*Cling*The sound of the doorbell ringing indicated someone entering, and the waiter approached Meha and led her to where Anne and I had been waiting."Oh, hi, we meet again, Mr Anderson. I usually don't meet my clients. Or am I in the wrong place?" Meha looked confused and glanced at the table number."No, I have been waiting for you.""Oh, but I had an appointment with someone else.""How about you have a seat first? Please let me introduce my wife, Anneke."Anne extended her hand, and Meha shook it, exchanging smiles and then feeling awkward."I know you are waiting for Danzel. Unfortunately, he can't make it today and asked me to represent him instead."Meha finally took a seat after I mentioned Danzel's name, her eyebrows furrowing in displeasure. "I didn't expect him to be a person who likes to break his promise. Well, perhaps this way, we are even."Meha then called the waiter, ordered wine, and waited awkwardly. The atmosphere had suddenly become tense."Don't you want to know

At a private dining venue in the Westhill Hotel:"Hey... Isn't that Margareth?" one of Sonia's friends whispered."Hm? Are you hallucinating? You know she's supposed to be in exi—" Sonia's words were cut off when she saw her other friends also looking in the same direction behind her. She turned to see Margareth standing there, hands on her hips and a smug grin."Good evening, ladies," she greeted shamelessly, walking confidently and taking a seat next to Sonia, even displacing one of the women who happened to be the wife of a regional bank's financial manager.Sonia stood up from her chair, "You were not invited," she pointed out."I don't need an invitation to an event I co-founded, do I, Sonia?" Margareth placed her glasses on the table, sipping her tea slowly, deliberately savouring the moment.She knew she would be the hot topic of conversation today at this ladies' tea event, mainly because of her embarrassing arrest yesterday. She couldn't resist and wanted to make Sonia feel t

Everyone winced in pain upon hearing Bash's screams, and then silence ensued. Although curious, the inmates could only imagine the type of punishment Bash was currently enduring. One by one, they returned to their beds and resumed their previously interrupted sleep.Late at night, the kitchen door creaked open, and the sound of two pairs of feet was audible, with one of them sounding like it was being dragged and stumbling. Lyan, who had not been sleeping, peeked to see what had become of Bash.As the two figures passed, Lyan caught a glimpse of Bash's face, which appeared red, and his hair and clothes were wet. He remained silent, but his eyes were filled with pent-up anger. Lyan was convinced that Bash was now harbouring a deep sense of revenge.Lyan realised that Bash had finally come to understand where he was. This was Erwin and Ralph's small kingdom. It was no longer under Merrick's control. Lyan knew this the hard way, too.He had been just like Bash when he first arrived here,

"Elliot, I need assurance. That my return to Dustown is not just as a pawn; I'm tired of being played; let me play too," Alex's voice echoed in the mayor's office.He had just returned to Dustown after an exhausting 22-hour flight and went straight to meet Elliot. He didn't want to wait any longer to express the concerns that had kept him up at night after Elliot called and persuaded him to come back to this city.Of course, getting the offer to return to Dustown and take a higher position than the one he held in Singapore was a tempting offer. But deep in his heart, he was still conflicted.He had no reason to return to this city because, unlike the bustling and vibrant Singapore, Dustown was too quiet for his equally lonely heart. The only reason he used to visit this city was Anne. But he knew he had lost Anne when he witnessed her gaze at Rupert. That was not the look Anne had ever given him.Could Anne return to him if he became a man Anne could rely on financially? That's what h

"It's mine!" a voice yelled from behind as Anne picked up a blouse displayed on the rack. Her hand stopped mid-air, and she turned to see Camilla.Camilla forcefully snatched the blouse from Anne's hand, "It's not good to take what someone else has set their eyes on," she sneered arrogantly, summoning the store attendant to bring her selection and instructing the attendant to follow her.The seemingly inexperienced intern attendant obediently followed Camilla's command. Anne, not wanting to bother, chose from another aisle to avoid confrontation with Camilla.But as soon as she spotted a cute outfit, Camilla almost magically desired the same outfit Anne was holding, refusing any alternatives offered. Realising that Camilla didn't actually need the outfit she chose but was doing it to annoy Anne, especially since their body sizes were vastly different—Anne was a size 6, and Camilla was a size 10—Anne intentionally browsed around the boutique, pretending to choose clothes she didn't eve