At that moment, Waverly had changed into her engagement gown, and beautiful was she like a princess from a fairytale book.She said to Charmine, "Rest assured, Ms. Jordan, I won’t get engaged with Mr. Bailey. You should hurry and change your clothes. Come out when the ceremony master makes the call."Charmine turned to Waverly who stood before her, and she could not shake off that strong sense of familiarity with her. It disconcerted her, moreso in this engagement ceremony.Unsettled by her sharp stare, Waverly, thinking Charmine was worried, then assured, "Don't worry. I'll help you guys to come forward. Mr. Bailey had also prepared your DV, and it’s sure to attract many fans when it’s displayed. Besides, once it's decided and announced in public, those who wanted to object will be too late for it.""Thanks for comforting me. I'm just thinking what color of lipstick I should apply later,” said Charmine as she walked to a corner to touch up her makeup.Being around Waverly unsettl
Wearing a pair of crystal high heels, Charmine gradually approached the door.She wore a red chest wrap dress Anthony prepared for her, and it made her look utterly arresting.Just as Charmine was about to stretch her hands to open the door, however, her phone suddenly vibrated. She took it out and saw the caller ID displayed, [Kay].Answering the call hesitantly, she was suddenly greeted with Kay's desperate report, “Not good, Boss Jordan. Momo brought Annabel back, and they’re both badly injured!”Charmine's eyelids suddenly twitched. ‘They came back? And they're badly injured? Had they not gone overseas?’'How can Anthony and I announce our relationship and face the incoming problems without worry? What if Susan and her cohorts spotted Momo and Annabel?’She immediately hung up the call and texted Anthony, [Momo's in trouble. Hold on, I'm going to go take care of Momo!]She then turned to Waverly. “Something urgent came up. My apologies, but I’ll have to trouble you and my hu
‘Anthony just left like that?''What’s so urgent that he has to leave in such a hurry?'"Anthony! Anthony!"Susan and the rest immediately got up and attempted to catch up to Anthony, but Anthony was too fast that he disappeared from view.Reporters held their cameras and took photos frantically, and the sound of camera shutters were heard one after another incessantly. Then, members of the affluent D'Cruz family got up and roared, "What's wrong with the Bailey family? What do they take my daughter for?"The scene plunged into chaos; it was an utterly nerve-racking scene.Waverly was rooted where she stood, still utterly elegant despite receiving curious gazes from the crowd. "Everyone, please remain calm. Something huge just happened to Anthony, and he needs to settle it urgently. He’ll explain everything once it’s settled.""What kind of issue that's more important than being engaged with you?" Fredrick asked, exasperated.Waverly lowered her head, and the blush on her face g
Charmine’s words baffled Waverly. "I don't get what you're trying to say. Had I not been calm enough to control the chaos, everyone would’ve gone after you both.”"So you're saying we need to be grateful to you, huh? Aren’t you doing this to slowly gain our trust and slowly make your way up to where you are today?" Charmine counter-questioned.Waverly's expression was calm and gentle. "Ms. Jordan, you’re probably still in shock. You have to keep calm."“The only ones to know that Chris and Annabel would be sent overseas were me, Anthony, Nial, and you. Who else would’ve placed a tracking device on Annabel?” Charmine's sharp glare bore into her head. Nonetheless, Waverly remained serene. "I've been helping you guys since the very beginning, yet that's how you think of me? You’ll be fighting the entire Bailey family had Anthony and I not decided to put on an act.""Since you said that you're helping us out sincerely, then please log in to your Twitter account and release the stat
Waverly's red lips curled. ‘At least Charmine knows how to behave.’Just as she thought so, however..."Wait," stopped Charmine, seeing that Anthony and Waverly were about to leave, and she slowly walked toward Waverly.Waverly frowned slightly. ‘What is she planning to do?’Charmine walked to her and, standing before her, said calmly, "Your makeup is fading. You need to fix it." She then took out a limited-edition diamond lipstick and pulled Waverly to the full-length mirror at the doorway’s entrance, and she then stood behind her as they faced the mirror.She seemed to be somewhat taller than Waverly.Her hands came up from behind Waverly to her front. One of her hands held Waverly's chin while the other held the lipstick, wiping over her red lips.Her lips that were initially already red became redder, so much so that it looked eye-catching.Charmine eyed Waverly’s makeup before lowering her head, whispering into her ear, "You may take him away, but you can't get his heart.
In the villa..."Mommy, Mommy!" Chris’ sudden hollering brought Charmine out of her trance. She walked to the room when Chris walked to her side and chirped, “Good news, Mommy: the baby in Auntie Annabel's tummy is alright!”"That's great to hear." Charmine was relieved as well.She had yet to find out the strange occurrence with Chris when the Ultimate Seventy-Two Needles were placed on him. Before knowing the technique, the child in Annabel's womb was their only choice to save Chris, and Charmine vowed to keep it safe.Nial looked at her and asked, "Charmine, what do you think about this incident? Where does the problem arise?""The only person who got close to Annabel was Waverly—there shouldn’t be anyone else beside her. Nonetheless, I had yet to grasp her true intention," answered Charmine.Nial frowned. "The prodigy doctor from the D'Cruz family doesn't seem to be a bad person.""And it’s because of that that she’s most likely to be an antagonist. Besides, being able to tr
Anthony kept his usual unperturbed, esteemed disposition as the crowd teased him, and no one knew what he was thinking then. Moreover, he did not argue as well.‘After all, teasings are just teasings. It's better than having to dance with Waverly.'Waverly lifted the train of her dress and headed toward the dance floor. She wore a white chest wrap dress with diamonds adorning the hem of her dress. The diamonds twinkled gently yet aesthetically as she stood under the elegant lighting, making her seem much more prestigious.Waverly danced to the piano piece and would swing her slim arms or sway side to side with her slim waist. She even alternated to creative choreography as her dress fluttered. No matter how she moved, it was oh-so captivating everyone held their breath.Max, sitting at a corner, looked on as his eyes gleamed with love for Waverly…one that was not brotherly love.Lifting his glass of red wine, he sipped at it as he shifted his gaze to Anthony not too far away, smil
"Argh!" cried Waverly as she crashed to the ice-cold marble stone floor. Such a sight tugged at everyone’s heart as they imagined how painful it was."Waverly!" Susan and the rest rushed over to her.Fredrick was utterly anxious and immediately ran to Waverly, asking nervously, "Are you alright, Waverly? Are you injured anywhere?""I…" Waverly attempted to make a move and she frowned in pain. "My leg. I think it's twisted… I can't move it…"'Her leg is twisted?'Suddenly, someone shouted, "Blood!"Everyone lowered their head to look and noticed that Waverly's ankle was indeed bleeding from the harsh fall.Fredrick immediately looked at Anthony. “Hurry, Anthony. Come and carry her to the restroom! I need to attend to her injury!”He would not allow his daughter to have any scar. He must apply his plastic surgery techniques to sew it up!Everyone looked at Anthony.Anthony, as Waverly's fiance, was to bear responsibility and take care of his injured fiancée.Max's eyes were di
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