effect. Furthermore, I’m a hypnotist. I was once invited to calm down an agitated female lion, and I was dangerously close to her—we were only ten centimeters apart with no protection. Glass is separating us from the shark. What’s there to be scared of?” stated Waverly. Anthony’s eyes darkened. She seemed meek and docile, but Waverly had such courage in her after all? She seemed to be different from the other women. Was Charmine’s suspicion on Waverly necessary? However, he would not spend too much time on another woman and shrugged off all thoughts of Waverly seconds later. The shark swam away shortly after, and the restaurant felt calm once more. Both Anthony and Waverly remained respectful to one another throughout the meal, and as they finished, Waverly looped her arm around Anthony’s as they left. To stay out of Waverly’s sight, Charmine lowered her head and used her arm to cover one side of her face. The sight of their linked arms d
Unfortunately… After just driving 500 meters ahead, a child waved at the car by the roadside. It was Chris! Chris bought a dinosaur cap from a nearby shop. He had a big lollipop at his hand, an adorable sight to behold. When Luke saw him, he instantly pulled the emergency brake. Chris opened the door and went inside the car. “Hello, Daddy. Hi there!” After greeting them, Chris went straight to sit between them, separating Anthony from Waverly. Luke, sitting at the driver’s seat, was baffled at the young master’s behavior. ‘Hi there’? Chris called Waverly ‘there’? Waverly halted as well, but it only lasted for a moment before she regained her composure. She did not want to argue with the child. Anthony frowned and asked, “Why are you here?” He had picked him up after school and specifically asked him to stay at home.“I’m already five, Daddy,” whined Chris, “I’m no longer a three-year-old kid! Aren’t you afraid of me getting depressed if you keep me home every
It was Max D’Cruz. Charmine acted as if she did not see him and continued to walk to her house. “Charmine!” he sharply called out as if instructing her to stop. Charmine did not bother and opened the door as if Max was just an insignificant breeze. Charmine completely shrugging him came as a shock to Max. He was a prince-like figure in Kansas, and many begged for his attention, yet Charmine gave him attitude? “Charmine, I came here to discuss some matters with you!” he snapped. “Are you unafraid of offending some people?” “Discuss some matters?” Finally stopping to turn at him, Charmine aloofly stated, “Please get in touch with my secretary and get a waiting number.” Her tone was cold yet fierce altogether. Max’s lips twitched. He needed to get a waiting number? How could a woman get as nonsensical as her?! Entering her house, Charmine was ready to shut the door. However, an agent in black blocked the door. Max then walked over, standing by the door and glarin
Despite facing deadly threats, Charmine remained calm and unperturbed. “If you have time to warn me, why don’t you pick up the photos first?” warned Charmine, all while she wore a faint smile. “If they fly too far away and someone picks them up, I’m afraid your reputation may be ruined. Also, if I’m dead, I can guarantee that at least a hundred helicopters will spread these photos all over the world.” Though her voice had no allegro to it, her words still held potent venom. Only then did Max and his men realized that a strong gust had carried the photos further away, some even going as far as 200 meters away. Max’s face went as dark as ink. Charmine was the definition of evil—dark, calculated evil! Despite fuming vehemently, he had to shift his attention and instructed his bodyguards, “Pick them all up!” The 15 bodyguards quickly stashed their weapons and went to pick up the fluttering photos. Alas, the autumn night breeze was so consistent that it continued to blow the
Max then explained gravely, “She’s hoarding the Jordown Group’s shares. I’ve put in all the funds I had for this trip to Burlington, and if I don’t take the shares from her, it’ll be quite challenging to continue to the following plan.” He spoke as he looked into Waverly’s eyes. “Charmine is so arrogant because Anthony is supporting her. You must take this man from her to show how weak she is.” Waverly frowned. “Brother, you know I…” Her tiny and fair hand was delicately placed on top of his clear-cut large hand. It seemed as though there was romance when their hands were put together. Max pulled her into his arms as he muttered, “Waverly, I know you don’t like Anthony, but don’t forget why you’re back in Burlington. No matter if it’s for you or me, we must teach Charmine a lesson. Even if you don’t like Anthony, think of ways to make him dump Charmine…!” Waverly frowned, exuding a classic and timeless beauty. She fell silent, unable to offer him an answer as she fell dee
Between her and Anthony used to be a one-piece leather seat, but it was somehow replaced with an additional gap. When the car drove away from the hotel, when nobody was watching, the small gap had a transparent protective screen that rose in between them. The protective screen separated them, minimizing the chances of interactions. Looking at the screen, Waverly frowned. Anthony said with a low voice, “My wife is strict, and I’m a henpecked husband. Surely Ms. D’Cruz will understand.” Waverly was perplexed. Normally, men would be ashamed to be called ‘henpecked’ and would actively avoid the topic, but why did it seem like Anthony was rather...proud of it? Furthermore, this was his second time mentioning this… His love for Charmine seemed to be extremely genuine. After a moment of shock, she said, “Of course I understand, but are you not afraid to be laughed at for spoiling Ms. Charmine?” “What’s there to be laughed at? A wife is to be spoiled by her husband. Spoiling
Thinking of Charmine, McKenzie then took out her phone, searched for Julian’s contact, and sent him a text: [President Cabell, are you going to give up on your ex-girlfriend just like this?]... Julian had been nose-deep in his work and spent a lot of time transforming his Mile-End Mallinto food courts. Even without the support of luxurious brands, he had thousands of small food stalls coming in. It would not be long until Mile-End Mall would become internet-famous throughout the cities. All that Julian needed was for customers to frequent his business, and everything would be sorted out from there. Since no luxury brand wanted to work with Julian, he decided to produce his own luxury brands! He contacted designers after designers that had not made a name for themselves. He researched, produced, and worked hard to build his connections with the others. Julian was inspecting the batch of clothings placed in the production line when he received a message from McKenzie.
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