“Found it?” His words piqued everyone’s interest, and all eyes focused on Dustin’s hand. From beneath the mattress, he pulled out a black silk pouch. He opened it and pulled out a red crystal necklace. The crystal was circular, with a deep crimson hue that was eerily similar to blood. It was also engraved with peculiar […]
Theodore’s demeanor had taken a dramatic shift from his earlier arrogance. “Doctor! Where’s the doctor? Get me some bandages!” He cried for help, terrified. Alistair, Brooke, and the others exchanged perplexed glances at Theodore’s frantic behavior. This wasn’t what they had expected at all. What happened to the occult expert’s dignified image? “He’s mad! Mr.
Chapter 440 +15 BONUS When Cheryl arrived at the office, she noticed that the door to Caroline’s office was open. Pleasantly surprised that Caroline was here already, she stopped by the door and said, “Caroline! You’re early!” Caroline looked up from her desk. She had just finished writing down the details of her plans. ” Ask the heads of the departments to come to the conference room for a meeting.” “Okay.” Cheryl chirped. Caroline busied herself with work once more. Cheryl couldn’t make out if she was in a good mood or not. She wondered if Caroline and her husband reconciled after the trip. Jack had said that Caroline’s husband was a good man. Still, if he was as good as Jack had put it, why would Caroline have gotten into a fight with him in the first place? The question lingered in Cheryl’s mind as she hurried off to call the heads of the departments for the meeting. “Our ambassador’s new drama will be broadcast in two days.” Caroline glanced over all of them. “Has everything been prepared?” “Yes,” answered the heads of the departments in unison. “Good. We have to take notice of a couple of things. If there’s a problem, you need to tell me about it right away.” Caroline then told them about the things that they needed to pay attention to so that they could spread the word to their subordinates. The meeting ended about an hour later. Caroline stood up and glanced around at the people around her. “Are you sure that everything’s fine?” “Yes!” they replied. “I won’t let things go easily if any of you drag us down,” she said curtly and strode out of the room. One after the other, the heads of the departments got up from their seats and left. The head of the PR department was one of the last to leave. He tugged at the head of the 1/5 +15 BONUS After everyone else left, the head of the PR department whispered, “I heard that the factory stopped making our order because they’re busy with Layla’s.” “You’re up–to–date. As expected of the head of the PR department.” “You flatter me. Why didn’t you tell Caroline about this? Aren’t you worried?” “What is there to worry about?” “Didn’t you hear what she said? She won’t let you go if you drag us down.” Jason smiled. “Don’t worry. She will never find out about this.” Confused, the head of the PR department asked, “What do you mean? Won’t she find out about it when the factory fails to deliver our order later on?” Jason chuckled at that. “Think about it. When both sides launch our products, do you think our company will even be able to sell anything? Would Caroline be concerned about whether the factory would deliver our order on time?” “Maybe,” he added, “she would even thank me for it. She would be grateful that the factory didn’t make our order and that her debt wouldn’t be so high.” The head of the PR department looked as if he had just stumbled upon this realization. “You’re right! To be frank, Caroline isn’t that bad. It just so happened that she and Layla are at odds with each other. “Layla’s wealthy enough already, and with Eddy backing her up, it would be almost impossible for Caroline to win against her.” “Exactly! That’s why I’m not bothered about it.”
Chapter 439 When they reached the first floor, Dan watched the doors of the elevator open slowly and felt himself calm down a lot. Once again, he pressed the button for the doors to close, which made Sarah wonder out loud,” Hubby, are you thinking of meeting that ungrateful brat again?” Dan sighed and told her, “No. You pissed me off so much that I almost forgot we could rely on Layla.” Sarah cheered up at his words. “You’re right! I’ve heard that Layla started her very own company just upstairs. She purposely chose the same design theme just to compete with Caroline,” said Sarah. “Her company’s PR team did a great job, and she managed to find herself the best of brand ambassadors too. I’m sure she’ll win against Caroline.” “Jude will agree to her marriage with Eddy by then,” she continued. “After all, who would refuse such a brilliant granddaughter–in–law like her?” After listening to Sarah go on and on about this, Dan felt his mood improve tremendously. Indeed, businessmen like them prioritized a person’s potential and ability to make money. Jude had been a big shot in the field of business back in the day. Naturally, he admired women who were intelligent and successful in their careers. As they talked, the elevator reached the floor where Layla’s office was. A smirk laced Layla’s lips, knowing that they would come to her. Everything was as she had predicted. “Don’t worry about what happened. I’ll tell Eddy about this,” Layla told them reassuringly as she handed them each a glass of water. Since Caroline wanted to send these two away, Layla would do the exact opposite of that. “At least you’re thankful,” Sarah commented. She was very pleased with what Layla said and was suddenly overwhelmed by her kindness. “Layla, dear, I truly regret it! I should have given you all my attention in the past!” 1/2 +15 BONUS “Aunt Sarah, you’ve taken good care of me since I was young. I really am indebted to you,” said Layla. “You’ve grown up into a wonderful young woman! I’ve only just realized that I’ve raised an ungrateful brat like Caroline. Oh, if only I could learn from your mother how to educate my young!” Sarah showered Layla with compliments, all while insulting Caroline in every single way possible. Sarah and Dan left later, when Luke entered the office to pass Layla some documents. “What is it?” Layla asked right after the door closed. Luke’s expression said it all. “We have good news! Lots of stores wanted to collaborate with us when they heard that we’re launching our new product in five days! More than 20 stores have contacted us this afternoon.” Layla’s eyes shone upon hearing what he said. “Awesome! Call the factory and tell them to hike up production. We have five days left to squash Caroline!” “Another thing is that I’ve called the factory that worked for Evans Group back then. They said that they could start working on our order without us having to pay extra for it!” Layla’s eyes lit up at this. “Not bad! Even the factory’s boss knows that I’m going to win. Apparently, it’s only a matter of time before I’ll return to Evans Group and take over Caroline’s position.” “By then, I’ll merge our companies…” Layla’s voice trailed off for a moment. “That’s not right. I’ll buy the entire building instead! And I’ll name it Evanson Corp!” Just thinking about it made her spirits soar.
Chapter 438 +15 BONUS Caroline had just walked out of the elevator when she saw Sarah and Dan standing at the door of her office. She had a hunch about what they were here for already. Her expression was blank when she faced them. “What is it?” Sarah had the urge to slap Caroline when she saw her face. However, she and Dan were trapped in Caroline’s grasp for now, so she had no choice but to bear with it. After calming herself down, she said, “Caroline, don’t you think you’ve gone overboard? Are you planning to kill us?” Caroline opened the door to the office and glanced at them. “What did I do?” “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what you did! You gave Gavin the ledger!” “What does that have to do with me? You two are the ones who broke the law!” “You-” Sarah raised her hand in the air, ready to slap Caroline. Yet the latter didn’t even flinch or try to evade it. She simply stared right into Sarah’s eyes, making Sarah freeze. Just then, Dan grabbed Sarah’s arm and said, “That’s enough. Stop being mad at the young ones.” He then turned to Caroline with a gentle look in his eyes. “Caroline, it’s your mom’s fault for falsel accusing you online before this. Regardless, we’re still a family. How could you work with others to harm us?” “You’re telling me that you two can hurt me, but I can’t retaliate?” Caroline said. “Have you no conscience?” Sarah seethed in rage. “I’m your mother! I raised you for so many years. How could you repay our love with kindness?” “Did you ever think of yourselves as my parents when you made up all those lies online?” Caroline snapped, making both Dan and Sarah shut up. 1/3 +15 BONUS The door was already open, but Caroline turned to tell them, “I gave Gavin the evidence, and the police have started looking into it. They’ve probably already gone through the ledger. It’s useless for you to come to me.” “How could you be so cruel?” Dan roared. The gentle look on his face had completely vanished. Caroline closed the door right then to separate herself from them. Seeing this, Sarah banged on the door and screamed, “Come out! You wouldn’t have become Evans Group’s CEO if it hadn’t been for us! I’ll make you lose everything you have, you ungrateful brat!” Caroline heard her, of course. She simply smiled wryly in response. Usually, parents would hope for the best for their children. Apparently, her parents were the only exception. No wonder Gwen said that they probably weren’t her biological parents. After some time, the commotion outside the office ceased. It was probably because Dan had dragged Sarah away. Caroline didn’t put much thought into it, though. She simply flipped through her planner and started laying out the plans for the release of her new clothing line. Outside, Dan had dragged Sarah into the elevator. He couldn’t stop himself from lowering his voice to scold her. “Are you done? You almost told her that she wasn’t our biological daughter! Thank goodness I pulled you away!” “She isn’t our child, anyway!” Sarah blurted. Seeing the shadow on Dan’s face, she eventually lowered her voice and said, “I didn’t say anything wrong. If it hadn’t been for-” “That’s enough!” Dan snapped, trying hard to suppress his anger. “Do you need me to remind you
Chapter 437 +15 BONUS Gwen couldn’t conceal her joy at the fact that her father had been beaten up. “What happened?” Caroline texted her back. Gwen was probably still asleep now, so there wasn’t a reply after the message was sent. Caroline then clicked into Marina’s chatbox but saw that there weren’t any new messages. After giving it some thought, she sent her a voice message. “Do you have any news?” Marina replied almost instantly. “No. Wait for a little longer. Tell your friend not to worry, because I’ll definitely find out who that man’s wife is. -Marina” There was nothing Caroline could do but wait for Marina’s findings. After freshening up, Caroline rushed over to her company. She was early today, so there weren’t many people in the elevator. She pressed the button on the floor she wanted to get on. Then, right before she pressed the button to close the elevator doors, she heard someone call out, “Wait-” Caroline froze and waited until the person entered the elevator before pressing the button. “Which floor are you headed?” “You’re finally here! I thought you had abandoned your company!” Caroline glanced up from the button to see Layla and immediately regretted her decision. She should have simply pressed the button to avoid this catastrophe. Layla’s words captured the attention of those around them, and the people looked at Caroline with puzzled looks. “My company is doing just fine. Why would I abandon it?” Caroline said. “Only for now, though. Just wait until my company releases its latest product. I’m sure your company will go bankrupt by then,” Layla said. “Oh, sorry. It’s our company that’s going to go bankrupt, Sarah and the rest of the Evans family would be so pissed that they will tear you into pieces. “I told you long ago that you weren’t fit for this,” Layla added. “You should’ve just let me handle the comny, but you insisted on doing it yourself.” 1/3 +15 BONUS “Don’t you think it’s too early for you to be so full of yourself?” Caroline spat. According to the plan, her latest product would only be released on the third day after Sonia’s drama was broadcast. Besides, they still had to wait for two days until the drama was released. There was nothing to be nervous about. “Caroline, I know what you’re waiting for.” Layla wasn’t done with her roasting. “You’re waiting for that actress‘ drama to get broadcasted, right? Listen up; I’ve already asked an expert to watch it. A puny little actress like her won’t get famous overnight.” She then inched closer to Caroline. “Most stars who get famous all of a sudden usually offer their directors something under the table. “Even if Sonia’s acting is good, she doesn’t know how to do business, so she won’t ever become famous,” she said in a lowered voice. “Besides, she works for Sorkin Group. She would be as good as dead if I asked Eddy to help me get rid of her.” Caroline narrowed her eyes at her. “Your rival is me. You don’t have to get rid of a stranger.” This made Layla laugh. “Don’t worry. Naturally, I won’t touch her. If I did, I’m sure you’d call me a coward for being afraid of a mere actress like her.” The shadow on Caroline’s face lifted a little. “That’s good to hear.” “In the end, the competition is between us both only. I’ll win this fair and square and prove to everyone that I make a much better wife for Eddy than you.” The doors of the elevator opened just in time, and Caroline strode out with a smile. Layla scowled as she watched Caroline leave. She loathed that indifferent look on Caroline’s face, which made it seem like nothing could drag her down.
Chapter 436 +15 BONUS “What? Is it too tough for you to handle?” Kirk glanced at Charles with eyes as cold as ice. “N–no,” Charles muttered as he wiped off the sheen of cold sweat on his brow. “Go and resume your work then.” “Okay.” Charles had just reached the door when Kirk abruptly thought of something and called out to him, making him stop in his tracks. “Caroline said that a mysterious person messaged her when she was in Macovo back then. I need you to find out who that person is.” With his mouth agape, Charles waited in silence for Kirk to continue. But the latter was soon preoccupied with his work, with his head lowered over his desk. After some time, Charles couldn’t wait any longer. “Sir, don’t you have anything else to tell me regarding this person?” “No.” Kirk’s curt reply cut off the sliver of hope in Charles‘ eyes, and he fell silent once more. Did Kirk think Charles was some kind of all–knowing divine figure? Just then, Kirk stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “What’s wrong?” “N–nothing…” Charles mumbled, his voice strained. Perhaps he should simply find a good place to bury himself and rest for eternity How was he supposed to find out who that mysterious person was with only this bit of information? Nevertheless, he was the one who had caused Kirk and Caroline to quarrel, so he had to take responsibility for it…. Right after Charles left, Kirk received a call from Sean. “Wanna grab a drink?” Sean asked while driving. 1/3 +15 BONUS “No. I just reached the company,” answered Kirk as he loosened his tie. “Okay then.” Sean went silent for a moment before complaining, “I’m so unfortunate to have a father–in–law like him! Besides, it was his fault! Why should I be held accountable for it?” “You and Gwen broke up already,” Kirk corrected him. “You just can’t stop yourself from rubbing salt into my wound, huh?” “You did the same when Caroline and I got into a fight,” Kirk said, successfully shutting him up. A few moments later, Sean’s devastated voice came through the phone once more. “Fine! I was wrong! Can you please tell me what I should do to set Gwen free from the trauma her father caused her?” “If I knew what to do, I wouldn’t have had to sleep in a room without Caroline.‘ “What should I do then? I really like Gwen.” At first, Sean had thought she had a unique personality. But after having spent some time with
Chapter 435 What if the mysterious person was a love rival? What if that person had the same thoughts as Mia and sent her all those messages to sow the seeds of doubt between them so that they would quarrel and go their separate ways? Wouldn’t that person get precisely what they wanted, then? But… it didn’t make sense. If that person had made up nothing but lies, why would Kirk’s status in Macldo be shown as ” married“? Besides, Kirk had failed to give her a clear explanation. In fact, he was rather evasive when she brought this up. It could only be said that there was something off on both sides of this story. C aroline placed her hands on her head to sort out her thoughts. Soon, she managed to come up with an idea. She couldn’t contact Dolly, so she might as well try to find out who this “wife” of Kirk’s was. Caroline took out her phone to message Marina. Her finger stopped abruptly before pressing the ” send” button when she was suddenly reminded of something. Caroline deleted the text she had been about to send and transferred ten thousand dollars to Marina’s bank account instead. “Thank you for helping me. My friend saw it already. The person you told me about was indeed the one she was searching for. She wants me to ask you if you can find out who this man’s wife is. You’ll be handsomely rewarded for this. -Caroline” Money could open all doors. Indeed, Marina replied no more than three seconds after the message had been qsent. “Caroline, you’re being much too polite. Don’t worry, I’m on it! I’ll look into it first thing in the morning. -Marina” Caroline sighed in disappointment, but it occurred to her that it was probably midnight where Marina was, so she simply replied “Okay, thanks“. 1/3 +15 BONUS She was about to switch off her phone, but it didn’t seem like Marina wanted their conversation to end so soon. Marina kept on asking Caroline about Caroline’s “friend” and why this “friend” of hers was so rich. To put it simply, Marina wanted to make the acquaintance of this “friend” of Caroline’s. Since the said “friend” didn’t exist, Caroline texted her back, saying, “I’m sorry, but she wants to remain incognito.” After that, Marina stopped pestering her about it. At one of SY Group’s branches, Charles saw Kirk coming back and rushed forth to greet him. Soon, though, he
Chapter 434 +15 BONUS Mia’s mother never thought that Mia would say something like that. She slapped Mia across the face and holiered, “How could you say something like that?” Upset that her mother had just slapped her, Mia covered her cheek with one hand. She snapped, “What? I only wanted something of my own. You were taken away by a man, so what makes you think that I can’t snatch away someone’s man?” That said, she darted out of the hostel and vanished from their sight. Mia’s mother apologized to Gwen profusely while looking in the direction of the door. “Sorry! I’m so sorry, Ms. Jameson! Please leave me your number so that I can apologize to you officially once I’ve settled things here.” There was no doubting her sincerity, and Gwen didn’t want to trouble her further. After all, Mia was the one who started all of this. Gwen was an adult, so she shouldn’t be blaming Mia’s family for what Mia done. “You should go after her,” she told Mia’s mother. “Thank you!” After thanking Gwen, Mia’s mother rushed out of the hostel in search of her daughter. Sighing, Gwen shook her head helplessly as she watched the woman’s retreating figure. “She’s so unfortunate,” she said. “Let’s go back.” Nobody spoke on the way back home. What Mia said kept repeating itself in Caroline’s mind. “If I can’t have him for myself, she can’t too!” Caroline didn’t know why, but it was as if some sort of mysterious power had a grip on her thoughts and wouldn’t stop replaying those words in her mind. “We’re here, Caroline,” Sean said. Only then did she realize that they had arrived at the apartment. She got out of the car and went to get her luggage, but Kirk was quicker than she was and had 1/3 +15 BONUS “I’ll accompany you upstairs,” he said while picking up her luggage, leaving her no chance to refuse. He was already heading toward the building, so Caroline could only follow after him. It was 3:00 pm, and there weren’t many people moving about. The elevator was devoid of any other people except for the two of them. To prevent the awkwardness from simply staring at each other with nothing to do, Caroline busied herself thinking about what Mia had said earlier. Just when she thought she had it figured out, the elevator doors opened. She walked out of the elevator, helpless at the fact that she couldn’t reach a conclusion. “Alright, you can head back now,” she said. “Nope.”
Chapter 433 Mia’s mother looked all anxious when she heard what Caroline said. “Did Mia cause you other kinds of trouble?” “Yes, indeed,” said Caroline as she nudged Gwen. “When we were in Macovo, you said that it was Gwen who pushed Mia, right?” There was no doubt that Mia’s mother remembered this. It was precisely what had drastically changed her impression of these four young people here. “To be honest, Gwen didn’t push your daughter at all.” Caroline spoke slowly and clearly. Mia’s mother instantly turned to look at Mia doubtfully. “Mia?” Panic flashed across Mia’s eyes, but she calmed herself down in the blink of an eye. “Mom, if Caroline insists that Gwen didn’t push me, so be it.” “What do you mean ‘so be it‘?” Gwen was pissed now. “I never pushed you!” Mia pouted her lips. “It’s been a long time since it happened, so please don’t bring it up anymore. If you think you didn’t do it, we’ll think of it as the truth.” “I-” Utterly pissed off, Gwen felt like slapping Mia across the face anytime now. Sensing what Mia was trying to do, Caroline pulled Gwen back and said, “Mia, we’re not accusing you of anything. We have evidence!” Mia’s heart skipped a beat at Caroline’s words, but she managed to calm down soon. The staff at the skating rink had told her that there weren’t any CCTVs around when she had asked him about it. The corners of her lips curved upward into a vague smile, and she said, “Caroline, you can’t change the truth.” – “Are you absolutely certain that Gwen pushed you back then?” Caroline asked in an icy tone. Thinking that there was nothing to fear, Mia answered without a second thought. “Yes.” 1/3 +15 BONUS “Very well.” Caroline turned to face Gwen and said, “Gwen, show us the evidence.” “Okay,” Gwen said as she played the video on her phone. Displayed on the screen were Gwen and Mia’s silhouettes, which made the smile on Mia’s face falter. The video showed exactly how Mia had purposely fallen down at that time. In a rage, she shot up from her seat, trembling. “It’s fake! This is fake! It must have been tampered with!” The look of trust in her mother’s eyes vanished in an instant, now replaced by total distrust. She stared at Mia with a reproachful expression, which made Mia fret when their gazes met.” Mom, you believe me, right?” “Seeing is believing.” Mia’s mother was fuming with rage now. “How