Waverly did not answer Max’s question as she instead asked gently, “You’re not asleep yet?” “Yeah, Waverly. I need to speak to you.” Max then firmly began, “I asked you two to get engaged and to live together, but I’m not asking you to be their shield. If you maintain this gentle and uncompetitive attitude, how are we going to continue our plan?” “Brother, you know me. I’m just trying to avoid being forced into a marriage by the family,” answered Waverly. “What about later on? Will you…” Max wanted to speak of their next plan. He hesitated and did not speak further. “Never mind. Knowing you, there’s no point in me forcing you, and I should worry about you instead. You should sleep early—I’ll make some arrangements tomorrow morning.” Waverly wanted to stop him, but Max had already cut off the video call. She frowned. An arrangement tomorrow morning? What arrangement? That night, Waverly had a restless sleep while Charmine soundly asleep in Anthony’s arms. However, the
Charmine instantly walked to the tunnel, but not before she concluded, “Might I suggest, Ms. Waverly, that you put on more clothes, lest Auntie might not recognize you and you’d end up bringing shame to your D’Cruz family.” Charmine reminded her kindly before walking away, not even looking back as she did. Waverly was confident with her body as she walked out in her pajamas, but she did not expect Charmine to say such mean things! She felt uneasy at that moment; she felt that she was ugly. Out of the blue, Chris ran out of nowhere and handed her a long sleeve jacket with buttons. “Hey, you, put on this! Our teacher said that girls have to respect their bodies. They have to love their bodies and should never think of selling off their bodies.” Waverly’s face turned greener. She was just in her pajamas, yet it made it sound so bad as if she did not respect her body and thought about selling her body? Receiving such harsh comments, Waverly had no choice but to take the
“We know that you don’t like to be seen in public, but this is a new era,” began Fredrick genially. “Even the President of XMI Technology showed up in person to broadcast live. You’re all youngsters, so you should catch up with the trend. This can help to promote the status and ranking of the Bailey and D’Cruz families. It’ll be effective!” “Don’t worry, President Bailey. We won’t film you intrusively—we’ll shoot through monitoring. We’ll set up some monitoring devices in the house while you two just live like usual, we won’t disturb you at all.” The person in charge of the show explained anxiously, trying to please him. Anthony’s face was darkened like rain clouds. Monitoring? Live-streaming? Showing off their personal lives on television? He scoffed, “The D’Cruz family wants to upgrade their status through media entertainment, are they? The Baileys don’t need to save a few billion; we can provide what we need. I’ll give you a minute to get out.” His eyes were locked on the
Everyone eyed the container, and inside was a bowl of seafood soup noodles. Unlike ordinary noodles, the noodles were long and conjoined. Max said, “We have a rule in Kansas. On the second morning of engagement, the newly engaged must share the same bowl of noodles. The couple must eat the noodle strip from the ends to the middle, symbolizing their never-ending love. President Bailey, you don’t like to be seen in public, so eating this bowl of blessed noodles shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Max raised an eyebrow at Anthony as he asked interrogatively. Anthony had no reason to decline this. Max waved his hand, and his assistant instantly brought the noodles and placed it on the table. Each side of the container had a tail that formed two heart shapes, and they both must eat from one side each, moving toward the middle. This would improve one’s relationship and bring the couple closer. Fredrick looked at Anthony, “Anthony, we won’t force you if you don’t want to be publi
Hah! Max would send the photo to Charmine to wreck her heart, so much so that she would leave! Amid his thoughts, the gap between Anthony and Waverly was half a meter left as they slowly slurped the noodle. Just as they both got closer... “Beep! Beep! Master Lupin, IQ two-hundred and fifty!” A cacophonous sound rang in the air. A two-meter tall robot barged into the scene from the side of the hall. Made out of sturdy steel and built powerfully, loud clicks were heard with every step it took. It was agile as it moved left and right, crashing and smashing everything as though it short-circuited. Max frowned. As if sensing something, he instructed, “Stop it!” His assistant went forward dutifully, but the bot swung its heavy self toward Anthony. Frowning, Anthony flinched to his side, and just like that... Tick! A sound was heard and the noodle snapped from the middle. The robot was relentless as it smashed the table beside Waverly and shook it vigorously, spilling t
Once Chris left, Anthony instructed Maria, “Bring Madam upstairs to get changed.” “Yes, Sir.” Obediently, Maria instantly helped Waverly get upstairs. “Make Momo kneel for four hours as a punishment,” said Anthony to another maid, “and keep watch over him.” “Yes, Sir!” The maid left. While he still felt something was off, Fredrick saw how Anthony treated Waverly and even punished his child. It was plain to see he still cared for Waverly. Even if he did not like her, the two could slowly develop their feelings… He sighed. “Now that the love noodles are destroyed, we’ll come if there’s any other tradition to be reminded of in the future. Anthony, you must take good care of Waverly. She’s my only daughter, and you mustn’t mistreat her.” “Okay,” came Anthony’s swift response. It was just an act anyway. With that, Fredrick left with satisfaction. As his plan had failed, Max no longer wanted to linger as he too exited the villa. Inside the car, Max’s eyes darkened with a
All that needed to happen was for Charmine to touch the kettle. As she was occupied with her books for so long, the thirsty Charmine held the mug and walked to the pantry with the book at hand. Immersed in her book, Charmine failed to notice another person was in her villa as she grabbed the kettle and poured herself a cup of water. She headed back to the sofa and continued reading when seconds passed, and suddenly, the words became blurry and her thoughts turned convoluted. It was as if the world spun as Charmine felt herself heating up and growing dizzy. Something was wrong… This feeling was not right! She quickly put down the medical books and attempted to pick up her phone at the coffee table, ready to call someone, but her phone was taken away just as she rose from the sofa. Charmine looked up and noticed…that standing in front of the coffee table was Julian! “Why… Why are you here…?!” “Charmine, I came here to accompany you.” Julian forced shut her phone and
Julian gazed at Charmine’s behavior as his thin lips curled up with satisfaction. Wait… Did she just call out Anthony’s name? Anthony was already engaged to Waverly, yet she still wanted him? Julian was furious at the thought. “You were all over me back then, Charmine, circling me every day! Don’t you remember now? It seems like I have to bring back your memories!” Charmine gritted her teeth to resist. The one hint of rationality left in her was reminding her that this was not Anthony’s voice. This was not Anthony’s scent… No… Julian must not touch her…! Charmine vehemently thrashed about as she clawed blindly. Her long, rectangular, sharp nails managed to scratch Julian’s arm, instantly drawing out some long bloodstains. Julian’s eyes went blood-red. Charmine in the past would not hurt him, yet she drew blood from him at that moment? How much did she hate him? How much did she resist him? His large hand caught Charmine’s wrist as he glared coldly. “Charmine, An
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