Chapter 121 Innocent Involvement


    Essie followed Jim''s gaze, and there she caught the sight of a stunning woman walking inside the hall.


    The woman had a unique kind of beauty, which reminded Essie of a fairy from the snow mountain. She


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    had skin as fair as snow, and with angelic eyes that were both striking and elegant.


    When Essie left Dragon City, Alice was already eleven years old. Despite her face maturing throughout


    the years, Essie quickly recognized her from the first sight because of her distinctive features.


    Alice was different from Essie in both appearance and character. Essie inherited her looks from her


    mother, while Alice definitely looked more like her father. Alice had beenbeled as the most beautiful


    woman in Dragon City. People were amazed by her charisma and her air of mysteriousness. In fact,


    most men werepletely captivated by her bewitching smile.


    Her beauty relied on her estranged nature, which came with a frosty coldness. She looked like she


    could havee from a beautiful painting; delicate as a rose and beautiful as the rosy clouds. Essie,


    on the other hand had a beauty that was incredibly immacte. She had a pure spirit like fresh


    morning dew and would remind you of an extraordinary flower that would catch your eye in a field. She


    waspletely unpretentious, natural and innocent.


    There was an eight year old boy who was following her from behind. He was also an attractive little boy


    and looked like a little elf following her.


    "Who is that boy?" Essie asked curiously.


    "That is Alice''s youngest brother," replied Jim.


    Essie was a little bit surprised to hear this. By the time she left, she remembered that Elizabeth had a


    daughter, Valery, and a boy named Vinton. She curiously wondered if she had born another child after


    that.


    "Does he share the same mother as Valery?" she asked discreetly.


    "No, hees from a different mother. Theye from aplicated family. There is so much drama,


    it is totally possible to shoot them for a soap opera on TV," Jim said mockingly with a soft sigh.


    "Don''t youe from aplicated family as well?" she asked. "Our family is far more ordinary in


    guys seem to be constantly surrounded by scandals," Essie said in a joking manner.


    A strange smile appeared on Jim''s face before he asked, "Then why did you marry Zac, of all people?"


    "Because..." Essie quickly stopped her tongue and realized that she had almost spilled the truth about


    them two getting married because of a drunken night. She rolled her eyes and looked away, quickly


    trying to figure out another reason before she eventually said, "When I met him, I thought he was a


    simple, poor man."


    Jimughed as he choked and said, "What a strange reason to get married to someone!" Before he


    could finish speaking, a chilly and cold aura suddenly emanated from Zac. Jim just pretended to act


    silly while he lowered his head to have a sip from his drink.


    Not far away.


    Alice walked around gracefully with beautiful eyes sweeping across the hall when she paused to look at


    Zac''s side. To be exact, it was Essie who had caught her attention. When Elizabeth arrived back home,


    she hadn''t mentioned anything about Zac''s marriage to another woman. Alice received the news about


    Zac''s marriage from her youngest brother, Holy Xu. Apparently, Holy was ssmates with Zac''s cousin,


    Goel Rong and they were very close friends. When Goel heard of the exciting news, he immediately


    called Holy to tell him that Zac had dumped Valery triumphantly.


    "Sister Alice, let''s go and greet them," Holy said as he looked at his sister lovingly.


    Alice nodded. She had eyes that were cold as ice and were only filled with warmth the moment she


    looked at her little brother.


    When Essie noticed them walking towards them, her heart began to tremble and nervousness and


    anxiety appeared all over her face. She cowered unconsciously and hid in Zac''s shadow,pletely


    unprepared to meet them.


    "Jim, Zac. It''s been a while," Alice said while she curled her lips conservatively, and her seemingly


    innocent smile only diffused a cold chill amongst everyone.


    "Long time no see, Alice and Holy." Zac and Jim greeted them simply while handing her a ss of


    champagne. They asked her to sit down and drink a bit together.


    Alice sat down gracefully and helped her brother sit next to her on the sofa, but her eyes were fixated


    on Essie the whole time. A mysterious glimmer of light suddenly flickered from her cold eyes. "Zac,


    aren''t you going to introduce us to your woman?" she asked with eyes glued to Essie, wearing a


    questionable expression. It seemed as though there was something in her mind.


    "Her name is Essie Yi," answered Zac lightly.


    "Oh! I know her," interrupted Holy and continued. "She is a designer on the reality TV show called


    Beauty on Runway. She partners with Nicole!"


    Essie was relieved when she heard this and took a deep breath to calm herself down. She smiled and


    said, "It''s a pleasure to meet the both of you, Miss Alice and Mr. Holy."


    "Sister Essie, you can just call me Holy. That''s what everyone calls me," Holy said respectfully with an


    innocent and adorable grin.


    "Got it, Holy," said Essie with a friendly smile before she handed him a fruit.


    He picked the ck grape from Essie and put it inside his mouth. After he swallowed it, he continued to


    speak, "Sister Essie, I''ve seen every one of the episodes in your program. Your performance with


    brother Jim was sensational! When I first saw that, I thought you were his girlfriend, and I was surprised


    to find out that you were brother Zac''s girlfriend."


    "Holy, do you think that I''m a better match for Essie?" Jim asked with a smile while patting the top of his


    head. Jim was clearly sneering, oblivious to the sight of Zac ring at him harshly.


    When Holy came across Zac''s expression, he looked at him and soon enough a sympathetic


    expression appeared on his face. Immediately he said, "It would better Zac to have a kind sister like


    Essie. If he doesn''t stay with Essie, he''ll end up with a bad, terrible witch. He will end up living his


    future life in a limbo of suffering; miserable and pitiful. So don''t try to take Essie away from him."


    Jimughed loudly and hysterically. Zac ced his hand on his forehead and feltpletely awkward.


    ''Are you helping me or mocking me, you little devil child!'' Zac thought with a pout.


    Essie covered her mouth and let out a gentle chuckle. She thought the little boy was adorable and very


    mature for his age. Beyond that, he was in fact her younger half-brother.


    Alice''s eyes were focused on Essie while she took a sip from her champagne. She suddenly asked in a


    low voice, "Miss Essie, how old are you?"


    Essie trembled when she heard this,pletely rmed why she would ask about her age all of a


    sudden. It wasn''tmon courtesy to ask for the age of strangers, especially when they weredies.


    She wondered if Alice could recognize her.


    However after thinking for a while, she figured there was no way she would remember after fifteen


    years apart from each other. They both changed a lot, especially Essie. She was just a naive seven


    year old girl when theyst saw each other and she had since grown into a graceful woman. It was


    impossible that Alice would recognize her so easily.


    She swallowed nervously and tried to keep a calm voice. "My 22nd birthday had just passed."


    "Really?" Alice asked while slightly lifting her red, luscious lips, as if wanting to say something. Instead,


    she simply swallowed her words, leaving aplex and confusing expression on her face. Alice sipped


    from her ss and asked, "Do you have any siblings?"


    "No, I''m an only child," Essie responded briskly. She shook her head with a polite smile on her face to


    conceal her surging emotions.


    Zac held her hand throughout and began to feel that her palms were sweating. He started to get


    worried that she was embarrassed by the questions so he jokingly interjected, "Alice, are you trying to


    give her a background check?"


    By this time, Alice started to notice that she was acting a bit inappropriately. So she let out a gentle


    on her, I thought that she looked exactly like my... Friend."


    When Essie heard this, the corners of her mouth started twitching violently. Fortunately, she was able


    to think quick and hide her face in the shadow, so no one was able to see the strange fluctuations in


    her facial expressions.


    Alice probably just had a strange inking that Essie was familiar, after all, they were born and bred


    together. Living together for seven years would certainly leave a vague impression. However, Essie


    proceeded and said,


    "There are countless people who look like someone in this world. Besides that, I have the so-called


    mon'' face," she smiled faintly with a tone of self-mockery.


    "Sister Essie, if your face was so ordinary, then there would be so many beautiful women in the world!"


    Holy suddenly interrupted, with his eyes glimmering with clear and bright light.


    Everyoneughed.


    Essie giggled naughtily and quickly changed the topic by pointing towards two attractive men. "Well I


    do hope that amon face is like this one or that one, that way the whole world will be filled with


    handsome men. That would be a big welfare for the general public!"


    Zac ced his hand on her chin and turned her face towards him. He said, "Fortunately, that''s not the


    case. Otherwise, you will need a blindfold every time you go out."


    "Why it that?" She pouted.


    "Because I am the only handsome man you can look at," he scoffed. Zac was a domineering man who


    had given her conditions for their rtionship. He forbade her to see, talk or touch another man.


    Unfortunately, Essie had not been keeping her promises.


    Essie held his shoulder and said in a flirtatious manner, "I apologize, but why should I waste my


    valuable eyes? Besides, simply looking at someone cannot get you pregnant."


    Zac snorted, "The problem is that they are not nearly as good-looking as I am, so they will just lower


    your standards with men."


    A myriad of thoughts flooded through her mind.


    His narcissism had reached a point where it had be a mental condition. He needed to get that


    checked up with a therapist.


    "Never mind then. I can just look at Jim instead," said Essie with her arms crossed over her chest. She


    turned her head towards Jim in a flirtatious posture. Jim waspletely entertained watching the two


    of them. It was an enjoyable show, unfortunately, it did not end with romance. However, she better not


    act too well as there was a child just beside them.


    Zac took a sip from his champagne before he opened his mouth and said, "He has been dominating


    the screen for months. He is all over the TV, it''s almost insane. Haven''t you gotten sick of him yet?"


    Essie had a cold stone expression on her face.


    ''Ice guy, does your father know that you could be so mean?'' she thought.


    Jim waspletely dumbfounded that he was being attacked despite not being involved with their


    squabble.


    Sitting next to him, Holy couldn''t resist butting in and added, "Jim is just doing business for the family.


    His fans often lick their TV and phone screens that they end up having to buy a new one from them."


    Essie smiled and gave a thumbs up. "You''re a clever little boy, Holy," she said.


    Zac reached towards Jim to pat his shoulder to show sympathy. Jim was leftpletely speechless so


    he decided to protect himself by building a wall around him and just be the quiet and mysterious


    handsome man.


    With an optimistic smile on her face, Alice inserted, "Well it seems like you two have a good


    rtionship with each other. I hope it works out well for the two of you, as I don''t want some toxic


    people try to tear you apart."


    Holy nodded quickly in agreement and he said, "Yes, brother Zac and sister Essie, you must make sure


    to defeat the daughter of the evil witch."


    When the issue was brought up in her mind, Essie silently sighed. There was an unborn baby that


    backed up Valery and her mother-inw''s support. It would be difficult to simply defeat her.


    Zac always seemed to see right through her. He held her in his arms and said, "There''s nothing to


    worry about. I''ll always be here by your side." His voice wasforting, but Essie''s heart continued to


    feel restless and worried. If the child weren''t his, then things could just go on so smoothly. However,


    things would be so different if the child was really his, and he would forever be intertwined with Valery


    and her mother. It seemed to reflect the simr situation of how Baron had been stuck with Elizabeth.


    However, Essie figured that she could just hand thisplicated problem to Le. She was a tough


    woman, and she could spend the rest of her life fighting over Zac with Valery.


    Essie excused herself to go to the dressing room. She just wanted some time alone to calm her


    thoughts down, but was surprised to find Le when she walked inside.


    It turned out that she had been there in the same party all along.


    However, she wondered why she never bothered to greet Zac.