Elizabeth and Ginny fought fiercely. In the end, Sarah, worried about Elizabeth's health, grabbed Ginny firmly. Only then did they stop arguing. After hanging up, Ginny became even angrier and restless. She vented her frustration on Sarah and the other maids. She even started throwing things around. As a result, the living room was a chaotic mess. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was so mad that she almost had a heart attack. After calming herself down, she called Louis. "Do you have anything to do with Lettie's arrest? I've also asked you to think of a solution regarding Yvonne's matter. Have you done so?"Why hasn't she been released, and yet Lettie got arrested?" Elizabeth asked straightforwardly. She tried hard to keep her composure. However, Louis could still sense her dissatisfaction. Elizabeth realized it, too. She let out a sigh before adding, "Ginny just called me. She was extremely agitated."I'm not happy with Lettie either, but I watched her grow up. Besides, Ginny loves he
"It's me, Ethan. Vicky, I've missed you."Victoria's pupils constricted when she heard the familiar voice and name. She gripped the phone tightly and turned to look at Jayce.Her face was grim. She was clearly angry.On the other hand, Jayce appeared guilty. He clasped both hands in a pleading gesture. Obviously, Ethan had forced him.Victoria suppressed the urge to end the call. She was agitated and snapped, "Mr. Cross, you're engaged! Is it appropriate to say these things to me?"I believe the best thing for us is not to contact each other again for the rest of our lives!"Ethan ignored what she said. "Are you in a relationship with Benjamin Harper?""Do you think you have the right to know?""Find someone else, Vicky!"Victoria shouted, "Why should I listen to you?"Ethan paused momentarily before saying, "Benjamin is not easy to deal with. Um … If you're interested in him now, you can date him."You can play however you like. After all, you're still young. But don't take
Yves caught up with him in the parking lot and saw Benjamin getting into the back seat of the car.He let out a sigh of relief but then felt his throat tighten. He glanced back in Victoria's direction and felt somewhat frustrated.Why did Ben run off at such a critical moment?While Yves wanted to eavesdrop on how Victoria would respond to Jayce, he was concerned about Benjamin.He stood by the car window and peeked inside.Benjamin was sitting up straight. He was fidgeting with a Zofist rosary made of beads.Suddenly, the rosary broke, and the beads fell onto the car.Yves' heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, Benjamin turned his head and looked in his direction.Yves stood up reflexively and turned his head to look elsewhere. He didn't want to make eye contact with Benjamin at this moment."Yves."Just when Yves was silently praying for Victoria, he heard Benjamin calling him.He turned reluctantly to face Benjamin and struggled to put on a smile. Then, he advised, without much
Victoria looked in the direction of the car. "Have you guys been waiting long?"Yves swallowed nervously and quickly denied. "No, not at all. We just arrived."Victoria, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped in her tracks. She turned back and stared at Yves for a few seconds.Yves held his breath. His heart was racing, and he didn't even dare to breathe.In the end, Victoria said nothing and walked toward the car.Yves covered his chest. He followed her with deep breaths.Oh no. He forgot to warn Victoria that Benjamin was in a bad mood.Victoria got into the back seat. Before she could even sit down, she noticed the beads of a Zofist rosary scattered on the ground.Victoria had played with Benjamin's rosary beads bracelet before. The string he used for the bracelet was different from the regular ones. It was custom-made and was exceptionally sturdy. It wouldn't break under normal circumstances.She glanced at Benjamin, who had a stern expression on his face. Something mus
Victoria stared at the marriage certificate in her hands as they stepped out of the city hall. It felt like she was dreaming.She had never planned to get married, and yet she was now legally married to a man she respected as an elder.As she thought about it, a strange mix of embarrassment and awkwardness washed over her. However, Victoria was good at controlling her emotions, and she quickly suppressed these strange feelings.She looked at Benjamin.Benjamin had an uncontrollable smile on his face as he gazed at the marriage certificate photo. His deep, dark eyes glowed as if he were snickering.He had shed the restlessness and unease earlier in the restaurant and the car. His mood had improved noticeably.Benjamin sensed Victoria's gaze, and he lifted his eyes to meet hers. His deep, dark eyes radiated affection.He held her gaze for a few seconds before breaking into a chuckle."Victoria."He called her name, with the tone of his voice rising at the end.Victoria couldn
Victoria stepped aside and answered the phone.Elizabeth waited for a while and noticed that Victoria wasn't going to address her first.Feeling disappointed, Elizabeth made the first move to say, "I've been following your news lately. Did you inform Ms. Sheehan Senior about the official contract between Brighton and Fortuna?""Brighton is important to her. Even if I don't tell her, she would pay attention."Elizabeth sighed. Her tone was filled with regret. "Telling her in person is different from her finding out from the news or someone else. Although she's taught many students, you're different."Yvonne is likely to spend her life in prison. Yvonne was her only daughter. If she hadn't been so focused on her school when Yvonne was little, she might not be the way she is today.""Are you talking about Ms. Sheehan Senior and Yvonne, or you and Ginny? There are left-behind children everywhere in rural areas."They ... Never mind. If you like to find excuses to take responsibility
Yves immediately called Sean right after parting ways with Victoria and Benjamin."Where are you now?""I'm in Yrindale, having a blast. I've met a group of fun young folks recently. We've been racing, bungee jumping, and ..."Yves couldn't help but envy him. "You're living it up. Hurry back!""Mr. Harper is doing fine. Why should I come back?"Yves looked serious. "He seemed to have shown signs of illness today. Though he managed to control it, I was scared out of my wits."The thought of Benjamin in the demonically possessed state made Yves feel weak in his legs.Sean became serious too. "What happened?""It's a woman. Don't you read the news? It's a long story. Anyway, come back quickly!""A woman?" Sean could hardly believe what he was hearing."Yes. Ben has taken a liking to a woman lately. He's madly in love with her, but Mrs. B doesn't share romantic feelings for him. She's still obsessed with her ex, who's quite powerful."When she was talking to her ex on the phone,
Three days later, Colette and Yvette sat facing each other in the detention center.Yvette was obviously much more resourceful than Ginny. The police officer left and closed the door behind them right after escorting Colette to the visitation room.Colette looked at Yvette, all clean and made up, towering over her. It set her off like a lowly slave.Colette tried to hide her resentment, but her facial expression betrayed her emotions. She struggled to hide the bitterness in her voice."Ms. White, you promised to help me with the matter related to Yvonne, right? I've been stuck in this place for almost a week now."Yvette glanced at Colette, who was in a state of disarray. "Are you questioning me?"Colette shivered. She realized she had been impulsive. She quickly lowered her head and admitted her mistake. "I didn't mean it that way. I'm just feeling miserable being stuck here."You don't understand. They've got me locked up in a solitary room, feeding me just one meal a day an
Victoria saw that Benjamin wasn't looking like he was kidding at all. She placed both of her hands on his chest and turned her head away when he leaned in to kiss her.She then pushed him away hard and changed the topic by saying, "I heard that Solomon was beaten up in his own house last night."Benjamin chuckled lowly and said, "There's no use changing the topic."As he was talking, he arched his neck and pressed his lips near Victoria's ear.Victoria's ears, especially her helix, were extremely sensitive. She subconsciously pulled her hands back and covered her ears with her palms.Benjamin took the chance to wrap his arms around Victoria's waist and pulled her close to him. His face was close to hers.Victoria could feel Benjamin's burning desire as she was pressed down onto his lap. She now knew better than to struggle.This was just shooting herself in the foot!It wasn't that she didn't know what he was like, but she just had to stir him up.Victoria felt uneasy when she
Victoria used her other hand to support her cheek as she blinked.She said, "How could someone who dislikes wasting words and unnecessary chatter nag endlessly over just a small wound?"Benjamin coldly asked, "Are you complaining that I'm long-winded and annoying now?"He looked aggrieved, as if he would be angry if Victoria were to answer "yes".Victoria laughed out loud again and replied, "I'm not!"She used her finger to poke at Benjamin's cheek.She was smiling when she asked, "Are you madly in love with me, Benjamin?"Benjamin looked at Victoria seriously as he crouched by her legs.If it was before this, he would've nodded and replied "of course" without hesitation. But now …Benjamin couldn't be as confident and sure when he recalled Wendy's previous words.Victoria didn't think much of it and took Benjamin's silence as affirmation.She continued, "I'm thinking that you're definitely madly in love with me. That is why you're so heartbroken and reacted abnormally even
"Where are we heading to now, Ben and Mrs. B? Why are the people here so weird? Why are they dressed up as if they're in a period drama?"What is this place? Why are the both of you here?"Yves was back to his lively self as soon as he got into the carriage. He started asking endless questions."You regained your memories now, Ben? I knew you'd never forget about Mrs. B no matter what. Even if you did, you'd definitely remember everything as soon as you saw Mrs. B!"Yves gushed on. It took him a good while to realize that Benjamin's expression had changed. Even the atmosphere in the carriage became strange.He asked, "Did I say something wrong?"Wendy laughed dryly and replied, "He's not as deeply in love with Victoria as you think he is. He didn't remember anything."Yves laughed awkwardly before pursing his lips.He started to butter Victoria up."How did you know Ben is here, Mrs. B? How did you find—"Victoria pursed her lips and glanced at Gwen who was driving in the fro
Yves stared at Anna. She started out mumbling, and her voice grew louder toward the end.He looked confused. "Ben, Mrs. B, what is she talking about?"He was sure she was speaking the same language but couldn't, for the life of him, understand what she meant.Upon listening to Anna, Wendy immediately felt she was too quick to agree to Yves' request because of the money. She wanted to push him aside.However, he was in a sorry state with his limp. His face was visibly thinner than before, and his eyes weren't as bright as they used to be. She found herself sympathizing with him.Victoria pressed her lips together, and her brows creased further.Benjamin turned to Silas. "Go and get Asher!"Anna didn't dial back on her arrogance. "Great idea. I'm looking for him, too."There was a horse race today, yet he locked me up in that cabin! I have a score to settle with him!"Victoria recalled Asher leaving the stables urgently during the day and had a hunch about what happened."If yo
Yves looked up with teary eyes and could vaguely make out Benjamin's sour face.He rubbed his eyes with all his might. Benjamin's face slowly became clear to him as his vision cleared."It's really you, Ben! Oh, Ben!"He was pleasantly surprised, as though he finally had someone to rely on. He teared up in excitement.The next moment, he became aggrieved again. He was just like a three-year-old who was bullied by a stray cat.He cried, "You're here, Ben. Why didn't you ask someone to look for me? You've no idea what I've experienced."I've been locked away in that shabby cabin and almost lost it. I miss you so freaking much!"Benjamin looked less sour now. He took out his handkerchief that he brought along wherever he went.He passed it to Yves, who had tears and snot all over his face. "Clean up. You're a grownup man, you know. Look at you."With one hand taking the handkerchief, Yves clung onto Victoria with the other.Benjamin stared at his hand that was holding onto her.
Asher felt his heart shatter. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I've already gifted it to someone else!"The person in charge felt his heart ache, too. "I wanted to inform you when you arrived, but you told me to talk to you after the race."You've always said that horse has a character and that you like it, no? I never expected you to give it away."Who did you give it to? Could you, perhaps, buy it back from him?"Asher was dispirited. "I can't."He waved it off and continued, "Forget about it. It belongs to someone else now."I'd been obliging to its every wish for all the time it had been here. Still, it never obeyed me."It's intelligent and chooses its own master. I can't tame it. It's no better than an average horse to me."Tell those who witnessed that incident that they shouldn't talk about it to anyone. You may leave."The person in charge glanced at him. Bowing, he acknowledged the instruction he received and left.Asher looked toward Sebastian and sighed dejectedly
Silas and Wendy immediately hurried over in excitement when they heard they were going to split the winnings.Wendy, who wasn't the best in maths, counted gleefully, "We bet one thousand gold coins. As the odds are at one to 246, we'll get … ten thousand, 200 thousand … 244600 gold coins. Am I right?"She surprised herself when she said that out loud. She and Silas exchanged glances and started hopping about in delight.That was a lot of gold coins! They were rich!"Ten percent of 244600 gold coins would amount to roughly 24 thousand gold coins, so 20 percent would make it about 50 thousand. Victoria—"Silas and Wendy were already dizzy. Turning to them, Victoria instructed, "Give us a moment, and take Onyx with you.""You …" Silas looked at her suspiciously. Was she planning to keep all the money to herself?She gave him a warning glare, and he and Wendy obediently led Onyx away.They shouldn't offend their moneybag right now.Victoria looked at Asher. "That's over 240 thousa
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. It was a teenager who was around 15 years old. Not bothering to keep up his image, he sat on the floor and clung to Sebastian's leg.Besides him, many others were standing around Sebastian. They all looked at Sebastian pitifully.Asher loudly asked the one kneeling, "Just look at you, Troy Lancaster! What happened to your enthusiasm?"It's only a meager sum. Do you really have to react this way?"Troy Lancaster? He was the Lancaster family's youngest son, Sebastian's younger maternal cousin.Victoria had a photographic memory. She saw his name when she skimmed through the log book earlier.He had bet 500 silver coins, which wasn't the least of all. It wasn't a hefty sum either, considering who he was.The Lancasters had very conflicting approaches in his upbringing. His mother pampered him, while his father was very strict toward him because he thought he was spoiled.Judging from his reaction, he must've been greedy and impulsivel
Once Roxy left, several women with ill intentions who criticized Victoria earlier became uneasy. They came up with excuses and left one after another.As the drama ended, everyone calmed down. Some were listless, while some were feeling down.There were also a few who approached Victoria, among whom were mainly men. They earnestly introduced themselves.Benjamin scanned the men who surrounded Victoria and somehow felt betrayed. Glowering, he seemed about to fly off the handle.His glare was too harsh, and many retreated after a short exchange with Victoria. She studied those who resolutely remained beside her.Compared to people from the outside world, the clan members had less desire for material possessions.Those who stood their ground didn't feel displeased at losing a hefty sum in the bet. They also withstood the pressure Benjamin's glare exuded.It was fair to say they were the best among the best.They were from decent families and had been receiving proper education sin