The assistant was baffled when he, upon taking out the woman from the bag, saw Charmine instead. How did he end up with the wrong woman? Was there another woman in that room? However, it was too late… He heard footsteps coming back from not far away. He had to tear out Charmine’s dress and leave in a hurry. Charmine thought it was going to be Guy, but never did she think it would be Anthony instead! She thought she was hallucinating when Anthony’s tall figure came in against the light. Why…would Anthony be here? Why did he come? Just as she was about to call out for help, Anthony looked at her for a second before he instantly turned away, seemingly disgusted. Only then did Charmine recall she was Ann Liam, wearing the skin mask of her face. If Anthony found out she came to the party in a disguise and was framed by someone to be sent to Guy, she would be dead meat! With his back turned to her, Anthony felt awfully disgusted and was about to leave, but he had to ge
At the Warren mansion. Senior Warren and Grandma Warren anticipated the news on Anthony, but what they heard from Luke instead caught them by complete surprise. They instantly berated Jimmy badly. Jimmy defended himself, “You keep saying how I don’t care, but I’m just trying to help! Who would’ve thought Anthony Bailey is no man—” Slap! Grandma Warren swung her palm across his cheek before he could finish his sentence. “How dare you speak like this! Have you not caused us enough trouble? Do you know who Boss Bailey is? He’s engaged to the princess in Kansas! Why would he fall for a model? Do you think everyone is just like you!?” “The Warren family is screwed. We’re screwed! You actually sent Boss Bailey a model, and that’s practically an insult to him!” Senior Warren saw red, wanting nothing more than to smack Jimmy. Jimmy mumbled, “She’s not a model. I was going to send a model, but somehow it turned out to be Ann… She’ss from a wealthy family, so how’s that an insult…?”
Coincidentally, Guy saw Jimmy’s assistant bringing another woman into the lounge. He went into the lounge the moment Anthony had left. Who would have thought that it was Ann! He instantly used a blanket to cover her up. He tried to ask, “Charmine, is that you?” Noticing how Guy was spot-on with his guess, she did not bother to hide it. “It’s me.” Guy was shocked. He asked her out of suspicion, never truly expecting it was her! It made sense how he felt something was off just by staring at her back. He felt guilty at the thought of how she was drugged and sent to this place. “I’m sorry for what my Grandma had done. I’ll make sure she apologizes to you!” “No need. I came here today in hopes of finding out if they have the sword in the treasure chamber. No need to cause a scene” commented Charmine as she tried her best to regain her energy. Of course, she did not know what drug they had used against her, and her body still felt weak even after so long. Guy quickly sa
Charmine carefully pricked each needle into her body. Guy, who knelt beside her, could feel her hard work and dedication. She could have left and returned once she recovered, but she insisted on staying and held herself together. Guy had never seen any woman who was as dedicated. Furthermore, they were so close to one another, and he could smell the unique feminine scent from her. He had a feeling that he had not felt before arousing in him. His face was hot and his ears were red. Charmine did not notice it all, however, as she continued to put in the last needle. The nine needles on her figure vibrated non-stop. Gradually, the toxin in her body was removed as she recovered, and her blood returned to its healthy regulation as usual. She was as good as before. Charmine sat up from the sofa and removed the needles swiftly. “Let’s move,” she prompted as she poked one end of a string to a needle to sew up a dress. The tear was effectively sewn, leaving no trace of the te
“Grandma and the rest are passing by. They’re bringing Jimmy to the prayer hall, so they won’t come in,” answered Guy. He only made sure of that before coming in. Charmine heard sounds coming from the outside. However, the sound gradually faded away and nobody came in. She sighed in relief afterward. “Let’s check out if the sword has any problem.” As she spoke, she walked over with Guy following her. The two of them worked together to open up the box. It was empty inside! Empty! This was only an empty box, and the sword was taken! How could that be? Were they trapped? Just as she was deducing the situation, a loud sound was heard as the floor they stood on broke. Before Charmine and Guy could react, they fell into the basement below. Everything was happening too abruptly and they had no time to react. Guy only reacted seconds later when he rolled over to let Charmine fall onto him. Coincidentally, Charmine fell onto him and Guy made a sound, though he did not
However, the thought quickly escaped her. She did not seem to have grasped it. What was what? What did she miss? However, this was unimportant. The most important thing was to get out of the basement. Despite her confusion, she continued to search for switches in this wine cellar. Guy, on the other hand, was disappointed when she rejected his jacket, even though it was awfully cold. What did he do wrong? Why did Charmine always reject him? Was it because he came too close to her after they fell down, that she kept her distance from him? Was she possibly upset that it was because his Grandma framed her? With those thoughts in mind, he watched as Charmine looked around and suddenly made a very important decision. After he took a deep breath and made a mental preparation, he said, “Ms…Ms. Jordan, I’ll be responsible to you.” Charmine, who diligently searched for a in every corner she could, was dumbfounded to hear his sudden confession. She looked at him confusingly.
What did she just hear? Did Guy just confess to her? Charmine turned toward Guy and noticed how awkward he seemed. Judging by his behavior, he seemed to have fallen for her… She suddenly recalled how he had been protective over her for the past few days. Since she was only concerned about getting the sword and the red wolf’s bone, she did not pay much notice to him. Goodness… She effectively landed herself in hot soup. As the realization jolted her, she looked at Guy seriously and asked, “Guy, do you know why I’m working so hard to get the sword? Do you know why I want the Cherny family’s approval?” Guy frowned. He felt an uneasiness that he had not felt before. He had a feeling that whatever he was about to be told, he would not be able to accept it… As expected, Charmine continued sternly, “I’ll be frank with you: I’m married and have gotten my marriage certificate. I also have a five-year-old child.” Guy’s tall and well-built body jolted. He felt as if he was str
Meanwhile, at Violet Residence... Anthony was busy the entire day. When he came back to the villa, he saw Waverly sitting on the sofa. He took no notice of her as he walked inside. Waverly’s face stiffened. She made the effort to put on a nice-looking azure blue dress, a limited edition from a luxury brand. Once she wore the dress, she even put on delicate makeup to make her seem even more elegant as if she was a mermaid from a fairy tale. She even stunned herself as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She sat on the sofa as she waited for him. Who would have thought that Anthony would ignore her? She bit back her bitterness as she stood up and walked toward Anthony. “Mr. Bailey, I embroidered you a sachet. It has a unique scent only available in Kansas. If you keep this with you, it’ll help you in improving your sleep,” she spoke as she handed him a sachet. The sachet was also azure blue, only the size of a thumb. There was a phoenix embroidered on it, and it look
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