Charmine frowned as she turned her gaze to Chris, who was in her arms. “Momo, what’s wrong? Your dad cleared his day so he can bring you to an amusement park. Why don’t you want to go? As long as you don’t run around madly, you won’t be lost from your dad.”Chris pitifully sobbed before he muttered, “I don’t... I don’t want to go to the amusement park anymore.” The boy continued to cry again after that.Charmine was usually apathetic and unconcerned about anyone or anything. However, for reasons unknown, her heart felt like it could break as soon as she saw Chris crying. She hugged Chris even tighter. “Momo, what happened? You can tell me. I’ll give your dad a stern warning, and I won’t let him bully you.”The boy sniffled before he replied, “It’s not Daddy... It has nothing to do with Daddy. The reason the teacher organized this family trip was to have a family, with both mom and dad there with us kids, at the amusement park. The other kids will have their moms and dads there. Earl
All of a sudden, Chris—who writhed and twitched on the ground mere seconds ago—sprung up in joy as he cheered, “Hooray!” He then jumped right back into Charmine’s arms.Charmine was speechless. ‘How did he recover so quickly? This… This feels like another trap!’The moment Chris noticed the shift in Charmine’s mood, he stretched his chubby hands to hug her neck. “Mommy, Uncle Nial said that my twitching is psychological,” he quickly spoke, “so if I take some medication, I’ll get better bit by bit. You promised me, so you can’t break your promise now. You’re coming to the amusement park with Momo! Adults can't break their promises, and they can’t teach little kids to lie.”What else could Charmine say? She could only lightly pinch Chris’ chubby cheeks and responded, “You cheeky little devil, you. Relax! I promised you, so I’ll see through that promise and go with you. However, in the future, you need to work hard so that you’ll be a tough kid. You’re tough as nails! You’re not going
“Hey, it’s not safe for you to show your face at the amusement park,” came Anthony’s reply. “It’ll be better for you to wear a mask.”Charmine was speechless. What did he mean it was not safe for her? Clearly, the people who would be in the most danger were Anthony and Chris. One of them was dubbed the king of Burlington while the other was titled as its prince.“Don’t worry, we have masks too,” Anthony said, seeming to guess what Charmine was thinking about. He took out two more masks and handed one to Chris. Chris took it with a big smile and quickly put it on. Already adorable as he was, the mask made him look even more endearing. Still, something seemed off to Charmine... Something was not quite right. These three masks—Mommy Pig, Daddy Pig, and Peppa Pig—were clearly a family set of masks. Moreover, it seemed like it was bought beforehand! Did Anthony prepare this before she even agreed? She felt like asking him, but the car had already stopped in front of the amusement park
Unexpectedly, Charmine burst out laughing after she heard Chris’ rather mature point of view. “Momo, your attempt to make me fall in love with your dad is too obvious. Did he teach you to say that?” she joshed.“No, he didn’t! It’s real!” Chris used his doe eyes to distract Charmine so it would seem more believable.Charmine, however, ruffled his hair and said, “I know you too well. I even know how many worms are in your tummy right now. You’re still so young! How could you say all that if your dad hadn’t taught you that?”“Oh, but everything I said was true…!” insisted Chris with a pout. “Daddy really said that.” Charmine could not resist reaching under his mask to playfully pinch his little face. “Tell me the truth: How many girls have you said this to? How many women have your dad chased after?” she jokingly interrogated him.“What’s this? Is someone interested in me now?” A deep, husky voice was heard coming from right beside her. Charmine raised her gaze and saw Anthony st
Charmine tried to steer Chris away with a conversation. However, he dozed off on the armrest almost immediately!The kid that had been whooping to go on the Ferris wheel had finally wound down and fallen asleep! Charmine felt deceived. She wanted to wake him up but was stopped by Anthony. “Just let him be. Whenever he has a seizure, it drains him.”Anthony had even thought of reasons to defend Chris. Charmine took a back seat and remained silent.The Ferris wheel rose gradually, giving a bird’s eye view of Burlington City. Birds glided in pairs upon the windows, igniting the mind to imagine romantic scenarios. Charmine showed little to no interest in the view. She went on look at her cellphone, giving Anthony the cold shoulder. Anthony leveled his gaze on her with a frown and said, “Hey, Ms. Jordan! Are you sure you don’t want to enjoy this stunning scenic view of Burlington? Staring at your cellphone for so long is harmful to your eyes!”“Isn’t this just a normal pa
“I know you’re struggling with your fear but don’t fear. I promise not to make fun of you.” Anthony pressed his chest further up against her. Their bodies were close. She was now in his embrace. She was wearing a bodycon red dress today. Now, she could even feel the warmth of his skin. Her heartbeat elevated when their bodies pressed together. Him breathing so closely against her jogged her memories back to five years ago. She was sleeping in a coma but could still feel that man’s body in her daze. It was like Anthony’s—strong and robust… ‘Damn it! Stop thinking about that dumbass. He’s not even comparable to Anthony!‘I’ll definitely find out what had happened five years ago!’“I’m not afraid of this. Let me go or I’ll kick your head in!” Chamine said sternly.“Charmine, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about if you’re afraid. There have been deaths in amusement parks before. Come into my arms and I’ll make you feel safe,” said Anthony in all earnestness while patting
Charmine scrunched her eyes up tightly before she fell to the floor.Instead, she landed in someone’s warm embrace. “Ouch…”It was Anthony. She opened her eyes gradually and found Anthony lying on the floor right underneath them. She could see blood blossoming from his shoulder. “Are you alright?” she asked while picking herself up with Chris in her arms. There was a tinge of concern in her voice that she did not realize was present.“You’re worried about me, aren’t you?” He smirked at her.“Stop cracking jokes during a time like this, Anthony!” Charmine rolled her eyes. “I just got cut by the glass. It’s nothing serious so don’t worry about it,” he said, trying to comfort her as he got back up on his feet.Charmine glimpsed at his back and saw a minor cut. Fortunately, the rest of him seemed unharmed. This Ferris wheel was far too dangerous! She had to get someone’s help. All of a sudden, the Ferris wheel was back to normal as she was trying to reach out for help
Fine. Just this once. She would make sure that there were no more chances again after the next time. Anthony and Chris looked at each other and smiled. This was a sweet moment of victory! Apart from managing to give her his token of love, he had even found a way to call her on a second date! Perfect! Charmine was then sent home with the necklace that had been unwillingly worn on her neck. It had slipped from her mind. On the other side, Tiffany did not head home after leaving Guci Tower. However, she drove herself to HollyOak Entertainment. HollyOak Entertainment was the largest entertainment company in the world with its huge pool of celebrities, singers, and models. Any popular artists that one could think of was under HollyOak Entertainment or its smaller branches. The company had the best resources and the best people, including PR general manager, Claire Eastly. Claire was a top-notch scorer in both PR and crisis management. There was once an ill-mannered celebrity
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