It was a lavish party; one look was all it took to see that Thomas and his wife had spared no expense for their daughter.Yvonne gently swirled the glass of red wine between her fingers, looking at the Joneses, who were all smiles.Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched them. It was an ironic sight.She was just about to take a step forward when someone hit her back hard with a stick, almost making her fall over. She turned around to see a hand raising a can in mid-air.The hand belonged to Thomas' father, Joseph Jones.Yvonne grabbed the cane and looked at him icily. "What are you doing?"Joseph glared at Yvonne, so furious that he was trembling. "You stupid bitch! How dare you show yourself in front of me? How dare you send your uncle to prison? Why do I have such a ruthless grandchild? Pfft!"Joseph had grown up in the countryside, so he had a rough personality. He'd been so furious when he laid eyes on Yvonne that he wanted to teach her a lesson, completely disregarding where
Thomas was scared half to death when he saw that his father had hit Stephen. He frantically went forward and grabbed Joseph's cane."Dad, enough!"Joseph was also a little baffled. Although he didn't know who the new man was, Joseph could see that he was no ordinary man.Stephen protected Yvonne in his arms. He looked at Thomas coldly. "Mr. Jones, did you invite me to this party just to show me how you bully my wife?""N—no, no." Thomas stood in front of Joseph, lowered his head, and apologized, "Mr. Anderson, please don't get mad. I was careless. I didn't take care of Yvonne properly.""I don't need you to take care of me." Yvonne looked at Thomas with reddened eyes. "Mom had signed the divorce papers before she died. I'm not related to you at all."Divorce papers? The crowd was bewildered. This was a huge piece of gossip! If Tara Miller had indeed signed the divorce papers back then, it made no sense that Thomas had taken over Miller Villa and Miller Jewels!In that case,
Yvonne led the man to a flower bed. He yelled excitedly, "Ms. Y, it really is you! I thought I was mistaken!""Be quiet," Yvonne helplessly said. With furrowed brows, she asked, "Why are you here? Where is Mr. Bowie?""He didn't come tonight." The man was Peter Bowie's assistant. He'd met Yvonne once before, with Peter.Back then, Peter had taken him along and almost kicked her gate down as he tried to convince her to join Muguet. However, Yvonne had rejected Peter's kind offer, which had made Peter lose his temper and cut ties with her. They hadn't been in contact for years.As they chatted, Yvonne found out from Peter's assistant that Peter was the CEO of Muguet in the region. Which meant that Katie was going to take over his position.If that was the case, tonight was his successor's welcome-home party. Why was he not there?Yvonne wanted to continue asking, but he cleverly interjected, "If you want to know more details, you'll have to go and ask him on your own." He smiled po
Following the party, Thomas didn't come in to work for three days in a row.That day, Yvonne was at the design department, looking at the samples from Bright Gems. No wonder they were a well-established jewelry factory; their work was as great as that of other factories abroad.The entire department was satisfied and confident in the jewelry collection for the new season."If there aren't any problems, get Bright Gems to prepare a batch according to the number of pre-orders. We'll increase the order once we see the reception at the launch of the new product."Miller Jewels had very little capital left in their books, so they had to spend it wisely. Yvonne was unsure of how it would go, which was why she'd asked the marketing department to set up an online pre-order platform as an assurance.Yvonne had just finished her sentence when she heard the staff outside the door greeting, "Hello, Mr. Jones."Yvonne asked the employees to set the samples aside when she saw Thomas storming i
Yvonne walked over to Stephen; he was holding out the deed to Miller Villa.Yvonne stared at it for a long time without taking it.Stephen was confused. "What? You don't want it?"Yvonne shook her head. "Ever since returning to Northerna City, I've only stayed one night there. It's no longer how I remembered it to be." Although the place was kept clean, she still felt dirty being there."Leave it. Perhaps there might be a use for it in the future." Yvonne accepted the deed, thinking that if Miller Jewels really needed the money, she could still sell the mansion. If it really came to that, she wondered if her grandfather and mother in heaven would call her a failure.Yvonne secretly sighed before looking up at Stephen. "Katie wanted to give me this, but she went to Anderson Group instead?""She said she was afraid you would be unhappy to see her, so she got me to pass it on to you," Stephen said honestly.Yvonne was amused. "And you believe this nonsense?"No. I've seen many wom
Katie furrowed her brows. Kayla, that useless piece of trash, wanted to get into QT?Monica couldn't wait for Katie's answer and continued, "Kayla is going to marry into the Robinson family in the future. As her family, we should help her as much as we can, right?"Then she looked at Katie eagerly and said, "Katie, I'm sure you don't want Kayla's in-laws to look down on her, right? If you help Kayla out this time, she'll be able to help you in the future. Sisters should help each other out."Hearing that, Katie swallowed down the rejection she'd been about to express."Mom, you're right. I only have Kayla. How could I not help her out?" She paused before saying, "But I remember Kayla didn't study jewelry design, right?""You're right; she doesn't have the educational background, but she's been with your father and I for so many years. I'm sure she would've learned a thing or two during that time." Monica held Katie's hand. "As long as you agree to put in a word for her, I'll let K
Peter's assistant welcomed Yvonne with a smile as she got out of the car. "Ms. Y, Mr. Bowie's been in a terrible mood for the past few days. He finally smiled when he found out you were coming. But I'm sure you know his temper, and he's probably going to pretend not to care in front of you," he warned before leading Yvonne into the mansion.Peter had been watching the two enter the mansion from his floor-to-ceiling windows. He hadn't seen Yvonne in a long time. He'd always been waiting for her to cave in, but he'd never expected her to be even more stubborn than him!Peter was just lamenting about it when he heard Yvonne call out to him. "Mr. Bowie!"He stiffened and pursed his smiling lips hard, forcing down the smile as he looked at Yvonne with a stern face. He scoffed curtly.Yvonne smiled and approached him. "Are you still mad at me? It's been so long! Why are you still so petty?""Me? Petty?" Peter's eyes widened. "Back then, I'd already informed the higher-ups that I'd bring
After entering Peter's mansion, Katie handed her gifts to the servants, who'd notified her that Peter was working on his perfume in his studio.She gently stepped into the studio, walking over to Peter. "Mr. Peter, are you—""Wait for me to finish." Peter didn't even look up. He waved his hand, asking Katie to step backward.Katie took a few steps back. After sizing up her surroundings, her gaze fell on Peter once more. Peter was one of the oldest staff members in Muguet. His authority was only second to that of the big boss.In the early years, Peter had created a few of Muguet's most famous perfumes. The other executives had been researching marketing, and he was the only one who'd focused on perfumery.Some of the people in the office had privately said that he was an arrogant person and very hard to work with, so no one wanted to make friends with him.Katie finally realized it at that moment. This was her first time meeting Peter after returning to the country. She didn't kn
A light breeze blew by in the courtyard. Agatha slowly recounted the past.Back then, Daniel and his wife, Katherine, had just had Mark. The entire Carrington family had been celebrating.They had doted on Mark and taken him wherever they went.That day, they had headed out. Before they'd known it, Mark had been taken away.Just when Daniel and Katherine had been on the brink of losing it, they had received a call from the kidnapper to bring the ransom to a specific spot.They had gotten the money and driven there without any hesitation. No one had thought that they would ever return after that. Even Mark had disappeared.When Agatha finished recounting this, her cup of tea had already cooled.She wiped her tears away. She said through a catch in her throat, "Katherine was hugging the bag of money tightly until the moment she passed away, as though she were hugging you."Mark furrowed his brows. Now that he'd heard the truth about Daniel and Katherine, he should have felt pain
As Yvonne left the room, she could tell that Stephen's mood was much better.She looked at him. "Are you thinking of something nice?""No." Stephen looked at Yvonne with a rare twinkle in his eyes."Let me take you to breakfast." Before Yvonne could respond, he took her hand and led her to the elevator.Thinking about how he'd stood outside her room the entire night, Yvonne decided to let him hold her hand.Then, her thoughts drifted to Otto. Somehow, she had a bad feeling.…At the same time, Mark was in the courtyard of Carrington Mansion. He sat next to Agatha and poured some tea for her.He handed her a cup of hot tea. "Great-Grandma, try this."When he noticed that Agatha had no reaction, he called out to her once more. "Great-Grandma?""Huh?" Agatha came to her senses. She looked at Mark in confusion. "What is it?""You've been distracted since yesterday. Are you thinking of something?" Mark asked.Agatha shook her head. "Nothing." Then, she picked up her teacup and
Yvonne stood by the door of the bedroom and looked at Otto, who was looking out of the window in a daze on the bed.The sun shone on his face. He looked quite hungover and had a sickly pale face.Yvonne hesitated for a while before saying gently, "Mrs. Jenner called me last night. She's worried about you."Otto didn't respond.Yvonne went in closer and added, "She said that you called her and asked about your father. She found it strange."Mr. Carrington, why did you suddenly think about your father? Did Mrs. Carrington Senior bring him up yesterday?"All Yvonne got was silence.Luckily, she was patient. She sat on the couch and followed Otto's line of sight. Tiny dust particles were floating among the sunbeams. Yvonne also fell into a daze as she watched them float about.Suddenly, Otto asked, "Have you ever felt like your world was falling apart?""Hmm?" Yvonne was confused. "For example?""I mean, like the person that you trust turns out to be different from what you'd t
The next morning, Yvonne opened her door to see Stephen standing outside. She was caught off guard."What is wrong with you this morning? Why didn't you knock…"While talking, Yvonne noticed that Stephen was still wearing the same clothes as the night before. She furrowed her brows and asked, "Don't tell me you didn't leave last night? Have you been standing outside this door all this while?""Hmm." Stephen looked at Yvonne intently. "I thought you would've figured it out quickly."Yvonne was speechless, but she thought to herself that she'd slept like a baby the night before.She smiled at him. "Figure what out?" She noticed Stephen frowning as though he were on the brink of losing his temper.She quickly added, "I-I mean, you have to give me a hint, right? I've thought about it the entire night, but I still don't understand. My brain isn't functioning well."Stephen asked suspiciously, "You've been thinking about it the entire night?""Yes, which is why I didn't look for yo
"If I hadn't come to find you tonight, you probably wouldn't tell me anything about what happened tonight, would you?" Stephen asked in retort.It wasn't a big deal, as long as they returned safely. Yvonne wondered why she needed to report this to him.But she still smiled. "It's late. How could I disrupt your rest? It would've been the same if I told you about it tomorrow morning, right?"Stephen sniggered. "Yvonne, you still don't know where you've gone wrong."He suddenly went in closer to her. Yvonne instinctively retreated until her back was up against the wall. She glared at him."What on earth is wrong with you? I've already said that I would've told you tomorrow morning—"A punch went past Yvonne and landed brutally on the wall.Yvonne was a little stunned. She looked into Stephen's eyes and furrowed her brows. "Stephen, I don't want to quarrel with you for no reason. "Mrs. Carrington Senior went to look for Otto today. Calbert couldn't reach him the entire day, so he
Jane returned to the private room, distracted.She sat down next to Cory. She looked at him as he reached his hand out to her in confusion.Cory furrowed his brows and asked unhappily, "Where's the wine?""Wine… Yes! Wine!" Jane came to her senses. She was just about to get up when Cory pulled her back.He grabbed her by her chin and forced her to look at him. "What happened when you went out?""N-Nothing."Cory tightened his grip. Jane furrowed her brows in pain. "I-I… I saw Yvonne. She told me that she and Stephen got remarried.""What?" Cory relaxed his grip a little. "They got remarried?""Hmm.""So, what?" He had no intention of letting her go, and he looked at her sharply. "Does it bother you so much that Stephen got remarried?"Jane looked at Cory frantically. "Cory, what do you mean by that?""What do I mean? You know what I mean."Cory went in closer. His tone turned icy. "You used to pursue Stephen. Now that you know he's gotten married, you're in this shitty mood
Yvonne turned around to see Jane smiling at her ambiguously. She furrowed her brows. How were they always bumping into each other?Jane crossed her hands in front of her chest and leaned against the wall. She swept her gaze at Calbert and Otto. "Two guys and one woman. You sure know how to have fun!"Calbert instantly snapped, "What the hell are you talking about?""Why are you being so fierce? Did I hit the nail on the head?" Jane snickered. "Two guys and a woman came out of a private room in the middle of the night. Anyone would come to the same conclusion. We're all adults. There's no need to pretend to be innocent.""You—" Calbert was about to go up to Jane, but Yvonne stopped him."Since Ms. Ford is here, I'm guessing so is Cory?" Yvonne smiled, yet her smile didn't reach her eyes. "If you cause a scene here and this bar gets raided, guess who'll be the ones walking out here alive?"Jane's expression turned ugly. "Are you threatening me?""It's just a kind reminder." Yvon
Calbert and Yvonne managed to track Otto's car to a bar, thanks to the information they'd gotten from his staff. Otto's car was right outside the bar.Calbert looked at the neon sign and furrowed his brows. "Why is Otto here? Did what Mrs. Carrington Senior said really hit him so badly that he has to drown himself in alcohol?"Yvonne said nothing and headed directly inside the bar."Wait up for me!" Calbert went after her. He subconsciously protected her from all the drunk patrons.The lighting in the bar was dim. Many of the patrons were drunk and having fun.Yvonne and Calbert walked around the booth area, but Otto was nowhere to be found. They pulled a server over to ask if there was a patron by the name of Otto Carrington who had reserved a private room.Coincidentally, the server had just taken two bottles of wine to Otto's room. So, he led them to the private room.Calbert tipped the server before opening the door and entering. The entire room reeked of alcohol.He looked
After Agatha left, Otto stood in the same spot without moving.A long time later, Zac entered the office. He looked at Otto's back and asked quietly, "Mr. Carrington, will you still see the client?""No." Otto sounded heartbroken.Zac didn't dare ask further questions. He gently closed the door and reminded the secretary that no one was to disturb Otto.In the office, Otto was alone. He slowly walked over to the couch and slumped into it. His mind was in a mess."Alexander was the one who planned the kidnapping back then."Agatha's words rang in his mind for a long time.Alexander's young face appeared in Otto's mind, smiling at him affectionately."Otto! Amazing! Yes! Just like that!""You're amazing at badminton! You're going to make the country proud! I'm going to be so proud of you!""Otto, my son!"Memories of his interactions with Alexander flashed across his mind at that moment.Otto couldn't imagine that such a loving father would do such an absurd thing. Alexander