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
The word ‘destroy’ was forcefully articulated. Julian’s pupils dilated when he heard it. Destroy? Anthony wanted to destroy him? Still reeling in Anthony’s order, Luke and two other bodyguards came in from the tunnel quickly and dragged Julian toward it. It was as if Julian knew they would do something to him as he cried out, “You can’t do this to me, Anthony Bailey! You’re engaged to another woman! What rights do you have to intervene in my business! Charmine and I are a couple! We used to—” Luke’s eyelids shot wide open when he heard Julian’s words. Julian was so daring to have said such things! Even Anthony did not dare touch his woman, yet this man had the courage to! Heck, forget about touching her. Julian even said such horridly implicative things! When they arrived at the tunnel, Luke raised his leg, and… “Aaargh!” A cry as if coming from the slaughterhouse resonated to the roof of the villa, and it sounded guttural, horrifyingly daunting. Julian was utt
Anthony remained elegant, his thin lips curling up as he did. “I was going to call Nial, but before I can take out my phone, you—” “Alright, stop talking!” Charmine cut him short. She did not want to hear even one word about it. Although she did not know if this was true, Charmine had so many images in her head. She turned around and wanted to put on clothes, but Anthony caught her hand and asked, “What? Are you regretting it?” His voice was low and displeased. Charmine’s body halted. Regret? Of course not! Charmine would have been scarred last night had Anthony not come in time. She would have to live with such a traumatic experience forever. He came at the right time. However… “It’s just happening too soon.” Anthony pulled her back into his arms. “Don’t worry, we did nothing.” Charmine frowned. “W—What?” Anthony’s lips curled up. “Have you forgotten what happened in the hospital? I returned the favor.” Face flushed red, Charmine punched Anthony’s ches
Waverly actually came to their room? Charmine instantly left Anthony’s arms and got up to look for her clothes, but she stiffened just as she walked to the wardrobe. She was in her lingerie, and she got out of the bed just like that... She looked back and, as expected, Anthony was indeed checking her out. “Shut your eyes!” she half-yelled, half-whispered. Anthony’s lips curled up, though he eventually turned away from her. Charmine then continued to look for her outfit, wanting to find an outfit that could cover her thoroughly, but a thought then occurred and her brows furrowed. Julian was near bankruptcy, but what he used on her last night was incredibly high-tech. It would have cost at least a few million. How could Julian afford such a costly substance? Furthermore, since the Baileys wrecked Julian, he could not have gotten the drug had it not been for a third person helping him. Who else would it be other than Max? She wondered if Waverly was involved… Char
Waverly’s posture was still strangely formal, elegant, and regal. Charmine stared at her and coldly declared, “I know you guys are involved with the whole shenanigan about Julian. You guys even set up the love noodles from yesterday morning. I have one word for you: Know your place. You’re just a doctor that we hired, and I hope you don’t have thoughts that you shouldn’t be having.” Waverly frowned. “Charmine, how can you speak to me like this? Do you know how many people in the world are queuing for my help for as long as ten years?” “So what? If you’re unhappy, you may leave now. Annabel will be fine without you,” attested Charmine. She showed no hint of gentleness in her voice; she was not giving in. Charmine always felt that Waverly was more than what she portrayed herself. Waverly had never been treated like this before. Who would not treat her with respect? She calmed her mind. “I won’t see things like you do. I’m a doctor. After treating Annabel, I’ll leave on my
Waverly realized that her tone was quite harsh, thus she gently coaxed, “I wasn’t blaming you, I was just worried. I know you don’t like Charmine, but now that Charmine and Anthony have slept together, and if she conceived Anthony’s child, Charmine will—” “She won’t, don’t worry. I’ve made a mistake, but it won’t repeat. I’ll make Charmine leave Anthony soon!” Max’s tone was full of anger and hatred. Waverly halted. “Brother, don’t wear yourself out,” she reminded him with her gentle voice. “Don’t hurt yourself. It’s their matter, and honestly, we don’t—” “I know what to do. You do your doctor thing, just treat your patient. I’ll work the rest out for you.” With that said, Max hung up. His eyes fell on the window, unusually dark. Max had no power within Burlington ever since Charmine took his Jordown Group. All usable lands were bought for the Hundred Birds Project. At this rate, Charmine would only progress, and Waverly’s relationship with Anthony would go nowhere… As if t
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