“Charmine, may I know what brand this car is? Why haven’t we seen this before?”“Can you share with us the car’s manufacturer?”Half of the reporters who surrounded Anthony and Waverly flocked to Charmine instead as they shouldered against one another to conduct the interview.Charmine snapped out of her daze. She reminded herself that she was representing the Jordan Group that was the best in the property industry in Burlington.The Jordan family was still rebuilding itself, and she had to stand firm.As for Anthony and Waverly, Charmine had no choice but to pretend she did not know them both.She composed herself, getting rid of all the emotions she should not be having, and replied to the crowd, “It’s just a niche vehicle that we researched ourselves. I’m just driving for the fun of it.”She then walked toward the exhibition hall’s main entrance right after her comment. Born with an incredibly powerful disposition, every step Charmine took was accompanied with a mighty aura
Charmine had the authority to make decisions in Burlington. After all, she was from the second largest family of Burlington and the number one real property company, especially the project of Divine Bird that attracted the attention of many parties.“Such a person will possess a much unique vision. Does she have any special idea toward this diplomatic marriage?”Everyone eyed Charmine anticipatingly. Charmine felt as though her heart was choked. ‘Is Max trying to rub salt to my wound with that question? Is he trying to force me to comment in the public, that Waverly and Anthony made a perfect match?’‘He really is cruel. But…’Expression tranquil and unperturbed, Charmine smirked. “I’m sorry, but I never like gossiping about other people’s love life to begin with.”It felt like a backhanded comment, calling out everyone for being busybodies.Max’s face stiffened momentarily at her comeback, but not a moment later, he said coldly, “The engagement between Mr. Bailey and Ms. D’Cru
He wanted to see how Anthony denied Charmine in public!Then…Anthony parted his thin lips and said, “Indeed, I’m having fun with my wife. To beat is to care, and to scold is to love. That makes sense.”The crowd all exchanged looks at each other, finding it hard to believe.‘Anthony and Waverly will even argue with each other privately? Will they, considering their personality? Impossible!’As for Max and Waverly, their expressions looked awful.Anthony’s statement sounded like he was protecting Waverly, but in fact, he was supporting Charmine!He had never greeted Waverly as his wife. The ‘wife’ that he mentioned was obviously hinting at Charmine!‘Great one, Anthony. Nice one, Charmine!’It was as if Waverly did not wish for the situation to become more awkward as she said, “Anthony, let’s go over there to have a seat.”In public, she would always greet him as Anthony.Anthony eyed Charmine from the corner of his eyes. Max might never let Charmine breathe so long as he wa
Charmine had just settled in her seat when she suddenly felt something rubbing against her leg, as if something had come near her.She wanted to look down and see what it was, but when she subconsciously felt that it was Anthony’s leg, her body stiffened.‘This is the conference room with hundreds of people sitting behind us, yet Anthony’s so close and even rubbed his leg against me! Oh, the chaos if anyone found out..!’She swung her knees slightly, signaling for him to remove his leg, but Anthony shook his leg too as if he was answering to her.That felt so flirtatious to Charmine at that split second, and Charmine felt her face warming. ‘This man really can’t behave himself. How dare he tease me with so many people around?!’Fortunately, the conference table was a very long wooden table, and with a piece of solid wood board in front, others would not know what went down below the table. Charmine anxiously prayed, ‘Please, don’t let anyone know. Please don’t let anyone find
Hanging on Charmine’s ear were rectangular, small customized earrings with a photo...that bore a photo of Max and that lady on their first night!The photo had been edited to the point it looked salaciously scandalous, and it looked extremely fashionable.Max paled in an instant.‘Charmine’s crazy to have used that photo for her earrings! How dare she wear them to this public occasion?!’Max would crash and burn if cameras in the hall caught the image, when citizens of the entire nation knew what it was!He hardened his gaze to threaten Charmine and even warned her.Charmine smirked. ‘Weren’t you mocking me just seconds before? Weren’t you having a good time seeing me suffer, rubbing salt over my wound? If I can’t breathe in peace, don’t think you’d get any either!’She found it interesting when seeing him restless. ‘How fascinating.’Regardless of Max’s shifting gaze to hint at her, Charmine merely turned a blind eye and paid attention to the stage.Max clenched his fists tig
Just like that, the earrings Charmine threw flew straight to the streets where many stood and chattered.As the earrings dropped to the ground, they quickly attracted the attention of many people.Everybody shifted their gaze to inspect the item.Max’s pupils immediately dilated as he felt his heart felt like it was coming up his throat.“Unbelievable…! Charmine actually threw those earrings out here! I’m dead if people see them!”He walked in large strides and rushed toward where the earrings were. He, who always had a prestigious outline, was overwhelmed by a sense of anxiety he had never experienced before.As he walked to the spot where the earrings were, he eventually realized that Charmine had not thrown her earrings. She threw, instead, a hairpin common among the ladies.The hairpin had black alphabets on it that spelled, [SB].Max’s eyelids twitched. Charmine played him badly.These were not her earrings!Bystanders gazed at Max curiously as they started to assume ran
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”Someone from the crowd started to chant loudly and, soon enough, everyone started shouting at the top of their lungs.Charmine’s gaze flitted to Anthony and Waverly who stood at the center, surrounded by the crowd, and it felt like her heart was pinched. ‘They want Anthony and Waverly to kiss?’On such an occasion, them objecting to kiss would only raise suspicion. It might dissatisfy the people from Kansas.‘But if they don’t object, will he kiss Waverly?’Surrounded at the center, Anthony wore a cold, hardened expression.It was obvious that someone was trying to create trouble. There was a certain someone who wanted to see his lady go through hell. ‘How am I supposed to bear with such a condition? Even if it’s going to raise suspicion, I can’t kiss another lady!’Just as Anthony wanted to reject it...“Daddy, Daddy…!”An innocent voice was heard.Everyone turned to look and saw a five-year-old boy running into the scene.The little boy had a little b
Anthony put on a prestigious yet aloof expression as he came closer to Charmine, and it riled up the crowd. “What is Mr. Bailey trying to do?”“What is Mr. Bailey planning to do, holding a big bouquet of red roses and walking toward Charmine?”Charmine’s heart raced as she felt butterflies swarming her belly the closer Anthony got.Eventually, Antony came to a halt in front of her and handed her the big bouquet of red roses.Charmine was at a loss for words.‘Unbelievable. What the heck is this man doing? Is he trying to screw me?’The crowd had their jaws drifted apart, and left petrified on the spot.“Anthony, the Boss Bailey who announced his love relationship with Waverly, is giving Charmine flowers?”“Are we seeing someone sailing two boats at the same time?!”The atmosphere shifted into a momentary standstill. Just as the media held up their cameras and about to take photos, Anthony suddenly said, “These flowers are for Ms. Jordan, stated here in this bouquet.”“Nam
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