Chapter 431-440
In fact, Anastasia couldn’t help but sense a chilly aura and the man’s eerie silence filled the
atmosphere.
Soon, Elliot looked up and sat her down beside him. “How are things with Jared? Would you like to
leave and check on him now?”
“Don’t worry about him. He is with my dad. Anyway, have they identified the reason that caused your
grandmother to faint?” Anastasia curiously asked.
Elliot nodded. “I’ll tell you more when I’m done taking care of everything.”
“Sure. What matters now is that your grandma wakes up.”
An hourter, Harriet woke up and was seemingly in a good mood, although she had no idea why she
fainted in the first ce.
“Mom, let me handle our dinner next year! The years have caught up to you, and you should rest
more.” Brenda thought the hectic preparation for the dinner had taken a toll on Harriet’s health and
caused her to pass out.
“I didn’t do anything much either.” Thedy shook her head.
“You nearly scared us all to death, Grandma.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, aren’t I?” Harriet insisted that she was still healthy and refused to worry
the others.
At the same time, Elliot was relieved after seeing his grandmothere around, thinking he could
finally put his mind to ease. “Grandma, you should probably stay in the hospital for a week,” he
suggested.
“That’s right, Mom! I promise I’ll visit you every day so that you won’t feel bored. Please stay here!”
“Why do you guys look like you’re trying to incarcerate me here?” Harriet wasn’t happy with everyone’s
suggestion as she expressed her dissatisfaction. After all, they all thought that the more energetic she
tried to make herself seem, the more childish she appeared to be.
In the meantime, Anastasia felt just as relieved as the rest while looking at the olddy with a smile on
her face while finally feeling the joy of having an elderly senior in the family.
“Aunt Brenda, why don’t you stay here to keep Grandmapany with Nigel while I give Anastasia a
ride home?”
“Go ahead.” Brenda nodded her head in response.
When Elliot took Anastasia home, he was surprisingly quiet in the car, which made Anastasia think it
was because he was too shocked about his grandmother’s condition. Therefore, she silently stayed by
his side until they arrived at the entrance of her residential area just as Elliot said, “I’lle over to pick
you upter.”
“There’s no need for that. I’ll be staying home tonight.” Anastasia didn’t want Elliot to be tired out by the
hassle of traveling.
“Sure, I’ll pick you up tomorrow then.” He hoped that she would move in and stay with him.
“Alright, do what you must for now.” She alighted from the car and walked further into the residential
area.
After watching thedy walk through the gate, Elliot reached for his phone and dialed Rey’s number.
“Gather a few men and tell them toe with me to Hayley’s house.”
On the other hand, Hayley and Daniel were cuddling each other in their sleep at Summit Mansion as
they were exhausted from their intimate moment just minutes ago. However, that also left the
unsuspecting duopletely unaware of Elliot and his men’s arrival.
Meanwhile, Rey was shocked by what he discovered as he managed to trace a transaction that led
them to a source, which waster identified to be from the ck card given to Hayley. “President
Presgrave, Miss Seymour has spent approximately fifty million with this card in the past six months.”
Damn! Hayley hasn’t really been frugal with the money she’s been given.
Elliot squinted, deciding to stop aiding Hayley financially from that moment on. At the same time, Rey
had the ess card to the mansion and was able to drive into thepound. Throughout the entire
time, Hayley and Daniel were still sound asleep in the room. Since the manor belonged to Elliot, he had
the authority to reset the password. Instead of waking the two of them up, he reset the password and
opened the door.
“They’re now upstairs. Should we head up there?” Rey awkwardly asked, considering the fact that
Daniel was his colleague.
“Get them down here.” Elliot had no interest in witnessing what he deemed would be an eyesore.
Therefore, Rey reluctantly headed upstairs by himself and made his way to the bedroom where he saw
several clothes lying on the ground. At the sight of that, he felt goosebumps running all over his body
as he knocked on the door, waking the two of them up instantly.
While Hayley snapped out of her alcoholic influence, Daniel immediately asked, “Who else has ess
to your house, Hayley?”
“Is it Anna?” Hayley, who was seen with her messy hair, was mad at Anna whom she thought was
knocking on the door.
As Daniel wore his clothes in a panicky manner, Hayley wrapped herself in her pajamas and opened
the door, only to be greeted by Rey’s face which left them horrified and stunned.
“M-Mr. Osborne, what brings you here?” Hayley asked in a terrified manner and went on to exin
what might have appeared to Rey, although Daniel could be seen buttoning up his shirt in the
background. “Mr. Lancaster and I were discussing something in the room.”
“Mr. Presgrave is waiting downstairs. Get down there when you’re done putting on your clothes.” Rey
finished his words and walked away.
Upon hearing the man’s words, Hayley turned pale in the face. What?! Elliot is waiting downstairs? She
then turned her attention to Daniel and red at him. “We will say nothing about our rtionship!”
“You don’t say!” Daniel replied. What kind of dumb question is that?! I don’t want to die yet!
Upon putting on their clothes, they headed downstairs as if they had just finished discussing their
business. Then, Hayley made her way to Elliot, although she was still trying to get over her surprised
feeling about the man’s untimely visit. “Here you are, Elliot.” Despite the short period, she managed to
put on some makeup and applied some lipstick to her lips before showing herself in a decent coat.
At the same time, Daniel was too scared to look up as he seemed afraid to step forward. Meanwhile,
Elliot set his cold eyes on thedy who wasing his way, his eyes gaze filled with rage and
exasperation.
“Rey, please show Miss Seymour the video.” Elliot had never thought about killing someone, but at that
moment, he was tempted to make an exception.
While Hayley had no idea what she was going to be watching, Rey proceeded to turn up the volume
and show her a video of herself swapping the medicine at Presgrave Residence with the highest
resolution. In that instant, Hayley’s eyes were left wide open in horror as she covered her mouth and
spent the next few minutes watching the video until the end.
Deep down, she didn’t expect that her wrongdoings would be caught on tape, and she shivered so
much that she struggled to muster the courage and meet Elliot’s gaze. However, she eventually
decided to take a peek, only to notice the man’s cial expression like he was suppressing his
murderous intent. On the other hand, Elliot, who met Hayley’s eyes, instantly felt a strong desire to kill
her.
“I’m sorry, Elliot. I-I… I…” Hayley stammered and struggled toplete her sentence in the face of
Elliot’s indifferent sharp gaze. While she was usually good at giving excuses, nothing seemed toe
to her mind at that moment. After all, her wickedness and heartlessness were exposed by the video,
which left her with almost no way to exin herself. “I’m sorry. I-I was foolish to make that mistake.
Please forgive me, Elliot. I just couldn’t think straight.”
“Miss Seymour, do you know that Old Madam Presgrave has been admitted to the hospital because
she mistakenly took the medicine you swapped and fainted?” Rey asked rhetorically in an attempt to
make Hayley understand the gravity of the situation.
Upon hearing Rey’s reply, Hayley felt her blood freeze. “What?! Grandma mistakenly took the
medicine?! I’m sorry. I never thought of doing any harm to Grandma. I swear I didn’t…” Thedy
stubbornly tried to talk her way out, gazing at Elliot tearfully. “I’m sorry, Elliot! I didn’t mean it! I didn’t do
that on purpose…”
“Hayley, I’m going to spare your life for the sake of that incident five years ago, but I demand you to
return my card and my watch to me. Then, pack your stuff and get out of my manor,” Elliot answered
coldly without a sign of expression that indicated his anger.
Scared by the man’s words, Hayley bit her lips in fear as she didn’t think her nightmare would catch up
to her so soon. Although the truth about the incident that happened five years ago wasn’t exposed, she
was surprised that Elliot still wanted to take everything away from her. “You can’t do this to me, Elliot! I
gave you my first time five years ago, so is that how you’re going to treat me?”
“You tried to kill my grandmother, so do you think I’m going to give a damn about what happened five
years ago? With this video, I could put you in jail and have you locked up in a cell for eternity,” Elliot
answered coldly.
Meanwhile, Hayley went weak in the knees and copsed onto the ground after hearing Elliot’s words.
After all, Elliot was like a god that had made her somebody. Now, he was going to take everything away
from her. I’m no longer who I used to be, and I’ll never be the person I was. I’m now living like a
princess, so how can I go back to the old days when I was poor and broke?
“Please, Elliot! Please don’t do this to me! I’m sorry! I made a mistake, but I’ve learned my lesson…”
Hayley sank to her knees and crawled toward Elliot, beseeching him to cut her some ck. “Please
don’t take my card away from me. Please don’t chase me out of this manor! I promise I’ll never harm
anyone ever again, Elliot! I don’t want to lose everything I have now…”
On the other hand, Rey and the other bodyguards were speechless upon seeing Hayley’s reaction,
seeing how thedy was willing to beg Elliot not to take away her money at the cost of her pride. As the
man’s cial gaze stopped thedy from moving, he said, “From the moment you tried to kill my
grandma, you no longer deserve to own everything you have right now. I have no more tolerance for
you, Hayley!”
At the same time, Daniel, who was staring at Hayley, lost his liking toward her as he found her
embarrassed look ugly andughable. “I’m sorry, President Presgrave. I’ll resign right away.” He
walked closer and added, “I know I’ve made a mistake for allowing Miss Seymour to seduce me. I
apologize to you for that.”
“What are you talking about, Daniel?! I didn’t seduce you, but you forced me to sleep with you instead.”
Hayley refuted Daniel, refusing to let thetter’s usation add to Elliot’s hatred for her.
Nheless, Elliot felt nothing but disgust toward the two of them. He red at Daniel and said, “Get
out of my face now!” Knowing that Elliot was showing him mercy by telling him to leave, Daniel rose to
his feet and staggered away desperately while Hayley stayed behind and continued to kneel on her
knees with a pale face to show her unwillingness to lose everything she had.
“Find Mr. Presgrave’s card and watch.” Rey gave the bodyguards an order.
“No, please don’t take my card away! Please don’t…” Hayley tried to grab her handbag, but the guards
were one step ahead of her as they emptied it and reached for her wallet. As soon as they got their
hands on the ck card, they wiped it with a piece of tissue paper and handed it over to Elliot.
Nheless, he didn’t take the card. Instead, he let Rey take it. In the meantime, one of his
bodyguards headed upstairs and came down shortly after he found Elliot’s watch and returned it to him.
When Hayley saw what they were doing, she lost her mind and shouted, “No, none of you can take
anything away from me! They are all mine! I deserve them, Elliot! You’re indebted to me, so you can’t
take them away from me.” As Hayley wanted to hug Elliot’s thigh to beg him not to take away her
possessions, two of his bodyguards immediately restrained her to keep her from getting closer to Elliot.
“Take all her possessions and throw them away.” Elliot gritted his teeth, ordering his guards to take
everything away from Hayley.
Hayley immediately covered her ne with her hands, her eyes left wide open in horror. After all,
she wasn’t about to give up a ne worth over five million, but soon, a bodyguard came closer
while the other two pinned her to the ground. Humiliated, Hayley screamed out loud. “You can’t do this
to me! You can’t do this to me, Elliot! Help me! Ouch! It hurts, Elliot!” Despite thedy’s painful
screams, Elliot’s gaze had no sympathy at all; there was only coldness and indifference to it.
The guard swiftly removed Hayley’s ne, as well as her diamond bracelet, diamond watch, and
diamond ring. After that, the guard reached for her handbag, in which he put her cell phone and
identification documents before throwing it back to her. With her messy hair, Hayley was seen sitting
while crying on the floor while ring at Elliot resentfully. “If I had known you were so heartless when
you slept with me five years ago, I wouldn’t have bothered to save you, Elliot!”
No matter how Hayleyined, Elliot’s eyes were only filled with hatred as he appeared
emotionless. “You set Anastasia up five years ago, and now you tried to kill my grandmother. The two
of them are the women I love the most, so you should consider yourself lucky that you’re still breathing
right now.”
“Miss Seymour, I’d like to ask you a question. Why did you instruct the guards at Abyss Club to burn
down the server room? What are you hiding?” Rey seized the opportunity and asked.
Hayley’s face changed as she looked at Rey in horror. “I-I did no such thing.”
“What are you not telling us?” Elliot questioned Hayley.
Upon hearing Elliot’s question, Hayley was horrified to realize that the former had already started to
investigate the incident five years ago. For that, she was grateful that she had acted soon enough to
destroy the evidence, or her lies would have been exposed a long time ago. “Yes, I did that because I
didn’t want anyone to know that you slept with me.” Hayley tried to brush Elliot off with an excuse, but
the man wasn’t convinced by her perfunctory exnation at all. I don’t believe in her words. They are
not convincing at all, and I’m sure she knows more than she lets on.
On the other hand, Rey reckoned it was a good thing for Elliot for confronting Hayley about the incident
five years ago. By doing so, Hayley could no longer mess around in the name of what had happened
back then.
Soon, Elliot stood up, seemingly tired of looking at Hayley’s face as he turned to his bodyguard. “Get
her out of my manor.”
“Please don’t do this to me, Elliot! Please, no! I’m sorry. I’ve learned from my mistakes now, so please
forgive me!” Hayley rose to her feet in a panicky manner, wanting to copse into Elliot’s embrace.
However, just when she was a foot away from him, she stopped in her tracks.
It turned out that Elliot’s nonchnt yet menacing gaze fell upon Hayley, intimidating her with his
prominent status. At the same time, Hayley didn’t dare to take a step forward as if she was about to fall
off the edge of a cliff even though she was only standing several feet away from the man.
“I’ll get out of here myself.” Hayley clenched her jaw, thinking she should do onest thing that would
make her proud in front of Elliot. In the meantime, she couldn’t help but figure out whether Elliot would
treat her better after he had calmed down from his anger. Therefore, as she walked closer and closer to
the door, she was looking forward to hearing Elliot calling out to her out of sympathy, but in the end, her
wish didn’te true.
Instead, Hayley only felt a pair of cold eyes glued to her as she walked out the door. Upon stepping out
of the manor, she looked back and took in the big house in which she had stayed for thest six
months. The ce felt like a castle to her, and she had enjoyed a life of wealth andfort like a
princess who was taken care of by her servants. Then, when sheid eyes on the Ferrari that she
deemed was supposed to be hers, she couldn’t help but feel sorry to see it taken away from her, along
with everything else she owned just a few minutes ago.
Now that she was back to being a normal person with nothing left, she regretted not transferring some
of the properties under her name and stashing some of the expensive jewelry in her house. After all,
she never had a thought that she would end up so miserably one day. Deep down, she beat herself
and regretted harming someone innocent. If I didn’t do any harm to anyone, I would still be enjoying all
this. What the heck have I done?
However, Hayley quickly asked herself how ady couldn’t be blinded by her delusionally idealized
fantasy after meeting a man like Elliot. Well, I guess it’s not something fortunate for ady to be treated
kindly by Elliot. Instead, it’s a misfortune in disguise because it is going to drive her crazy since she will
now crave to marry Elliot more than ever. Then, Hayley realized her madness all began with her love
for Elliot, which was why she had done everything to win him over even though that had eventually led
to her downfall.
Soon, Hayley looked up and saw Elliot standing by the window. Meanwhile, the man seemed as
graceful and handsome as he usually was, but she felt sorry for herself because she now no longer
had the chance to even ask to see him.
After leaving the manor, she realized the only valuable thing was the outfit that she was wearing at that
moment. After all, she had spent hundreds of thousands purchasing her coat and tens of thousands on
her shoes and handbag, but other than those things, she had nothing else left with her.
In just a day, Hayley lost everything and went back to the way she used to live her old days. At the
thought of that, she could no longer fight back her tears as she cursed Elliot and Anastasia, hoping
they would suffer terribly until they died. She then curled her lips upward and smiled since she was
nning to keep Anastasia in the dark about Elliot’s identity as her son’s father.
At the same time, she gloated at Elliot’s unawareness about Jared’s actual identity, finding joy in the
fact that Elliot thought Jared was Anastasia’s illegitimate child with another man when he was in fact
his son. Only I know this secret, but too bad that I’m going to keep it with me until myst dying breath.
By then, I’m going to reveal it and make them suffer in remorse. I want Anastasia to remember that she
slept with Elliot once back then. That’s going to sting her like a nail in her chest, eh?
“Anastasia and Elliot, you will both die a horrible death!” Hayley cursed the two of them with a loud
voice. Not long after that, she decided to settle down at a nearby café, trying hard to adjust to her
normal life after having lived her days luxuriously andfortably for the past six months. Upon
ordering herself a cup of coffee, she silently swallowed the unpleasant truth of being treated meanly by
Elliot who had now be the person for whom she had nothing but hatred and grudges.
After taking a sip of her coffee, Hayley was stunned by the diluted taste. She remembered ordering a
cup of coffee with a rich vor, yet she didn’t taste anything except for a strange hint of bitterness. “Is
there something with your coffee? Why does it taste terrible?” Hayley vented out her anger on the
waiter.
The waiter came over and asked, “Is there anything wrong with the coffee, miss?”
“What kind of coffee did you serve me? It contains no fragrance at all. I asked for hand-brewed coffee.
Is this instant coffee?” Hayley inquired.
“It is indeed hand-brewed coffee, miss,” the waiter exined.
“This is the worst cup of coffee I’ve ever had!” After finishing her words, Hayley stood up angrily.
As she approached the door, she heard twodies mocking her.
“Despite her nice outfit, her personality is terrible.”
“Exactly! It’s as if she’s uneducated.”
Hayley turned her head to see the twodies mocking her and chastised them. “What are you talking
about behind my back?”
“Did we refer to you? We’re just talking about a b*tch who was barking earlier. Why are you fitting
yourself into what we said?”
Just as Hayley was about to walk over and confront them, they waved their hands to someone behind
her. “We’re here, my dear.”
At that, Hayley turned her head and saw two bulky men walking in. When she saw them, she became
frightened and left after casting a stern re at the twodies.
After she exited, she realized at that moment that she no longer had the right to be arrogant. She was
even having trouble surviving now. It was easier to transition from frugality to excess, but not the other
way around.
In the past six months, she had no friends and had notmunicated with her family at all. She was a
selfish person who would never share anything good with others. Hence, for the past six months, she
was busy enjoying herself without even helping her family out. Her family remained poor and still
struggled to make ends meet.
She, on the other hand, had lived the life of a princess. She had stic surgery, drove expensive cars,
lived in a luxury bungalow, and carried a premium credit card with an unlimited limit.
Meeting Elliot was the disaster that ruined her life.
At this point, Hayley noticed a swarm of cars exiting the intersection in front of her. The line of Rolls-
Royces that cost millions looked imposing on the road. Indeed, they belonged to Elliot.
Hayley suddenly recalled that she could take some of them and sell them since her vi was full of
luxury things. She might be able to survive for a while with the money she received from the sale.
However, after hailing a cab to the vi, she discovered that the password for the gate’s digital lock had
changed. She gritted her teeth and attempted to enter from the other side, but she identally set off
the warning rm while climbing in. As a result, she was forced to flee in despair.
When she had previously lived here, Rey had assured her that she did not need to be concerned about
its security because there was a warning rm outside the wall. If anyone broke in, the rm would
notify the security office that would immediately notify the police station who would thereafter dispatch
officers over.
As she remembered this, she felt hopeless. It was impossible for her to get anything out of this ce.
A disappointed Hayley was walking on the street when her phone rang. She looked at the screen and
immediately answered the call. “Hello, Mr. n. How are things going on your end? When can I return
to Hond again?”
“We’ve contacted the relevant authorities, Miss Seymour, and we have arranged a time for you.
However, you must first pay an examination fee.”
“How much is that?”
“It’s not a lot to you. Just a hundred thousand.”
“What?! A hundred thousand for the examination fee? I want to sue the hospital for causing my loss of
taste, but he still dares to ask for an examination fee?” Hayley yelled and she sounded as if she was
about to copse.
“Miss Seymour, the surgery you had cost about two million, so of course the examination fee would be
this much. Furthermore, if you intend to sue the hospital, you must have at least one million set aside
for legal fees.”
It drove her insane when she heard that. “What? You all are just going crazy over the money! They
should be the one topensate me!”
“I’m sorry, Miss Seymour. The contract, which you signed, clearly states that you will bear all
consequences including any after-effects. If you want to make more amendments to what was done,
you will have to pay for additional treatments.”
“Piss off!” she eximed. At that point, Hayley was regretting her stic surgery.
She could not afford the fee to maintain what she had done in the future. Even for her current loss of
taste, she was unable to sue them, and all of this urred within two months of her surgery.
The car was on the road and Elliot was sitting in the passenger seat, looking exhausted. “President
Presgrave, where do you want to go?” Rey asked.
The first thought that came to Elliot was to look for Anastasia. However, she had informed him that she
would not being to his house today, so he had no idea where he should go.
“Let’s go see Grandma at the hospital.” Truth was, he was concerned about Harriet’s health.
“I think you should inform Miss Tillman how you dealt with Hayley, President Presgrave, in case Hayley
finds ways to cause trouble to Miss Tillman,” Rey suggested.
Elliot considered what Rey said before saying, “Let’s go Anastasia’s ce, then.”
Meanwhile, Anastasia was preparing dinner when she received a call from Elliot, who said he would be
coming over. She asked if he was going to have dinner here, to which he replied, “Can you prepare my
portion as well?”
As she had not prepared dinner yet, she mentioned, “Come over!”
Francis was ted to know that Elliot would being, as it meant that Anastasia had reconciled with
the man.
“Prepare more food, Anastasia,” Francis instructed. “I’ll bring Jared out for a walk.”
“Sure,” Anastasia replied with a smile.
Francis’ phone, which had been left on the table, rang not long after he left. That surprised Anastasia,
because she had not anticipated Francis not bringing his phone. She walked over to take a look and
when she saw who was calling, she answered.
But before she could respond, the person on the other end of the line yelled, “Do you still want to live
here, Francis? You’re back at Anastasia’s house, looking after her child, aren’t you? You don’t stay at
home all day every day, not even on weekends! Do you even remember our home?”
Anastasia frowned upon hearing that. Turned out that Naomi appeared to be dissatisfied with Francis
coming to look after Jared. I bet he would need to face her nagging when he goes backter!
“It’s Anastasia here, Naomi. My father is taking a stroll downstairs,” Anastasia voiced out.
“Anastasia, what do you mean by asking my husband to leave every day? Are you attempting to divide
us? What nefarious ns do you have?” Naomi immediately chastised her.
“I didn’t mean that. I merely wanted him to look after Jared for a while.”
“You shouldn’t have had your child if you don’t have time to care for him!” Naomi responded angrily.
That infuriated Anastasia. “He’s my father, so why can’t he look after my child?”
“All right, let him look after your child as much as you want! Maybe one day I’ll just divorce him!” Naomi
threatened.
Hearing that, Anastasia had the urge to talk back to the other woman, but she didn’t want to make
things difficult for Francis, who would be spending his life with Naomi. Hence, she said, “I’ll ask him to
go home now.”
“I’m warning you, Anastasia. You better not have any thoughts on your dad’spany. It doesn’t
belong to you alone. Erica and I have our shares in it as well. If you intend to im it as your own, I’ll
definitely not let you off the hook.” Naomi hung up the phone as soon as she finished speaking.
Anastasia, however, had never harbored such a thought before. It was just that Francis’ business was
now her responsibility. She had no choice but to assist Francis in relieving his stress.
When Francis returned not long after, Anastasia requested him to go back to his house for dinner. He
knew as well that Naomi would definitely be displeased since he had been out socializing all week and
hadn’t been home much.
“Okay, I’ll go home. Take good care of Jared.”
Francis then left. Not longter, Elliot arrived.
“I miss you so much, Mr. Presgrave!”
“It’s only been a day since youst saw him. What’s there for you to miss?” Anastasia said with a
chuckle. It seemed that Jared had be more attached to Elliot than to her.
And she was jealous about it.
“I just miss him!” Jared replied, his mouth pouting.
Seeing that, Elliot lowered his head. He then carried Jared in his arms and gave the boy a kiss. “I miss
you too. I wanted to take you both home, but your mother refused.”
“Mr. Presgrave, just marry my mom fast! She’ll be your wife then!” Jared said loudly.
Anastasia, who was in the kitchen, heard everything he said, and found him amusing. Walking out, she
gave him a stern re and said, “Don’t spout nonsense, Jared.”
“I want it as well! If she agrees, I can marry her right away.”
“Mom, did you hear what Mr. Presgrave said? Please agree to it!” Jared said as he dashed into the
kitchen.
Anastasia heard that, but she did not want toe out.
Elliot then sat on the sofa with Jared, asionally hearing whatever was going on in the kitchen. He
realized that he had really fallen in love with such a mundane life.
At the same time, Anastasia had prepared a lot of food. She had prepared Francis’ portion as well, but
there were only three of them now.
Jared attentively spooned food for Anastasia and Elliot while they were eating. Anastasia looked at
him, then at Elliot, and she realized they looked just like father and son.
After they finished their dinner, Anastasia was busy cleaning up the kitchen, while Elliot stood by the
door, waiting for her.
“Do you have anything to tell me?” She walked out, wiping her hands.
“I retracted everything I had given Hayley. I don’t want to see her again from now on.”
Anastasia was shocked to hear that. “Why?”
“Hayley was the one who changed Grandma’s medicine, which caused Grandma to faint this time. She
wanted to hurt Grandma.”
Anastasia could not believe what she was hearing, and she clenched her fists and asked, “What?
Hayley changed Old Madam Presgrave’s medicine? Why did she do that?”
“Aside from her evil nature, I’m guessing she wanted to frame you with this. Fortunately, surveince
cameras were installed in the area where the medicine was prepared, and all of her actions were
documented. Otherwise, she’d undoubtedly use you of doing so.” Anastasia would have been
implicated in the case if Elliot wasn’t lucky enough to obtain the evidence.
“Your grandmother treats her well, but she still intends to harm her. What a vicious woman she is!”
Anastasia felt an immense hatred against Hayley.
“That being the case, you need to guard against her if you ever see her in the future. I fear that she’ll
go insane and hurt you.” He would protect her, but she would need to take care of herself as well.
He couldn’t possibly be around her 24 hours a day, no matter how strong he was.
“I will. Where is she now?”
“I’ve chased her out and taken back all of the things that I had given her. She doesn’t deserve all that,”
Elliot replied coldly.
Hearing that, Anastasia felt that it was Hayley’s retribution for all the harm she did.
She didn’t even qualify as a human. Anastasia could forgive her for the incident five years ago, but
Hayley had deteriorated to the point where she was now attempting to harm Harriet through changing
the medicine. That was a heinous crime. After all, Harriet was Elliot’s beloved grandmother.
Later in the night, Elliot didn’t seem to want to leave. Anastasia did not ask him to leave as well, but
merely tidied up her bed for him to rest on since he was exhausted after a long day.
Indeed, that made Elliot utterly d. She treats me better now, he thought.
Meanwhile, in the Seymours’ house, all five of them were staying in an old and cramped ce. Hayley
had two younger siblings, a sister and a brother. Her parents were both low-wage earners, with her
mother working as a helper and her father as a construction worker. Despite the fact that she had been
well off for the previous six months, she did not help her family financially because she hated them.
And now, when she returned, she began to cry regretful tears. Why am I so selfish? Why didn’t I assist
them financially or buy a bigger house for them when I was rich in the past? Elliot would not have taken
them back if I did so.
“Who are you?” Hayley’s mom, Valerie, emerged from the house to dispose of the garbage. Seeing
Hayley under the bright light, the older woman did not recognize her daughter.
After all, Hayley had stic surgery and looked entirely different now.
“Mom, it’s me, Hayley,” Hayley said calmly.
“What? Hayley? You… Have you had stic surgery? Where did you get your money?” Valerie yelled
at Hayley after realizing the woman in front of her was her daughter.
That enraged Hayley. This family is always like this. I am always the one being scolded.
“Why didn’t you use the money you spent on stic surgery to help the family? You’re such an
ungrateful child. I shouldn’t have raised you up in the first ce. Why are youing back now?”
Hayley, too, responded with a yell, “Fine! I’m noting back! I’ll just die outside if that’s what you
want!”
She turned around and ran away as soon as she finished her sentence. Valerie was taken aback by
that. While she feltpelled to pursue Hayley, she knew it made no difference to the family whether
or not this daughter of hers was in the family.
Hayley had always been standoffish and liked to put on airs since young. Hence, her return would only
be a burden on their family. Furthermore, they had no idea where she had been for the past six
months. They even had to beg her for money previously.
Meanwhile, Hayley entered a shopping mall after leaving the Seymours’ house. She yearned for such a
dazzling location. She then entered a branded store. As her bag and clothes were all branded, the
shopkeepers greeted her warmly.
“Miss, this is ourtest design. Would you like to have a try?”
That made Hayley feel sentimental. She could take anything she wanted a few days ago without
thinking about the cost, but now the cost of the shoes was far beyond her means.
Just a pair of shoes cost more than six thousand.
Her mind was in a daze when she exited the shop. She wanted to beg Elliot to return the wealthy life to
her.
Where can I go now? she wondered. Suddenly, she remembered Erica. Erica was the only one who
could take her in now, but for her to do so, Hayley could not let her know that Elliot had cut off all her
living expenses.
Indeed, Erica came to pick her up after a call, and they both then went back to the Tillman Residence.
Inside the house, Hayley saw the items she had previously given to Erica. She didn’t want them before,
but now she was desperate to get them back.
Erica, on the other hand, had no idea Hayley was in a desperate state now. She thought Hayley was
only feeling lonely.
“Why are you looking gloomy, Hayley?” Erica asked, whileying on the bed, after seeing Hayley’s pale
face.
“Nothing much.” Hayley immediately turned off the lights and said, “Let’s sleep.”
A tinge of hatred shed through her eyes in the darkness. Elliot loves Anastasia so much. If
something happened to her, he would undoubtedly go insane.
Since Hayley’s life was now meaningless, she wanted to drag Anastasia with her to the grave and
leave Elliot alone in this world.
Meanwhile, Elliot was sleeping on Anastasia’s bed, and he didn’t wake up until the next morning. Only
on her bed could he get such a good night’s sleep.
Christmas was around the corner, and the entire city was buzzing due to the festive season. It was a
week away from Christmas Eve and Elliot started to get busy as well. The next day after the dinner
they had together, Anastasia and Jared returned to Elliot’s vi.
Though Elliot had not given Anastasia an official status, living with him had be second nature to
her.
Three dayster, Rey walked into Elliot’s office carrying a watch box containing the watch they took
from Hayley.
“The watch had been cleaned thoroughly, President Presgrave.”
Elliot took the watch from Rey. As it was his grandmother’s birthday gift to him many years back, he
had always treated it as a treasure. He once thought of giving it to Hayley, but now, he simply wanted
to keep it for himself.
After working hours, Elliot brought the watch back to the vi. When Anastasia heard his car, she
walked out from her room to seek him out.
She knocked on his room and when she entered, she saw him holding a watch in his hand. Curiously,
she asked with a smile, “You bought a new watch again?”
“No. This was an old watch given by Grandma.” Elliot, however, omitted the fact that he took it back
from Hayley, fearing that Anastasia might get upset upon knowing it. Upon hearing his words, she took
the watch and spent some time looking at it. Then, she said, “It looks exquisite. It must be expensive as
well.”
“About tens of millions.”
She took another look at it after hearing that. “Let me examine it and feel what it’s like to hold tens of
millions in my hand.”
Noticing that she liked it, Elliot said, “I’ll give it to you then.”
“No! How can I possibly ept such an expensive item from you? Even if I take it, I wouldn’t dare to
wear it out. I would be just inviting snatch thieves if I wear it out without any bodyguards.”
Elliot smiled in response. “In that case, I’ll arrange twenty bodyguards for you. You can then wear any
watch you like.”
“I don’t want to. I prefer a normal life,” Anastasia said while shaking her head.
He then led her into his closet. There was a massive ss disy containing all of his watches, and he
ced the watch she was holding in it. It glistened in the bright light. Due to the refraction of the lights,
the wolf’s head figure on it, which normally shone in the dark, was emitting faint light as well.
As Anastasia was leaning against the ss disy and admiring his collection, she felt a warm
sensation behind her. When she turned around, she was met with the man’s intense stare.
The fire within his gaze was unmistakable.
She could understand what Elliot, as a normal twenty-eight-year-old man, was thinking of at the
moment.
However, his phone rang unexpectedly. He took a look at the screen and saw the name that disgusted
him.
The call was from Hayley.
Anastasia saw it too, and she immediately raised her head and wanted to ask if he would answer the
call.
However, Elliot rejected the call and blocked Hayley’s number.
Anastasia knew that, despite their previous one-night stand, Hayley’s act of harming his grandmother
was totally uneptable to Elliot, and that by doing so, she would never see him again.
Noticing that he wasn’t in a good mood, Anastasia hugged him and said, “I’ll prepare dinner tonight.
What do you want to have?”
“I enjoy whatever you cook.” Elliot hugged her back, pressing her against his chest so they could hold
each other tightly.
All Anastasia could smell as she was buried in his arms was his hormonal scent, and she heard him
say beside her ear, “But you’re my favorite dish of all.”
At that, she pushed him away with a smile. “I’m sorry, President Presgrave, but such a dish is not
avable tonight.”
She exited the room after finishing her words, leaving him smiling alone in the room. Elliot was patient
enough to wait for what he desired.
It was a dark night outside. All of the other watches in the ss disy were dimly lit; only the watch
they were looking at earlier had a wolf’s head on it, exuding a domineering aura.
Meanwhile, Hayley sat dejectedly on a bench on the cold street. She had called numerous times, but
none of her calls were answered.
She knew that Elliot had blocked her.
The cold breeze blew through her, and she immediately wrapped her arms around herself. It was only
now that she realized the expensive clothes she was wearing weren’t designed to withstand cold
weather, as those who could afford them would never be forced to live on the streets.
C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.
Suddenly, she thought of another person, and she dialed Daniel’s phone number using her phone.
“Hello?” His voice sounded aloof.
“It’s Hayley. Can I sleep over at your ce, Daniel?” Biting her lips, she requested.
“Miss Seymour, I’m sorry, but we shall not be in contact anymore.”
“How can you treat me like this, Daniel? We’ve slept together so many times. Don’t you have any
feelings for me?”
“If I’m not mistaken, Hayley, you were always the one to make the first move. Which man will reject a
woman who took the initiative? Truth is, I really don’t have any feelings for you.” Daniel was fired by the
Presgrave Group, and he med Hayley for his loss of such a well-paying and promising job.
“Daniel, you’re such a b*astard,” she scolded.
“I liked you before you had stic surgery. However, now that you’ve had surgery, I find it repulsive that
your face is filled with prosthetics.” He then continued, “You look exactly like a ghost when you cry.”
His words enraged Hayley to the point where her face flushed and she thought she was going to blow a
gasket.
“Anastasia is naturally beautiful, but yours is man-made. Don’t even think aboutparing yourself to
her. You will never be able to match her beauty in your lifetime.” Daniel spit out even harsher words.
“That is absurd! In every way, I’m not worse than she is!” Hayley screamed angrily.
“You’d do well to wake up! President Presgrave has been uninterested in you since the beginning. A
lowly woman like you even wishes to be a princess, but even with the crown on, you’ll look amusing!”
“Shut up, Daniel Lancaster! You have no right to talk to me in such a way,” she angrily refuted.
“Don’t ever call me again. Well, now that you have a new look from the surgery, you might be able to
survive if you sell yourself.”
“Piss off!” Gritting her teeth and trembling with rage, Hayley squeaked out these two words and hung
up.
Hayley could stay at Erica’s ce, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Erica discovered
she no longer had anything. As a result, the former rushed to find another ce to stay before that.
Naomi was sitting on the sofa watching television when Hayley returned to the Tillman Residence.
Erica had told her that Hayley was now wealthy, so she was polite to her whenever she saw her.
“Hello, Hayley. You’re back! Erica is upstairs!”
“Thanks, Naomi.” Hayley gave her a smile.
“Your surgery is quite well done, Hayley. You look prettier now.” Naomi looked at Hayley with envy and
felt that Hayley resembled Anastasia.
To that, Hayley pretended to smile, but she was feeling awful deep down. Instead of advantages, this
face of hers now brought her a lot of malice.
Erica was in her room, experimenting with her new perfume. When she noticed Hayley, she eximed
happily, “Hayley,e over here and give it a shot. Is the scent of Chanel No. 5 pleasant?”
Hayley obliged. However, when Erica sprayed it on her, all she felt was some wetness on her face with
not much fragrance.
“Is this genuine?” she inquired right away. She had previously worn Chanel No. 5, so why couldn’t she
recognise it now?
“Of course it’s genuine! I asked someone to buy something for me abroad. I think it smells nice!” Erica
sprayed it again after she said it. “I really adore this fragrance!”
As if Hayley thought of something, her eyes widened, and she right away grabbed the perfume and
sprayed it all over her face. However, the only thing she felt were water droplets on her face and a very
faint, if not none, fragrance scent. She tried her hardest to smell it but she got nothing.
What is going on? Why can’t I smell it?
“Hayley, what happened?”
Frightened, Hayley walked over to Erica’s dressing table and sprayed another perfume on her, but the
result was the same. She couldn’t detect any scents. When she realized this, she cradled her head and
yelled before squatting down on the floor and cried.
“What’s wrong, Hayley?” Erica looked at her in surprise. At the same time, she took over the perfume
bottles in Hayley’s hand as well, fearing that Hayley would drop her newly purchased perfume.
Hayley was a stubborn character, so she refused to tell anyone about her unfortunate events. She
feared being looked down upon.
As a result, she did not inform Erica that she had lost her sense of taste; what was even more terrifying
was she discovered that she had lost her sense of smell as well. It was no surprise she had no appetite
for the past few days. Any food was unappealing to her, and she realized now that it was because of
her loss of smell.
“What exactly happened to you, Hayley?” Erica blinked her eyes in shock. Hayley’s behavior really
terrified her.
To that, Hayley stood up and said, “I’m fine.” At that point, her eyes were red.
“You gave me a shock! Well, I’ve been waiting for this perfume for a long time and I finally got it now.”
Erica sprayed the perfume again after her words and reveled in it.
Hayley, on the other hand, was envious. She now realized how wonderful it was to be a normal human
being, with intact senses of smell and taste.
But she had lost them all. The doctor did warn her before the surgery that there would be side effects
because the surgery was extensive, but she ignored all of that and insisted on going ahead to be
prettier and attract Elliot. The only thing on her mind was getting the desired effect.
Now, it was almost as if God was punishing her for her greed.
Hayley wouldter face exorbitant legal fees and a life of poverty. Even if her face could stay pretty for
a while longer, she couldn’t afford the upkeep.
Problems with her face would arise if she did not maintain it, no matter how beautiful it was now. She
couldn’t imagine what she would look like if the time came.
Feeling miserable, she struggled to keep her tears at the corner of her eyes from falling. She had been
reduced to this point entirely due to an invisible force pushing her, which was made up of her greed,
envy, and a deep hatred for Anastasia.